Is the Spanish book Don Quijote the most famous book ever?

[Cristiano viejo]

Bible and Quran aside. I say yes :thumb001:

[Also]

Probably Romeo and Juliet.

[Ars Moriendi]

Hmmm... not sure. Maybe, yes.
Still not entirely sure if it'd be more famous than Homer's Illiad/Odyssey, but anyhow, it will be in any list of most famous books.

[Fenrir]

Quotations from Chairman Mao Tse-tung

[KawaiiKawaii]

No. Harry Potter is after the bible and the Quran. Or, as Fenrir said, Quotations from Chairman Mao Tse-Tung.

[Smeagol]

I don't know, but I read it last year, and it really is a masterpiece. Way better than anything Shakespeare wrote. (Though I only read a few of his plays, but they bored me mostly.)

[Sikeliot]

I think it would be if not for some Shakespeare plays, like Romeo and Juliet, or Hamlet.

[Lábaru]

El ingenioso hidalgo Don Quixote de la Mancha, probably the book loses a lot of quality in the translation, some of Its sentences are simply untranslatable outside the Castilian, at least with a sound so perfect

"Se va a la plaza del nunca por la calle del ya voy."

"Voto a Dios que me espanta esta grandeza y que diera un doblón por describilla: porque ¿a quién no sorprende y maravilla esta máquina insigne, esta riqueza?"



other phrases are simpler
"Aún entre los demonios hay unos peores que otros, y entre muchos malos hombres suele haber alguno bueno."

"El retirar no es huir, ni el esperar es cordura, cuando el peligro sobrepuja a la esperanza."

"Dulcinea del Toboso es la más hermosa mujer del mundo, y yo el caballero más desdichado de la tierra"
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_gB8i9RgQMBM/TQExG5MEWjI/AAAAAAAAU0g/Hdnf5U2XKLA/s1600/don-quijote.jpeg

even in satire and parody Don Quixote does not lose the essence of the a proud and noble Castilian
http://cvc.cervantes.es/img/conjuro_libros/01_don_quijote11_600.jpg
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FCPWxlHXiKI/UP1wVhUVJXI/AAAAAAAAAA4/edvmIG4-wTY/s1600/don-quijote-8891.jpg
http://www.elefantesdepapel.com/wp-content/gallery/Quijote/Don_Quixote_3.jpg
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_uxE5Yg8kNMU/TSiGGAGY9hI/AAAAAAAAZEE/5GHb8BP7Gw8/s1600/quijote2.jpg

for me the best book ever written, but I understand its difficulty in other languages ​​and cultures.

"La libertad, Sancho, es uno de los más preciosos dones que a los hombres dieron los cielos; con ella no pueden igualarse los tesoros que encierra la tierra ni el mar encubre; por la libertad así como por la honra se puede y debe aventurar la vida, y, por el contrario, el cautiverio es el mayor mal que puede venir a los hombres. Digo esto, Sancho, porque bien has visto el regalo, la abundancia que en este castillo que dejamos hemos tenido; pues en mitad de aquellos banquetes sazonados y de aquellas bebidas de nieve me parecía a mí que estaba metido entre las estrechezas de la hambre, porque no lo gozaba con la libertad que lo gozara si fueran míos, que las obligaciones de las recompensas de los beneficios y mercedes recebidas son ataduras que no dejan campear al ánimo libre. ¡Venturoso aquel a quien el cielo dio un pedazo de pan sin que le quede obligación de agradecerlo a otro que al mismo cielo!"


http://img.rtve.es/resources/jpg/2/4/1238141386442.jpg
http://www.cinissimo.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/quijote.jpg

Don Quixote is perfectly interpreted by the Spanish José Sacristán, a tall, thin, elongated face Atlantid with the unmistakable Western features of Iberia.
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NuAdRY1gkrg/UP5C28Ay-aI/AAAAAAAAWUU/bqri3w011zw/s1600/yo_soy_don_quijote_foto_de_mariano_cieza.jpg

[Cristiano viejo]

Quotations from Chairman Mao Tse-tung
Good joke.


