Monday, September 27, 2010

"Why was "Don Quixote" originally written in Arabic?"

"Or rather, why does Cervantes, who wrote the book in Spanish, claim that it was translated from the Arabic?"

So begins a fascinating brief essay published in the NYT. The esssay highlights the connection between Cervantes epic work, Don Quixote,  and the ongoing forced expulsion of Muslims from the Iberian penninsula. Cervantes, by the way, had been held captive by Arab pirates for some five years from 1575 to 1580.


See, Cervantes in Algiers: A Captive's Tale by Maria Antonia Garces

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