Vida de Cervantes

The book opens a window onto a little‑known chapter of the celebrated writer’s life: his hurried arrival in Valencia after being rescued from Algiers in 1580. Drawing on contemporary chronicles, notarial records and eyewitness testimonies, it reconstructs the solemn procession that welcomed the freed captives, the debts Cervantes incurred to secure his release, and the bustling streets where he settled for a month and a half.

Within that brief stay, the author shows how Cervantes moved among the city’s literary circle—editors, poets and booksellers such as Juan de Timoneda—who introduced him to the Valencian translation of Tirant lo Blanc. Those encounters left a lasting imprint, later echoed in his own writings and in the verses he dedicated to his Valencian friends. The narrative blends meticulous scholarship with vivid storytelling, inviting listeners to explore how this fleeting episode helped shape the mind behind Don Quixote.