Don Quixote

Miguel de Cervantes (1547–1616) was a writer considered to be one of the greatest Spanish writers in history. An author from a relatively poor background, much of his life was spent as a soldier, spy, or doing whatever odd jobs his connections afforded him, and very little of his life can be confirmed through surviving sources. His most famous work, Don Quixote, was written in 1605, toward the end of his eventful life, and was an instant success upon publication. A skewering satire of the chivalric romances popular in Spanish literature during the time period, he was one of the first Spanish authors to depict real life and everyday speech in his stories. World Book Day is celebrated every April to commemorate the day he was buried, April 23, 1616. Paul and Gaëtan Brizzi are twin brothers born and raised in Paris. They studied at Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Arts Decoratifs, where their passion for film and fine art led them to study animation. During the course of their nearly fifty-year career, they have received the Ministry of French Culture’s Prix de Rome, an arts residency at the Villa Medici, the title of Chevaliers de l’ordre des Arts et des Lettres from the Ministry of French Culture, and nationwide acclaim for their literary graphic novel adaptations in France. They have worked as animators, sequence directors, and storyboard artists on such animated films as Fantasia 2000, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, the Salma Hayek–produced animated adaptation of Khalil Gibran’s The Prophet, and more.