THE PORTABLE CERVANTES

The great mock chivalric chronicle of the Spanish golden age, in its fine modern translation by Samuel Putnam, is here presented in a shorter form along with two of the Exemplary Novels, and Cervantes' farewell to life. Putnam's introduction is not only biographical, but also critical and interpretative, places this masterpiece in time and significance, highlights the realism and invention, humor and fantasy, and above all the complexity of characterization and dynamic movement which have made Don Quixote one of the few great books of all ages. Where the extraneous passages have been omitted, the editor has contributed an interim summary.