Don Quixote, written by Spanish author Miguel de Cervantes and published in two parts (1605 and 1615), is widely regarded as the first modern novel. It tells the story of Alonso Quijano, an aging gentleman obsessed with chivalric romances, who renames himself Don Quixote and sets out as a self-proclaimed knight-errant. Accompanied by his practical squire Sancho Panza and riding his horse Rocinante, he battles windmills he believes are giants. Both a parody of chivalric literature and a profound meditation on idealism versus reality, the novel explores madness, imagination, and human nature. It remains one of the most influential works in world literature.
