François Rabelais
French Writer
Date of Birth | : | 01 Apr, 1494 |
Date of Death | : | 09 Apr, 1553 |
Place of Birth | : | Chinon, France |
Profession | : | Writer |
Nationality | : | French |
François Rabelais was a French writer and priest who for his contemporaries was an eminent physician and humanist and for posterity is the author of the comic masterpiece Gargantua and Pantagruel. The four novels composing this work are outstanding for their rich use of Renaissance French and for their comedy, which ranges from gross burlesque to profound satire. They exploit popular legends, farces, and romances, as well as classical and Italian material, but were written primarily for a court public and a learned one. The adjective Rabelaisian applied to scatological humour is misleading; Rabelais used scatology aesthetically, not gratuitously, for comic condemnation. His creative exuberance, colourful and wide-ranging vocabulary, and literary variety continue to ensure his popularity.
Quotes
Total 20 Quotes
I have known many who could not when they would, for they had not done it when they could.
When I drink, I think; and when I think, I drink.
Tell the truth and shame the devil.
I owe much; I have nothing; the rest I leave to the poor.
I'd rather write about laughing than crying, For laughter makes men human, and courageous.
No noble man ever hated good wine.
Debts and lies are generally mixed together.
There is no truer cause of unhappiness amongst men than, where naturally expecting charity and benevolence, they receive harm and vexation.
Keep running after a dog and he will never bite you.
All's well in the end, if you've only the patience to wait.