‘Quixoptimism’ Translated by Jim Hicks

This essay, which argues for the contemporary political relevance of Cervantes’s masterpiece Don Quixote, was written in parallel with two theatrical performances of stories, poetry, and music, Don Chisciotte e gli invincibili (Don Quixote and the Invincibles) and Chisciottimisti (Quixoptimists), written and performed by De Luca together with the singer-songwriter Gianmaria Testa and the musician and composer Gabriele Mirabassi. 1 In ‘Quixoptimism,’ De Luca criticizes commonplace dismissals of Quixote as a dreamer and utopian thinker and compares him to other prophetic figures, including Jesus. He argues that Quixote’s ability to see beneath appearances and risk ridicule is lucid and essential, and that his refusal to admit defeat makes him invincible.