The History of Don Quixote de la Mancha. Part 2

Few readers familiar with Don Quixote's loftiness or Sancho Panza's diligence know that the characters' creator was a slave for five years. Captured by pirates in 1575, Cervantes lived in slavery in Algiers until friars bought his freedom. He returned to Spain, marrying soon after and remaining poor until late in his life, when the success of Don Quixote changed his fortunes. In addition to his famous tale of a knight-errant idealistic to the point of apparent insanity, Cervantes wrote Novelas Ejemplares - a collection of twelve short stories - as well as several novels and nearly thirty plays.