ABSTRACT
To talk about the presence of Cervantes in the work of Kierkegaard is virtually equivalent to tracing the diverse references to Don Quixote which are strewn throughout both Kierkegaard’s published works and the Nachlass. Most of these citations seem to indicate that the influence of the Spanish author in Kierkegaard was no more than the occasional rhetorical use of a very well-known literary figure. There are, however, a few other mentions of Don Quixote, plus a significant allusion to one of Cervantes’ Exemplary Novels, that seem to suggest that Kierkegaard might have had a closer relation to the Spanish author. This article attempts to investigate the real extent of Cervantes’ influence on Kierkegaard by means of an analysis of all the references found in the latter’s writings.
