Couples dressed in awesome customs from nineteenth century, antique instruments and traditional dancing are some of the unique attractions you could witnessed on 8thof February. Besides, our city had the honor to receive the President of Republic and the excellent Slovene folk singer, Vlado Kreslin. Walking through the unusually crowed streets of Kranj, you could also see the finest Slovene poet, who left the tombstone for one day to greet visitors and locals of all ages. In many countries there is a relevant national literature figure, therefore, what Prešeren is to the Slovenes, Cervantes is to the Spanish. For those who are not familiar with the name of the writer from my country, you may better recognize the title of his greatest novel, “The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha”.
Around “250 years older” than Prešeren, Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, a playwright, novelist and poet, was born in the astonishing city of Alcalá de Henares, whose medieval center is part of UNESCO’s World Heritage Sites. Cervantes, who came from a well-positioned family, left his hometown at the age of 22 – as many others Spanish at that time – and moved to Rome to serve as a valet to a priest, who soon became a cardinal. As France Prešeren, Cervantes was strongly impressed by Italian literature but also truly fascinated by its ancient architecture and Renaissance art. Most of the inspiration that allowed him create these amazing stories has its roots in the Italian influence and the fact that Cervantes was also a brave soldier, enlisted in Spanish Naval Infantry by 1570. Settled in Naples, a whole year passed until he entered in active service. He fought fiercely in the Battle of Lepanto, where he was severely wounded – he received two gunshots in the chest and another one in his left arm which make it useless. Nevertheless, he joined the service again, even though his wounds were not healed yet after six months in hospital. His soldier’s life continued, joining several expeditions (Navarino and Corfu) and participating in the falls of Tunis and La Goleta to the Turks. Then, on the morning of September 26, 1575, Cervantes was captured by Algerian corsairs under the command of Arnaut Mami, a mercenary soldier from Albania. After four failed escape attempts, he had to spend 5 years as a slave until he was finally released (on ransom) by his parents and the help of the Catholic religious order, the Trinitarians.
Once back to Madrid, Cervantes’s family had to cope with financial problems due to the big amount of money that it was required for his rescue. So the writer, who lacked university studies, started to work as a purveyor and tax collector for the Spanish Army. During these years he had an affair with Ana Villafranca de Rojas, a tavern landlord’s wife, who had a daughter that he recognized as his. Similar to Prešeren, Cervantes got married with a woman he did not love, Catalina de Salazar y Palacios, who help him to handle money troubles. One year later, he published his first novel called “La Galatea”, a pastoral romance which had little resonance. Living practically as a nomad while working for the Spanish Army, Cervantes was bankrupted and imprisoned twice due to financial irregularities. The writer did not accomplish some stable economical conditions until the first part of Don Quixote appeared, in 1605.
His literary work “The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha” was one of the earliest canonical novels and a hit of Western Modern Literature, which has had a tremendous influence on the Spanish language, being considered the greatest work of fiction that has been ever published (I am glad to say that I heritage a version from 1887). Consisting of two volumes which were published a decade apart from each other, the novel is written in old Castilian, the medieval form of my language. I would be surprised if some of you do not know about what the story is about but just in case, I will give you a hint of it.
The novel is set in an unnamed place of La Mancha, a Spanish region in which I have had the pleasure to live during most of my childhood. The protagonist, Alonso Quijano, is a middle-age country gentleman who lives with his niece and housekeeper. He spends his days absorbed in reading Romances and books of chivalry to that extent that he loses his mind. Due to his obsession, he decides to become a knight so renames himself as “Don Quixote de La Mancha” and also his skeletal horse as “Rocinante”. Afterwards, he takes his lance and sword to defend the helpless ones but before he leaves in search of adventures, he envisions Aldonza Lorenzo, a farm neighbor girl, as if she would be his princess, of course, renaming her as “Dulcinea del Toboso”. The third main character “Sancho Panza” is an illiterate neighbor, who joins him after his first unsuccessful adventure and agrees to accompany him with the promise of receiving governorship of an island. From then on, both get involved in every possible grotesque, surrealistic and extremely hilarious kind of situations.
I strongly recommend you to read this novel, which is especially amusing for children. I did it at a very early age and I loved it. I also had the privilege to perform a puppetry show about the novel in the Puppet Theatre in Ljubljana in 2009, which was an amazing experience.
Both Prešeren and Cervantes were profoundly inspired by their personal circumstances, forced to cope with unpleasant situations and struggled with the unkindest twist of life. But their strong spirit overcame difficulties, getting the best out of their existence. Now, we are living hard times too, will be able to raise our spirits as well?
MARIA ANGELES SANCHEZ