No. Harry Potter is after the bible and the Quran. Or, as Fenrir said, Quotations from Chairman Mao Tse-Tung.
Good jokes.

Hmmm... not sure. Maybe, yes.
Still not entirely sure if it'd be more famous than Homer's Illiad/Odyssey, but anyhow, it will be in any list of most famous books.
Good points.
But I want to make an observation, everybody knows the plot of Don Quijote, i.e. an errant knight who is crazy and that starts a series of wacky adventures in search of his lover, his fights with mills and giants etc, but I doubt very much that everybody knows which are the arguments of the Odyssey and the Iliad, beyond Ulisses.

I agree wiht the fame of Romeo and Juliet.

[KawaiiKawaii]

Good joke.




Good points.
But I want to make an observation, everybody knows the plot of Don Quijote, i.e. an errant knight who is crazy and that starts a series of wacky adventures in search of his lover, his fights with mills and giants etc, but I doubt very much that everybody knows which are the arguments of the Odyssey and the Iliad, beyond Ulisses.

I agree wiht the fame of Romeo and Juliet.

It's not a joke. The little red book is distributed to every Chinese person. There are 1.3 billion Chinese. You do the maths.

[Armand_Duval]

Don Quixote in among the top five more important books in history.

[Feral]

It's not a joke. The little red book is distributed to every Chinese person. There are 1.3 billion Chinese. You do the maths.

Popularity doesn't mean fame or, as just said by Armand, importance.

[Cristiano viejo]

It's not a joke. The little red book is distributed to every Chinese person. There are 1.3 billion Chinese. You do the maths.

And only that 1,3 billion Chinese know it. Don Quijote is absolutely more universal.

[Dandelion]

Well, all European languages have an equivalent of 'to tilt at windmills' when they mean someone is fighting imaginary enemies.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/75/Don_Quixote_6.jpg/800px-Don_Quixote_6.jpg

If your native language isn't Spanish that book is very hard to read in its original language. I can tell you that as well.

[Cristiano viejo]

Don Quixote in among the top five more important books in history.

Well, I asked for the fame but of course, yeah


As a founding work of modern Western literatura and one of the earliest canonical novels, it regularly appears high on lists of the greatest works of fiction ever published, such as in the World Library's 2002 list, "The 100 Best Books of All Time", which cited Don Quixote as authors' choice for the "best literary work ever written", and has been translated into more languages than any book other than the Bible.

It has had major influence on the literary community, as evidenced by direct references in Alexandre Dumas' The Three Musketeers (1844) and Mark Twain's Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1884).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_Quixote

And talking about top five, which would you name in your list?
To me perhaps Don Quijote, Romeo and Juliet, The Three Musketeers, Moby Dick and Around the world in eighty days.

[Empecinado]

Don Quixote is the most published and translated book in history after Bible, so yes.

[dude]

Don Quijote is to Spanish speaking people as Shakespeare is to English speaking. I don't think it is the most famous because English is the most spoken language and (at least in the US) very few people are familiar with the book.

[Cristiano viejo]

Don Quijote is to Spanish speaking people as Shakespeare is to English speaking. I don't think it is the most famous because English is the most spoken language and (at least in the US) very few people are familiar with the book.

There is one thing that is called translation :rolleyes:

[dude]

There is one thing that is called translation :rolleyes:
True. I can't speak for the world. But Wikipedia says it is a 400 year old book and has been translated to most languages than any other book with the exception other than the Bible. It is also regarded highly by the literature community and it is considered among the best works ever. But I still don't know if it is the most famous book ever.

[Cristiano viejo]

True. I can't speak for the world. But Wikipedia says it is a 400 year old book and has been translated to most languages than any other book with the exception other than the Bible. It is also regarded highly by the literature community and it is considered among the best works ever. But I still don't know if it is the most famous book ever.
Which do you think is the most famous then?

