Antonio Santos. “Barataria, la imaginada. El ideal utópico de don Quijote y Sancho”. Santander: Centro de Estudios Cervantinos/Universidad de Cantabria, 2008, 267 pp.

Abstract

This book by Antonio Santos focuses on the utopian places that appear in the installments of Don Quixote and, specifically, on the island of Barataria, of which Sancho Panza became governor. In the introduction, the researcher explains that the term utopia includes himself and not Cervantes; he speaks of orderly republics and idyllic places in the countryside. First, Santos relates some places in the novel that agree with the idyll. The second part develops the concept of paradise as it was understood in ancient times and how Cervantes implanted it in his work. To finish, he analyzes Barataria and his governor, connecting him with other characters or authors of the time. The book itself is both expository and informative, without excessively specialized notes or references.