Miguel de Cervantes (29 September 1547 ??22 April 1616), is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the Spanish language and one of the world's pre-eminent novelists.

His major work, Don Quixote, considered to be the first modern European novel, is a classic of Western literature, and is regarded amongst the best works of fiction ever written. His influence on the Spanish language has been so great that the language is sometimes called la lengua de Cervantes ('the language of Cervantes').