One of the most important cultural events in Spain this year is the celebration of the 4th centenary of the book don Quixote. 400 years  after it was published it is still the most famous Spanish literary work, considered the first modern novel the book is a global bestseller, reputed to be the most widely read and translated book after the Bible. New editions of the book include one in Spanglish by Ilan Stavans, Professor of Latin American and Latino Culture at Amherst College in Massachusetts and one of the world's major experts on Don Quixote.

According to Professor Stavanas you could approach Don Quixote from the American perspective, or the French, or the Soviet - and each individual in those contexts would be able to understand him.

Several attempts have been made to bring the book to other media, despite a superstition that any adaptations are doomed to failure.