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Cervantes Quotes

Quotes on Cervantes and his place in literary history.

One quote ranks Cervantes alongside Shakespeare, Dante, and Moliere, arguing his reputation reaches far beyond Spain into broader world Culture. Another turns personal, noting Cervantes married at thirty-seven and spent only about half of his thirty-year marriage living with his wife.

In the literature of France Moliere occupies the same kind of position as Cervantes in that of Spain, Dante in that of Italy, and Shakespeare in that of England. His glory is more than national - it is universal.

Quotes by Lytton Strachey

Cervantes married in 1584, when he was thirty-seven and Catalina was nineteen. The marriage lasted thirty years, but Cervantes may have spent only about half of them with his wife.

Quotes by Ilan Stavans

I have always considered it a beautiful metaphor that Cervantes had no fixed address in Spain. He is thus everywhere and nowhere. There are a number of sites connected with his life, but none attract hordes of travellers the way...

Quotes by Ilan Stavans

The running joke about the Premio Cervantes, the most coveted literary prize in the Spanish-speaking world, which was established by Spain's Ministry of Culture in 1976, is that Cervantes himself wouldn't have received it. This is because he was, in...

Quotes by Ilan Stavans

Always Quotes

I know that many writers have had to write under censorship and yet produced good novels; for instance, Cervantes wrote Don Quixote under Catholic censorship.

Quotes by Guillermo Cabrera Infante

Frequently Asked Questions

How is Cervantes compared to other literary giants?
One quote places him alongside Moliere, Dante, and Shakespeare, arguing his reputation extends well beyond Spain into broader world Culture.
What's the joke about the Premio Cervantes prize?
It suggests Cervantes himself would barely recognize the literary prize named after him, established by Spain's Ministry of Culture decades after his death.
Does any quote describe Cervantes' personal life?
Yes, one details his marriage to a much younger woman named Catalina, noting the union lasted thirty years even though the two spent only about half of that time actually living together.
What does "no fixed address" mean in one of the quotes?
It's a Beautiful metaphor describing Cervantes as belonging everywhere and nowhere at once, despite several real locations being tied to his life.
Do these quotes focus more on his writing or his biography?
They lean toward biography and reputation rather than his actual texts, covering his marriage, his enduring literary rank, and the prize bearing his name.

There's also irony in the quote about the Premio Cervantes literary prize, joking that Cervantes himself would barely recognize the honor named after him. This page pairs well with the Beautiful quotes describing him as everywhere and nowhere at once.