Multilingual Don Quixote as a means of uniting people of different nationalities

MADRID. Complutense University has decided to release a unique edition of Don Quixote.

Not far off is the 400th anniversary of the passing of Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra. The University of Madrid (La Universidad Complutense Madrid) has taken the initiative to release the exclusive edition of El ingenioso hidalgo Don Quijote de la Mancha.

Each of its chapters will be translated into a foreign language. In addition to the Spanish fragment, the book will contain parts of the text in 150 of the most popular languages of the world. The unusual publication will allow not only to celebrate a memorable date, but also become a unique cultural object uniting people of different nationalities.

The image of a noble knight, an open-hearted dreamer, does not seem archaic and old-fashioned, despite the four hundred years that have passed since the publication of the book about his wanderings. Part of Don Quixote, living in each, bravely rushing to fight with windmills, sometimes helps to survive. We sing this eternal song to the frenzy of naive eccentrics. An equally noble initiative would be an expanded edition of the great book. Not for all Spaniards, a work with a centuries-old background seems understandable, and its language is accessible.

To popularize Don Quixote in his historical homeland, it would not hurt to accompany him with comments and explanations that shed light on the realities of days gone by.

Elena Tanakova © Gallerix.ru