Miguel de Cervantes: The Soldier, Slave, and Tax Collector Who Invented the Modern Novel

In this episode of pplpod, we dive into the chaotic and adventurous life of Miguel de Cervantes, the Spanish author widely regarded as one of the world's pre-eminent novelists. While he is best known for penning Don Quixote, a work considered to be the first modern novel and arguably the "best book of all time," his real life was as dramatic as any fiction. We discuss his early years fleeing a duel in Madrid and his tenure as a soldier, where he was badly wounded at the Battle of Lepanto, permanently losing the use of his left hand.

Join us as we recount his five years in captivity after being captured by Barbary pirates, during which he attempted to escape four times before finally being ransomed. We also examine his years in relative poverty working as a government purchasing agent and tax collector, a job that led to him being briefly jailed for "irregularities" in his accounts. It was during one of these imprisonments—according to tradition, in the cave of Medrano—that he likely conceived the story of Don Quixote. Finally, we cover the 2015 rediscovery of his remains in a Madrid convent and his enduring legacy as the central figure of the Spanish language.