e his experiences during this period in his later works, including Don Quixote. As Peleg, Tandeter, and Peleg (2001) maintain, ôThis experience was a turning point; numerous references to the themes of freedom and captivity would later appear in CervantesÆ work,ö (1623).
Cervantes returned to his native Spain and held a series of low-paying administrative jobs, including a purchasing agent for the Spanish Armada and a tax collector. From 1584 until the end of the decade Cervantes remained married to a woman 18 years his junior, Catalina de Salazar y Palacios. Though they bore no children together, Cervantes did have a daughter from an affair with an actress, Ana de Villafranca (Miguel 2003). For the next two decades Cervantes would lead the life of a nomad, employing himself in various administrative positions. Though he would become widely popular for his literary output, Cervantes never became well-off from his writings and spent more time in captivity due to being arrested for debts. As Shuman (2003) shares, ôDespite broad public acceptance of his writing, Cervantes profited little financially from his literary successes. A man of irrefutable integrity, he was frequently strained financially, serving two terms in debtorsÆ prison before his death in 1616,ö (1).
Cervantes legend has it that the author penned his masterpiece Don Quixote in prison at Argamasilla in La Mancha (Miguel 2003). CervantesÆ greatest work of literature was published in two parts, the first in 1605 and the second in 1615 (Peleg et al. 2001). The work is considered the first modern novel and Cervantes hoped to provide a picture of real life and manners, expressed in clear language. CervantesÆ use of common language made his work widely popular among the masses. While the novel did not make it
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