Miguel de Cervantes

Miguel de Cervantes (/sərˈvɒnteɪz/ or /sərˈvæntiːz/;Spanish: [miˈɣel de θerˈbantes saˈβeðɾa]; 29 September 1547 (assumed) – 22 April 1616), was a Spanish novelist, poet, and playwright.

His major work, Don Quixote, considered to be the first modern European novel, is a classic of Western literature, and is regarded amongst the best works of fiction ever written. His influence on the Spanish language has been so great that the language is often called la lengua de Cervantes ("the language of Cervantes"). He was dubbed El Príncipe de los Ingenios ("The Prince of Wits").

In 1569, Cervantes moved to Rome, where he worked as chamber assistant of a cardinal. He then enlisted as a soldier in a Spanish Navy infantry regiment and continued his military life until 1575, when he was captured by Barbary pirates. After five years of captivity, he was released by his captors on payment of a ransom by his parents and the Trinitarians, a Catholic religious order, and he subsequently returned to his family in Madrid.

Miguel de Cervantes Prize

The Miguel de Cervantes Prize (Spanish: Premio de Literatura en Lengua Castellana Miguel de Cervantes) is awarded annually to honour the lifetime achievement of an outstanding writer in the Spanish language.

History

Established in 1976, the prize rewards authors from any Spanish-speaking nation, and recognizes the recipient's overall body of work. The award is named after Miguel de Cervantes, author of Don Quixote.

The candidates are proposed by the Association of Spanish Language Academies, and the prize is awarded by the Ministry of Culture of Spain. The winner receives a monetary award of 125,000 euros, it is one of the richest literary prizes in the world and one of the most prestigious in the Spanish language.

The Cervantes Prize and the Nobel Prize in Literature

Two winners of the Cervantes Prize, Octavio Paz (Cervantes 1981, Nobel 1990) and Mario Vargas Llosa (Cervantes 1994, Nobel 2010) were awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in subsequent years. Camilo José Cela first received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1989 and was awarded the Cervantes Prize in 1995.