Näitlikud novellid

The publication contains eight short stories from the collection "Exemplary Short Stories" (Novelas ejemplares, 1613) by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra (1547–1616), a classic of Spanish literature. Next to the author's world-famous main work «Don Quixote», they are the brightest achievement of his narrative prose work.

In "Mustlasneius" the descriptions of the customs of gypsies are captivating, in "Suurvähäs küchütruku" the daily life of mule drivers and the neutral but expressive portraits of women with easy lifestyles. Cervantes masterfully depicts lost lives in the story "Rinconete and Cortadillo". "The Spanish Woman of England" is interesting primarily for its paintings of the historical setting, "Jealous Estremadurlane" is a story about the complex collision of human relationships. The ethical weight of "The Glass Licensee" and "Dogs Talk" is revealed from a more philosophical angle.

«Dogs Talk» was first published in Estonian in 1972, translated by Aita Kurfeldt, whose role in bringing Spanish and Portuguese fiction into the Estonian language was pioneering. The rest of the short stories have been written by Lauri Pilter and Eva Kolli, the verses partly by Jüri Talve.