What can be said about Miguel de Cervantes's finest novel that hasn't already been said? Don Quixote is four hundred years old, and for almost all that time, it has remained among the top ten greatest books of all time. The Nobel Institute has declared it the best work of fiction in the history of world literature.
Begun as a parody of chivalric romances—the fantasy of the time—Don Quixote absorbed all layers of Renaissance literature. Moorish tales, picaresque novels, Spanish romances, and Italian Renaissance poems—all found reflection in this great work. Cervantes's masterpiece, in turn, had a colossal influence on the development of world literature and art.
But most importantly, even four hundred years later, Don Quixote remains a damn fascinating read!