I have finished Don Quixote and it is a bittersweet thing to have done. Bitter in that I won't soon read a book that is as good, sweet in that I have finally finished it, after two failed attempts.
The story was never the problem, nor the characters; both have been favorites since I first discovered it as a graphic novel over 20 years ago. Still, when I first attempted to read Cervantes' original work in high school (and again in college), I found it cumbersome and finally gave up.
Little did I know that this was not Cervantes' fault, but his translators'. It was Edith Grossman who made his prose come alive in English, and I will be forever grateful. She brings out the absurd wackiness of the story as well as the graceful subtleties of the text. One of the funniest and saddest books that I have ever read and one that I heartily recommend each and every one of you read.
Grossman's DQ is the first version I came across, and it will most probably be the last. It is so addictive that I have read it several times, simply because very little else comes close, and because it differs so much on each reading. Glad you enjoyed this book which is more than a book. Long live the spirit of Quixote! PS - I never knew the story before reading and so the ending was very sad, but fitting.
ReplyDelete