[dude]

Which do you think is the most famous then?
After the Bible. I honestly don't know. I am not a big book person myself. After some thought and considering the age of the book, it is possible it is the most famous. I would not discard the possibility.

[dude]

Which do you think is the most famous then?
I had to go and ask Google:
The greatest novel ever: Don Quijote
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2003/oct/12/features.fiction

Best selling book of all time: Don Quijote. This is over a span of 400 years.
http://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/arts/literature/21-best-sellers.htm#page=1

Wikipedia's most sold book: A Tale of Two Cities. It does mention Don Quijote, but it is not in the list because they don't have accurate sales records.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_best-selling_books

Based on this data the book is definitively very famous. But difficult to say it is the most famous. I would say it is one of the most famous.

[Cristiano viejo]

To me perhaps Don Quijote, Romeo and Juliet, The Three Musketeers, Moby Dick and Around the world in eighty days.
I would add Sherlock Holmes.

[Comte Arnau]

Don Quixote is the most published and translated book in history after Bible, so yes.

It is the most translated of all literary books in Spanish. But several other books from other languages have been more translated.

If anything, I'd say it it the most translated of all 'complicated-to-translate books' after the Bible. In fact, several of the translations of the Quixote are abridged or only of Part 1.

[Cristiano viejo]

It is the most translated of all literary books in Spanish. But several other books from other languages have been more translated.

If anything, I'd say it it the most translated of all 'complicated-to-translate books' after the Bible. In fact, several of the translations of the Quixote are abridged or only of Part 1.

As a founding work of modern Western literatura and one of the earliest canonical novels, it regularly appears high on lists of the greatest works of fiction ever published, such as in the World Library's 2002 list, "The 100 Best Books of All Time", which cited Don Quixote as authors' choice for the "best literary work ever written", and has been translated into more languages than any book other than the Bible.

It has had major influence on the literary community, as evidenced by direct references in Alexandre Dumas' The Three Musketeers (1844) and Mark Twain's Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1884).

[LostInParadise]

Creo que si, además tiene el mérito de que ad firencia de otros libros no hay 800 millones de películas, como pasa con los libros o histórias en inglés, que se vuelven más famosos de lo que ya son, gracias a eso.

Igual para mi los más famosos son los cuentos de hadas, imposible no conocerlos, blancanives, rapunzel, caperucita, la cenicienta etc. aunque no se si clasifican como "libro" pero si como literatura o no?

[Cristiano viejo]

Creo que si, además tiene el mérito de que ad firencia de otros libros no hay 800 millones de películas, como pasa con los libros o histórias en inglés, que se vuelven más famosos de lo que ya son, gracias a eso.
Buen punto.


Igual para mi los más famosos son los cuentos de hadas, imposible no conocerlos, blancanives, rapunzel, caperucita, la cenicienta etc. aunque no se si clasifican como "libro" pero si como literatura o no?
Mejor punto. También pensé en ellos, como bien dices es imposible no conocerlos, son cuentos populares, supongo que basados en libros como es lógico. Aunque bueno, en principio son cuentos infantiles, pero sin duda son más famosos que cualquier otro libro, sí señora.

[Lithium]

I personally do not like this novel and I think that it's totally overrated.

[Empecinado]

I personally do not like this novel and I think that it's totally overrated.

If you don't know Spanish hardly you will appreciate it, many parts of the book are untranslatable.

[Dombra]

Maybe not number one but definitely within the top 10

[Comte Arnau]

As a founding work of modern Western literatura and one of the earliest canonical novels, it regularly appears high on lists of the greatest works of fiction ever published, such as in the World Library's 2002 list, "The 100 Best Books of All Time", which cited Don Quixote as authors' choice for the "best literary work ever written", and has been translated into more languages than any book other than the Bible.

