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400th anniversary of 'Quixote' to be feted

MADRID, Dec. 7 (UPI) -- The Spanish region of Castille-La Mancha will celebrate the 400th anniversary of the publication of Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra's novel, "Don Quixote" in 2005.

The Spanish government said Tuesday they will spend $66 million for a series of plays, exhibitions, concerts, and other activities.

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The observance will include a 600-mile route of nature trails for hikers and other travelers that trace Quixote's travels with his squire, Sancho Panza, to towns throughout the region.

Concerts of pop and classical music are being planned in town squares and other public spaces and in monastery cloisters in these communities.

In addition, some 30 plays with Quixote themes will be performed in open-air theaters throughout Castille-La Mancha, and art exhibitions featuring images of Quixote in paintings and ceramics will be mounted. One of them will be a series of watercolors by Salvador Dali to illustrate a 1945 edition of the novel.

Cervantes was born in Alcala de Henares in 1547 and is considered Spain's foremost man of letters for his novels, plays, and poems. He published the first part of "Don Quixote" in 1605 and the second part of the picaresque tale in 1615. He died in Madrid the following year.

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