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François Rabelais
(c. 1494—1553) French satirist
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(c. 1494–c. 1553),
French physician, humanist, and satirist whose great work, the satirical entertainments on the popular giants Gargantua and Pantagruel (Gargantua, 1534; Pantagruel, 1532 or 1533; Tiers Livre, 1546; Quart Livre 1548–52; and Cinquième Livre, of questionable authenticity, 1562–4) had a widespread influence on English literature, particularly on S. Butler, Swift, Sterne, Peacock, and Joyce. Urquhart's translation of Books I and II appeared in 1653 and Book III (together with Motteux's translation of Books IV and V) in 1693–4.
