Barrio De Las Letras Tour in Madrid

Don Quixote de La Mancha is a book I haven’t read.

I remember we had this thin book with summaries of classic books and Don Quixote was one of those that I read which I was never interested in. 😅 I preferred Alexander Dumas’ Count of Monte Cristo, instead. 😉

Anyway, Cervantes wasn’t my go-to classic author despite being prominent.

Having the tour around Barrio de Las Letras is a good way to learn a few things about him if you care enough to know. 😅

Cervantes was a poor writer who lived in an attic of a building located on the same street where his literary nemesis, Lope de Vega, lived. Vega would later become a known playwright, while Cervantes would struggle to find his writing break while making ends meet. 

So, Cervantes lived so poor that he couldn’t even afford a coffin to bury himself. He was buried in a mass grave. His remains were never found but are said to rest in a convent near where he lived.

Almost forgotten in time by locals, his prominence was later revived by a French noble who complimented his work. 

P.S: Apparently, even after his book became known he remained poor because writers were not paid much. 

All information is from what our guide shared. 😅Didn’t fact-check everything, haha she said she’s a historian sooo....