Author of the bestseller and first modern novel Don Quixote, Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra (1547-16161), spent most of his life in poverty and oblivion. He was a soldier, a prisoner, and a noteworthy literary figure. The Spanish is often referred to as " la Lengua de Cervantes", that is, the language of Cervantes. In Don Quixote, he used everyday speech and portrayed real-life instead of exaggerating the vanity of chivalry. He has also written many plays, poems, and other novels.