Alonso Fernández de Avellaneda

Little is known for certain about the person behind Alonso Fernández de Avellaneda. Reliable reference sources describe the name as a pseudonym used by the author of Segundo tomo del ingenioso hidalgo don Quijote de la Mancha (1614), an unauthorized continuation of Cervantes’s Don Quixote.

That sequel appeared before Cervantes published his own second part in 1615, which gave Avellaneda a lasting place in literary history. The work is often remembered not only for the story itself, but also for provoking Cervantes’s famous response inside his genuine sequel.

The author’s real identity has never been confirmed, despite many later theories. Because of that uncertainty, Avellaneda is less a fully known biographical figure than a fascinating literary mystery whose single attributed work continues to be discussed alongside Cervantes’s masterpiece.