The true face of Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, one of the most important figures in the history of Spain, remains a mystery in many aspects. Despite his immortal work, his legacy is shrouded in an aura of fiction that surrounds him, preventing the revelation of all his secrets. According to theories by Dr. Andrés Amorós, professor of Spanish Literature, the author of Don Quixote was born in Alcalá de Henares.
Cervantes lived a life full of local conflicts and accidental actions that left hardly any written trace. Despite his three stays in prison, his autobiographical footprint is scant. Moreover, the lack of descendants, apart from his daughter, contributes to a lack of concrete information about his personal life.
The new book 'That Wasn't in My Book of Miguel de Cervantes', written by a prominent archivist and scholar on the subject, reveals the nuances of a man about whom there is little documentation, but many secrets and legends abound. It is suggested that Cervantes was a hidalgo-knight, a converso Jew, a soldier, and a Catholic counter-reformer, with political disagreements with King Philip II.
The researcher highlights Cervantes' professional versatility, who changed his life project every decade and showed interest in being Corregidor or Accountant in America for ten years. Despite common perceptions of Cervantes as a poor and simple man, his work reflects a deep humanism and hours of dedicated study.
According to Francisco Javier Escudero Buendía, Cervantes may not have been as poor as believed, descending from Córdoba and Alcalá knights, with a solid education despite uncertainty surrounding his origins and training. The lack of concrete evidence about his life outside of his public positions suggests he was a rural hidalgo of middle position, reflective and less prone to conflict compared to his noble contemporaries of the time.