Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra was in September 1547 and, like Shakespeare, is widely regarded as the greatest writer in his native language, in his case Spanish. Cervantes had a far more interesting life outside of literature than Shakespeare ever did. He fought at the crucial Battle of Lepanto, a naval battle that cemented Christian control of the Mediterranean over the Ottomans, he spent five years captive to Ottoman pirates, was a purchasing agent for the Spanish Armada, and only then settled into a writing career.

His first great hit was Don Quixote, published in 1605, under its full title ‘The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha’. The work tells the story of the title character and his many adventures, often with his old workhorse, ‘Rocinante’, (fans of The Expanse will note the name). It’s full of fantasy, much like the later ‘Baron Munchausen’s Narrative of His Marvellous Travels and Campaigns in Russia’, and spawned a second novel in 1615, which was equally popular.

Don Quixote is considered by many to be the first modern novel, and easily one of the best-selling in history. It’s one of the most translated works in the world, and an absolute classic of Spanish literature. As for Cervantes, he holds the same place in the Spanish consciousness, that Shakespeare does in the English.