Miguel de Cervantes`s mock-epic masterwork, ” Don Quixote” was voted the greatest book of all time by the Nobel Institute, & this ” Penguin Classics” edition is translated with an introduction & notes by John Rutherford. ” Don Quixote” has become so entranced by reading romances of chivalry that he determines to become a knight errant & pursue bold adventures, accompanied by his squire, the cunning Sancho Panza. As they roam the world together, the aging Quixote`s fancy leads them wildly astray, tilting at windmills, fighting with friars, & distorting the rural Spanish landscape into a fantasy of impenetrable fortresses & wicked sorcerers. At the same time the relationship between the two men grows in fascinating subtlety. Often considered to be the first modern novel, ” Don Quixote” is a wonderful burlesque of the popular literature its disordered protagonist is obsessed with. John Rutherford`s landmark translation does full justice to the energy & wit of Cervantes` prose, & this edition of ” Don Quixote” won the 2002 Premio Valle Inclan prize for translation. His introduction discusses the traditional works parodied in ” Don Quixote” & issues of literary translation. Miguel de Cervantes Saaverda`s (1547-1616) life was occupied with a struggle to earn a livelihood from literature & humble government employment. As well as ” Don Quixote”, he wrote a number of plays & a collection of highly accomplished short stories, ” Exemplary Tales” (1613). If you enjoyed ” Don Quixote”, you might like Homer`s ” Odyssey”, also available in ” Penguin Classics”. ” John Rutherford makes ” Don Quixote” funny & readable.. . His Quixote can be pompous, imposingly learned, secretly fearful, mad & touching”. (Colin Burrow, ” The Times Literary Supplement”).