Gargantua and Pantagruel, Book 1

By Francois Rabelais

1532

First Published

3.61

Average Rating

324

Number of Pages

0H01M

Audio Length

Francois Rabelais (1494-1553) was a major French Renaissance writer, doctor and humanist. He is regarded as an avant-garde writer of fantasy, satire, the grotesque, dirty jokes and bawdy songs. As a doctor, he used his spare time to write and publish humourous pamphlets which were critical of established authority and stressed his own perception of individual liberty. His revolutionary works, although satirical, revealed an astute observer of the social and political events unfolding during the first half of the sixteenth century. Using the pseudonym Alcofribas Nasier, he published his first book, Pantagruel, that would be the start of his Gargantua series. Gargantua and Pantagruel tells the story of two giants - a father, Gargantua, and his son, Pantagruel - and their adventures, written in an amusing, extravagant, and satirical vein. His use of his native tongue was astoundingly original, lively, and creative. He introduced dozens of Greek, Latin, and Italian loan-words and direct translations of Greek and Latin compound words and idioms into French. He has influenced many modern writers and scholars. Aleister Crowley's writings heavily borrow from Rabelais themes.

Avg Rating

3.61

Number of Ratings

135

5 STARS

22%

4 STARS

37%

3 STARS

25%

2 STARS

10%

1 STARS

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Author

Francois Rabelais

Author · 13 books

French humanist François Rabelais wrote satirical attacks, most notably Pantagruel (1532) and Gargantua (1534), on medieval scholasticism and superstition. People historically regarded this major Renaissance doctor of fantasy, satire, the grotesque, bawdy jokes, and songs. Considered of the great of world literature, he created modern Europe. He also published under the names Alcofribas Nasier and Séraphin Calobarsy. François Rabelais était un des grand écrivains de la Renaissance française, médecin et humaniste. Il a toujours été considéré comme un écrivain de fantaisie, de satire, de grotesque et à la fois de blagues et de chansons de débauche. Rabelais est considéré comme l'un des grands écrivains de la littérature mondiale et parmi les créateurs de l'écriture européenne moderne. Il a également publié sous les noms Alcofribas Nasier et Séraphin Calobarsy.