By I’m listening to Miguel de Cervantes’s book, translated by Tobias Smollett, which is recorded on 29 CD’s. Whew. I’m in trouble if any other cardholder in the Dallas Public Library system requests it, because that will mean no more renewals for me. I’m on #8, and so far it is a romp! This is a fundamental text around the museum specializing in Spanish art at which I’m volunteering. For all of the fun, it is also helping me with the culture and geography.
I really like this from the label:
“Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra (1547-1616), Spanish novelist, playwright, and poet, studied in Madrid then became a soldier and was wounded in battle. He was captured by pirates in 1575, put in prison at Algiers, and was ransomed five years later. He spent the rest of his life struggling to earn a living from literature and humble government employment. His first attempt at fiction was a pastoral novel, La Galatea (1585), which was followed by his masterpiece, The Adventures of Don Quixote de la Mancha (1605).”
1605 was during the reign of the Habsburg King, Philip III. Artists made their livings by working for the church or for the monarchy and artistocracy. Spanish history is crazy-complicated.
Wish me luck!
Open Arts Spring 2023 
Oh! How I love Don Quixote!. I have “read” it two or three times but am ashamed to say I have not made it all the way through. You have inspired me to try again. Maybe listening with do the trick. : )
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Does it start to drag? I have to admit that I thought, “How can these adventures hold the reader’s attention for long?” One of my co-trainees who hasn’t read it said that he wants to find a film first, but now that I’ve started listening to it, I can tell him that the language in the book is surely more beautiful than it would be in a film.
The way things connect to one another! I recorded a “Nova” program on PBS a while back and just happened to watch it yesterday, having no idea what the subject would be. It was about 16th century armor, mainly an attempt to figure out how it was made because little was written about it. (Military secrets.) This was a time of transition away from combat by knights in shining armor to combat with muskets. And, as it happens, our museum has a gorgeous painting of 16-year-old Alessandro Farnese in highly-decorated ceremonial armor, made in 1561. Don Quixote–Armor manufacturing–Painting, all of a piece. It makes me happy.
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Love all those connections, Teri. As to Don Q, I don’t remember what caused me to walk away as I always remember laughing and grinning my way through. It has been some time. Perhaps the sheer number of pages? My copy is well over 1000.
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It’s an advantage to always have the story start up when you start the car. It spins with the wheels.
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You are on quite a listening adventure. I hope you will continue to share your reflections and no other library users interrupt your flow!
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I’m thinking you need to plan a road trip if you are going to get through this one…
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That may be, JNAZ. 🙂 I’m renewing regularly; the system gives you 99x.
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