14 h 45 minAudiobook7 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at costPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
Two pilgrims hide their names as they cross icy seas, carrying a love that rivals and distance put to the test.
In The Wanderings of Persiles and Sigismunda, Miguel de Cervantes opens on a harsh island in the cold northern seas, where prisoners face cruel customs. Periandro and Auristela travel toward Rome as pilgrims, calling themselves brother and sister. Both conceal their high birth and true names.
Their road gathers a changing company: Mauricio, who reads the stars; his daughter Transila; and Rutilio, a dancing master with stories of his own. Sea voyages and island prisons bring danger, while Arnaldo, a Danish prince, loves Auristela. Beneath the disguises and adventures lies a question: can love remain loyal across distance and jealousy?
What you’ll discover
- A dark island beginning Enter a cold northern world where captivity makes escape the first urgent hope.
- Love behind borrowed names Follow Periandro and Auristela as their hidden identities complicate a shared pilgrimage.
- Travelers with their own tales Meet a watchful father, his determined daughter, and a dancing master who brings humor.
- Rivals along the road Discover how admiration becomes trouble when powerful suitors turn their eyes toward Auristela.
- Loyalty across great distances Explore a romance where love means constancy, not passion alone, through separation and danger.
Who will love it
For readers who enjoyed Don Quixote and want to meet Cervantes in a different mood, and anyone who loves voyages, disguises and tales within tales, with love and faith tested by storms, jealousy and distance.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A savage island opens the tale
- Two disguised pilgrims set out for Rome
- A band of travelers gathers on the road
- Love meets rivals and jealousy
- Faith and constancy are tested by distance
- A romance built on an ancient pattern
Who’s who
- PeriandroA young man of noble bearing who travels as the brother of Auristela, guarding her and hiding who he truly is.
- AuristelaA beautiful young woman who longs to reach Rome as a pilgrim and keeps her real name and birth secret.
- ArnaldoA prince of Denmark who falls in love with Auristela and becomes a generous but troubling rival.
- MauricioAn older traveler who reads the stars and watches over his daughter as the group moves along.
- TransilaMauricio's daughter, a young woman of firm character who joins the band of travelers.
- RutilioA dancing master who wanders into the company and adds humor and tales of his own.
- ClodioA slanderer whose gossip and bad faith cause trouble among the travelers.
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- The key ideas in about 7 minutes, to read today.
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- Hardcover
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- Large print hardcover
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Les Travaux de Persilès et de Sigismonde
by Miguel de Cervantès Saavedra · 1617
Two lovers travel toward Rome as brother and sister, guarding their secret as storms and rivals test their loyalty.
Challenging10–20 hours to readfrançais
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In short
The Wanderings of Persiles and Sigismunda is the last book Miguel de Cervantes finished. He is the author of Don Quixote.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A savage island opens the tale
The story begins far from Spain, in the cold northern seas. Cervantes opens in the dark, with prisoners held on a barbarian island, and with the cruel customs of the people who hold them. The first scenes are meant to shock and to pull the reader in before any explanation is given. Who are these captives, and why are they there?
From this island the young pair Periandro and Auristela escape, together with a few companions who have been caught up in the same trouble. Even in these early pages the two are marked out. They are handsome, courteous and quick to protect others. Those who meet them cannot say who they really are, and the pair give only the account they have prepared.
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- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas of the whole book in about 7 minutes. A good first look, or a refresher.
Details
- First published
- 1617
- Language
- français
- Reading time
- 9 h 35 min
- Level
- Challenging
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What is The Wanderings of Persiles and Sigismunda about?
It follows two young lovers who travel as pilgrims from the far north of Europe toward Rome, posing as brother and sister. Along the way they meet rivals, hear stories and test their faith and loyalty.
Who are Periandro and Auristela really?
They are the names the pair use while traveling. Their true names are Persiles and Sigismunda, and they come from high northern families. The book reveals their background slowly, which drives much of the interest.
Is Persiles a sequel to Don Quixote?
No. It is a separate work, a romance of adventure in the style of ancient Greek tales. Cervantes finished it near the end of his life, and it was published in 1617, after his death.
The author
Miguel de Cervantes
1547–1616 · Spanish novelist, poet and playwright
Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra (1547–1616) was a Spanish novelist, poet, and playwright. He was born in Alcalá de Henares and died in Madrid. He published La Galatea in 1585 and Don Quixote in two parts, in 1605 and 1615. The Wanderings of Persiles and Sigismunda appeared after his death, in 1617.
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