September 29

“Too much sanity may be madness. And maddest of all, to see life as it is and not as it should be.” September 29 is the birthdate of immortal Spanish author Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, whose picaresque masterpiece, Don Quixote (two parts, 1605 and 1615), is a foundational work of Western literature, considered the first modern European novel. The chivalric adventures of Quixote and sidekick Sancho Panza, though farcical on the surface, explore the nature of reality (and sanity), the serious theme of deception, and the truth of our own lives by forcing us to question the principles and structure of his own narration. Pictured: Picasso’s celebrated 1955 sketch of Quixote riding Rocinante, with Sancho and the windmills, which marked the 350^th anniversary of part one of Quixote.