Miguel de Cervantes
The son of a deaf surgeon Miguel de Cervantes was born near Madrid in 1547. Because his father was a surgeon (being an undesirable job at the time). He and his father moved often in his fathers search for better job opportunities. This eventually led him to study with Juan López de Hoyos, a well-known humanist at the time. In 1570 Cervantes became a soldier and was badly wounded in The Battle of Lepanto losing the use of his left arm. He was captured by the Turks in 1575 and five years later was released after ransom had been paid. He finally became a successful author in 1605 after he published the first part of his famous work Don Quixote. It became the worlds first best selling book. Cervantes published the second part of Don Quixote in 1615. Miguel de Cervantes died on Aprl 23 1615 ( on the same day as shakepeare). Since his death he has been credited with writing the first modern novel and inspiring countless authors.