Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra

Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra (1547–1616) is a Spanish writer widely regarded as the greatest writer in the Spanish language and one of the world's pre-eminent novelists. He is best known for his two-part novel Don Quixote, published in 1605 and 1615, which is considered the first modern novel. Before his literary success, Cervantes served as a soldier, was wounded at the Battle of Lepanto in 1571, spent five years as a captive in Algiers after being captured by Barbary pirates, and worked in various government roles including as a purchasing agent and tax collector.