Joanot Martorell
Joanot Martorell was a Valencian knight and writer, best-known for authoring the novel Tirant lo Blanch, written in Valencian and published at Valencia in 1490. This novel is often regarded as one of the peaks of the literature in Catalan language and it played a major role in influencing later writers such as Miguel de Cervantes, who, in the book burning scene of Don Quixote, says "I swear to you, my friend, this is the best book of its kind in the world". The novel deals with the adventures of a knight in the Byzantine Empire; it is considered as one of the first works of alternative history.
Martorell apparently was a chivalrous man and suffered an early death due to court intrigue, leaving the novel unfinished. It was prepared for publication by his friend and colleague, Martí Joan de Galba.
