Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra

Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra was a Spanish writer widely regarded as the greatest writer in the Spanish language and one of the world's pre-eminent novelists. He served as a soldier and was wounded at the Battle of Lepanto in 1571, then spent five years as a slave in Algiers after being captured by Turkish corsairs in 1575. He achieved literary success later in life, publishing the first part of Don Quixote in 1605, which is considered one of the most significant works of world literature and the first modern novel.