Review: Don Quixote for a New Millennium by Diogenes Rodriguez

When I first got the email from Mr. Rodriguez about his new play, my first instinct was to tell him that I might not be the right blogger to read it. After all, I’m not much for plays, however Mr. Rodriguez’s email was very intriguing – I accepted and I’m glad I did.

Buy this play in paper or electronic format*

Don Quixote For a New Millennium: The Adventures of Don Quixote and Sancho at the Ducal Court by Diogenes Rodriguez tells the old story of Don Quixote with a new translation which tries to capture the spirit of the book. As anyone can tell you, Don Quixote is a difficult book to translate because much of the humor, stories and innuendos depends on your understanding of the language and culture, much like Shakespeare’s plays. Mr. Rodriguez achieves this by introducing a narrator into the story which helps explain the audience what’s going on and move the story forward.

The play itself is captivating and, I believe, manages to capture the spirit in which Cervantes intended to convey in his classic book. However, the real surprise for me was the part at the beginning which deals with history, linguistics and the philosophy of Don Quixote.

I loved the etymology part at the beginning  Even though I recognize the names and sometimes (very few times) actually got the joke behind the name, this part really helped me see this old story in a new light. As the author asserts (and so do many others) the names in Don Quixote have significant meaning, mostly puns and jokes which Cervantes intended as a social commentary, character’s history or just for his own amusement.

Whether you have read Don Quixote like myself, or is intimidated by the length of the novel, this play will help you understand the book with a nod and a wink and maybe even get a joke or two  you previously missed.

Buy this play in paper or electronic format*

Zohar – Man of la Book
Disclaimer: I got this book for free.
*Ama­zon links point to an affil­i­ate account

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