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Don Quijote in Spanish
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Mad about Quixote: Spaniards read around the clock
MADRID (Reuters) - Hundreds of Spaniards declared their love for "Don Quixote" on the 400th anniversary of Miguel de Cervantes' masterpiece with a non-stop relay reading of the book that ended on Sunday.
Readers of all ages took over 48 hours to work their way through more than 1,000 pages of Cervantes' action-packed novel, which made national icons of the knight who charged at windmills and his faithful sidekick Sancho Panza.
It was the annual "Don Quixote" readathon at Madrid's Circulo de Bellas Artes, a venerable centre for the arts, but there was a special buzz this year thanks to the anniversary which has sparked festivities all over the Spanish-speaking world. The first tome of the book was published in 1605.
"This year, with the anniversary, it's contagious! Everyone wants to read Don Quixote," said Alejandra Plazas, 47, just after taking her turn reading.
In a darkened room with a simple lectern under a spotlight, people waited in line for a chance to read a short excerpt. Most were ordinary Spaniards, though dignitaries including Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero also read a few lines.
Six-year-old Hugo Sesma gave no sign of stage-fright as he took the stage, although he had previously read "Don Quixote" only in comic book form.
"I wasn't scared. I have known how to read for a long time. I wanted to do it," he said just after his reading, as his parents proudly snapped photographs.
Others were more nervous.
"I came several years in a row because I love listening to the reading but this year I finally plucked up the courage and read too," said Delia Cortina Blanco, 63, beaming with relief.
Her husband, Guzman Mata Enrich, read just after her.
"At first I didn't want to because I have a cough but in the end I made it," he said.
Even in the dead of night there was no shortage of readers.
QUIXOTE MADNESS
Enthusiasts from as far afield as Sri Lanka, Equatorial Guinea in West Africa and Latin American countries took part in the reading via live video links.
Some participants read in other languages than Spanish to emphasise the universal appeal of "Don Quixote". Excerpts were read in Latin, Arabic, Hebrew and Greek as well as 18 languages spoken in the European Union.
Blind readers used editions in braille to take part.
"Don Quixote" celebrations have been going on for months, but went into overdrive during the weekend because April 23, the anniversary of Cervantes' death, is national "reading day".
The date has resonance far beyond Spain's borders. In Caracas, hundreds of Venezuelans stood in line on Saturday to obtain free copies of "Don Quixote" given by the government. President Hugo Chavez frequently compares himself to the knight.
In Spain, state radio broadcast every few minutes excerpts of the book read by luminaries ranging from King Juan Carlos to Colombian Nobel prize-winning writer Gabriel Garcia Marquez.
The weekend newspapers offered special editions of the novel at bargain prices, and published reams of print about everything from Cervantes' favourite wines to the worst film versions of the knight's adventures.
In a bid to enthuse the young, the Madrid region staged a competition for the best text-message inspired by Don Quixote. Entries could be no longer than 150 characters -- the longest possible text-message on most mobile telephones.
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