Born in Alcalá de Henares, Spain, Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra grew up throughout his life to become an established and well-known author in the 16th century. Although little is known about his early life, Cervantes joined the Spanish Armada at a young age. His service in Spain supported his idea of ​​taking risks for honor and freedom, and he depicted this concept through many of his works, one of which is The Adventures of Don Quixote. During his time in the Spanish Armada, he fought chivalrously at the Battle of Lepanto and received a gunshot wound to his left hand, rendering it useless. He later wrote that he "had lost the movement of the left hand for the glory of the right" in his mock-epic poem, Viaje al Parnaso (Journey to Parnassus). In another event during his military life, Cervantes was attacked by pirates and taken to Algiers, where he was held prisoner and spent five years as a slave until he was ransomed by his parents. His imprisonment provided subject matter for his writings, such as his two plays set in Algiers: El Trato de Argel (The Treaty of Algiers) and Los Baños de Argel (The Baths of Algiers). After the redemption, he moved to Madrid and shortly after getting married wrote a pastoral novel, La Galatea. When his writing produced insufficient income, he struggled with financial problems and was imprisoned for debt. Cervantes attempted to escape numerous times, but eventually began writing Don Quixote while on duty. The extraordinary popularity of Don Quixote immediately after its publication brought Cervantes fame and prompted him to write a continuation of the novel. Miguel Cervantes had various experiences and encounters that contributed to the inspiration for his writing as a novelist, poet and pl...... middle of paper ......rse.Works Cited“Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra”. European Authors 100-1900: A Biographical Dictionary of European Literature. Ed. Stanley J. Kunitz and Vineta Colby. The HW Wilson Company, 1967. Print.Merriman, CD “Miguel de Cervantes”. The literature network. NP, copyright2007. Network. January 10, 2012.Perry, Thomas Amherst. “Miguel de Cervantes”. Magill's survey of world literature. Revised edition. Salem Press, January 2009. 1-7. Literary reference center. Web.January 7, 2012.Riley, Edward C. and Cruz, Anne J. “Miguel de Cervantes.” Biographies of Britannica. Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc., copyright 1994-2012. 1-2. Literary reference center. Network. January 17, 2012. White, David Allen. “Miguel de Cervantes”. Critical investigation of long fiction. 4th ed.Salem Press, January 2010. 1-7. Literary reference center. Network. January 7 2012.