Cervantes and Barcelona - why does Don Quixote end in Catalonia?

The name of Miguel de Cervantes is inseparable from Spanish literature, yet there is one city that holds a special place in his oeuvre: Barcelona. This is even more interesting because Cervantes was of Castilian origin and rarely mentioned real cities in his works. Don Quixote, however, is an exception.

Cervantes was Castilian - but he treated Barcelona as an exception

Cervantes was born in 1547 in Alcalá de Henares, near Madrid, in Castile. His native language was Castilian Spanish, and all of his literary work is linked to this language. Nevertheless, in the second part of Don Quixote, the story - at least the series of adventures - ends specifically in Barcelona. After that, the protagonist returns to his native village, where he dies.

This story-telling is an extraordinary decision, as most parts of the novel takes place in fictional locations, with Barcelona being the only real city mentioned by name, and appearing not as a side episode but as a key endpoint to the story.

Barcelona as a modern, open city

Cervantes presents Barcelona as a vibrant, cosmopolitan, maritime city: a port city, characterized by bustling commerce, printing houses, book culture, and social and cultural diversity. In the early 17th century, Barcelona was one of the most important cities on the Mediterranean, and Cervantes accurately portrays this. The city stands in sharp contrast to the dusty, rural world of La Mancha - and this is a conscious contrast.

It is no coincidence that Don Quixote suffers his final defeat in Barcelona. It is here that he meets the "Knight of the White Moon", who defeats him and forces him to give up his dreams of chivalry.

Symbolically, the modern city overcomes medieval illusion, rationality triumphs over romantic madness, and the novel becomes definitively self-reflexive here. Barcelona is therefore not only a location, but also an ideological counterpoint.

Catalonia through the eyes of Cervantes

Cervantes portrays Catalonia and the Catalans in a surprisingly positive light: hospitable, proud, militarily and culturally strong. This is especially remarkable in an era when relations between the Castilian court and Catalonia were often tense. Cervantes does not have a hostile tone, but rather one of appreciation and curiosity.

Why is this important today?

The Barcelona chapters of Don Quixote are still part of the Catalan cultural identity today, forming a literary bridge between Castile and Catalonia, and reminding us that Barcelona was already one of the intellectual centers of Europe centuries ago. It is no coincidence that several plaques, statues and locations in Barcelona still refer to Cervantes, despite the fact that he was not Catalan.

Cervantes chose Barcelona as the final destination of Don Quixote because the city embodied everything that Don Quixote lacked: modernity, reality, and diversity. Thereby, Barcelona became not only a geographical destination, but also a literary historical destination.