Whoever wrote that committed a mistake. That 'belief' is taken from the sentence of an edition published in the 80s in which it is said that it is the most printed and translated book after the Bible. Even if it was still true -it's already three decades from that edition-, what the quote says is that it has been the "most translated", not the one translated into more languages. In fact, in the catalogue by Instituto Cervantes, there are only 48 languages to which it has been translated. Even if some are probably missing or lost, the languages it's been translated to will be 50 to 60, not many more. It is impressive, of course, but far from, say, the figures for Carroll's Alice in Wonderland, so that wrong quote repeated over and over is just not true.

[Cristiano viejo]

Whoever wrote that committed a mistake. That 'belief' is taken from the sentence of an edition published in the 80s in which it is said that it is the most printed and translated book after the Bible. Even if it was still true -it's already three decades from that edition-, what the quote says is that it has been the "most translated", not the one translated into more languages. In fact, in the catalogue by Instituto Cervantes, there are only 48 languages to which it has been translated. Even if some are probably missing or lost, the languages it's been translated to will be 50 to 60, not many more. It is impressive, of course, but far from, say, the figures for Carroll's Alice in Wonderland, so that wrong quote repeated over and over is just not true.
Yes, I have verified your information and it is correct. Even although some languages dont appear in the catalogue as for example the Indonesian. Perhaps they should have said "more times edited", because for example Don Quijote was edited in English a lot of times since the xvii century etc and taking account the date of when it was written it is very difficult to overcome its number of editions.


I personally do not like this novel and I think that it's totally overrated.
Maybe you dont like it, but you do know it, which is what this thread is about.
Overrated? According to most experts, it is one of the best literary works ever, if no the best, and it has influenced subsequent literary generations in great degree, as few books more have done.
It is anything less overrated, thats sure.

[Tobi]

Too optimism. Did you forgot The Divine Comedy and The Iliad? Also, Romeo and Juliet is more famous than Don Quijote.

[Cristiano viejo]

Too optimism. Did you forgot The Divine Comedy and The Iliad? Also, Romeo and Juliet is more famous than Don Quijote.

No I did not forgot. I already posted about The Iliada some posts ago. The Divine Comedy is not as famous as Don Quijote. Romeo and Juliet indeed is at par with Don Quijote.

Again, for me only some short books like Pinoccio, Snow White, Little Red Riding Hood and some else can be compared with Don Qujiote in popularity.

[Tobi]

No I did not forgot. I already posted about The Iliada some posts ago. The Divine Comedy is not as famous as Don Quijote. Romeo and Juliet indeed is at par with Don Quijote.

Again, for me only some short books like Pinoccio, Snow White, Little Red Riding Hood and some else can be compared with Don Qujiote in popularity.

I think Don Quijote is more famous in hispanics countries. Here in Brazil isn't a very popular book, for example. Romeo and Juliet is, but Pinóquio is super famous (I think is much more famous than Romeo and Juliet in brazilians lands).

[Lithium]

Well guys its great that you appreciate your literature but you should also respect my point of view :D

[Cristiano viejo]

Well guys its great that you appreciate your literature but you should also respect my point of view :D

I did it. I just pointed the fact that this thread is not about the technical quality of the book but its popularity.

[Not a Cop]

Certainly not the most famous in Russia, though pretty famous still, from foreign literature i would say Lord of the Rings, Romeo and Juliet and Iliada are at the top.

[Comte Arnau]

The problem here is that something can be very popular in one century and not so much in the next one. It is just logical that nowadays anything written in English, be it a masterpiece or a wannabe dung, becomes automatically more famous. Same applies for music. Cervantes and Quixote were more popular than Shakespeare for a whole century after both were written, attempts to copy it were seen all over Europe, now it's the other way round, and it all has much to do with extraliterary reasons.

The fact is that both Shakespeare and Cervantes made some expressions from their works become part of the language, as the Bible had done, and made their characters become archetypes. One could be today a quixotic Romeo, for instance, who needs to break the ice before tilting at windmills. I wonder how many recent literary works may do that.