Of Mice and the Man of La Mancha: A Novella (Unabridged‪)‬

If Steinbeck were to translate the works of Miguel de Cervantes, without any knowledge of 16th-century Spanish, this is how it might turn out. A knight errant and an idiot seek employment at a small slug ranch in Salinas. (Say that five times fast!)

Don Quixote smiled a pitiful smile. “Why, you don’t need to have money to battle the dragons of the world, to fight for right and vanquish wrong. To fight for yourselves would be a grand start. To be the champions of your own destiny.”

Moe looked over at Lenny. “He fights dragons?”

Don Quixote chuckled. “Tell him Sancho. Tell him about the dreaded dragon that was threatening the countryside.”

Lenny nodded vigorously. “That’s right. And George showed him what for, too. He wopped that old windmill, and tore its sheets. And then he went round, and round, and round on one of its arms.”

Larry laughed. “You fought a windmill?”

Don Quixote. “I didn’t win that bout, but I think it has more respect for me.”