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Rabelais, Writer Gargantua & Pantagruel > 
François Rabelais, French writer, priest, humanist, doctor. His fame rests on the five comic novels (one of doubtful authenticity) known collectively as Gargantua and Pantagruel, including the masterpieces Pantagruel (1532) and Gargantua (1534) as well as Le Tiers Livre (1546; "The Third Book"), his most profound work. These works display a delight in words, a mastery of storytelling, and deep humanist learning in a mosaic of scholarly, literary, and scientific parody that is unlike any previous work in French. The books were banned by civil and church authorities for their satirical content and earthy humour, but they were nevertheless read throughout Europe. Throughout his career, Rabelais owed his freedom to the protection of powerful patrons.
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