The rather exceptional life of Miguel Cervantes was part of the inspiration that led him to write the famous tale of the knight-errant. He received little formal education and early in his life found employment in a cardinal's home in Rome. Later he became a soldier, distinguished himself in the Battle of Lepanto where he was wounded, leaving his left hand permanently crippled. In 1575, he sailed for Spain, was captured by pirates, sold into slavery, and ransomed in 1580. It was during this period that he began writing his first verses. After returning to Madrid, Cervantes married and worked at various jobs including that of tax collector, collecting grain and oil for the Spanish Armada. He often got in trouble over illegal seizures of property and irregularities in his accounts and landed in jail. These period of relative quiet gave him an opportunity to develop his ideas for Don Quixote, the story which had been in the back of his mind for years and which he began writing in 1602.

The idea of Don Quixote is embedded in the popular consciousness, as someone who is extravagantly chivalrous or romantically idealistic, and also impractical.

I actually found while reading the novel that I didn't like Don Quixote all that much - the harm he caused to other people seemed to me to outweigh any good that he was intending. But, I realize that I must be among the minority who feel this way, as the novel has always been hugely popular. :-) It is a wonderfully-written book, and the characters have so much life to them, you are able to feel as though you know them.