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caption: Actor Michael ‘String Bean’ Nicholson (right) plays a strong Don Quixote as he defends Princess Dulcinea’s honour during the play reading on the life of Miguel De Cervantes held at Redbones Blues Cafe in St Andrew, recently.

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caption: Jean Paul Menou (back centre) and students of drama at Edna Manley College portray life in prison for the play reading on the life of Miguel De Cervantes held at Redbones Blues Cafe in St Andrew, recently.

GUESTS are slated to get a second serving of Spanish writer Miguel De Cervantes’s

Don Quixote at the Norbrook residence of Carmen Rives, chargÃ&Copy; d’affaires, Embassy of Spain, on Thursday.

“I’m very happy to share the culture of Spain with Jamaica. It is our way of introducing Cervantes to the Jamaican public,” Rives told the

Sunday Observer.

“His work looks at the mysteries of human souls: love, impossible dreams, lost causes, success and defeat.”

According to Rives, the event is part of the 400th anniversary celebration of Cervantes’s death.

“As an added treat, Alpha Alumni band will be playing,” she said.

Last Thursday, Redbones Blues Cafe in St Andrew was the venue for Cervantes Celebration. The occasion saw actor Michael ‘String Bean’ Nicholson, Jean Paul Menou, and Edna Manley College’s drama students doing a dramatic play reading of

Don Quixote. It was directed by Pierre Lemaire, director of School of Drama at Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts.

“It was a great affair… We had about 200 people in attendance. I think Pierre was smart with his use of Jamaican actors to get the message across. People could relate to the characters and they stayed for the debate and participated,” said Rives.

The Spanish chargÃ&Copy; d’affaires said the occasion was made possible by the Embassy of Spain in Jamaica, in partnership with the Edna Manley School of Drama and the Spanish-Jamaican Foundation. The later is celebrating its 10th anniversary.

“This year also marks 50 years since Jamaica and Spain established diplomatic ties,” she added.

Cervantes is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the Spanish language.

DonQuixote is the second most translated book after the Bible. In addition toDon Quixote, his other works includeNovelasejemplares (Exemplary Novels),the Viaje alParnaso (Journey to Parnassus), and Los trabajos de Persiles y Sigismunda (The Works of Persiles andSigismunda).

He died in 1616 at age 68.