François Rabelais

El prestigio de Rabelais se ha forjado sobre su irresistible y excepcional comicidad, pero lo cierto es que fue un humanista que procuró aunar las tradiciones clásica y cristiana en una tercera, a la búsqueda de un tipo ideal de individuo que se alejase definitivamente de los razonamientos abstractos y «helados» de los escolásticos de la Sorbona, al reencuentro con la calidez de lo humano. Si Rabelais, médico, fue admirado entre sus contemporáneos como un hombre de gran erudición capaz de escribir en latín y en griego, sus novelas le convirtieron en un popularísimo escritor que se divertía haciendo saltar por los aires el lenguaje con sus juegos de palabras y sus razonamientos extravagantes, en un mundo dominado por gigantes y cretinos, borrachos y farsantes. Las dificultades de comprensión que a menudo han hecho ilegibles estas novelas se han salvado con unas notas de presentación que abren cada capítulo, en las que se da cuenta del sujeto satirizado y las circunstancias de la misma sátira. La introducción del libro, redactada para esta edición por uno de los mayores especialistas en Rabelais, el profesor Guy Demerson, servirá al lector español para acercarse al autor, su circunstancia y sus obras.

Had Rabelais never written his strange and marvellous romance, no one would ever have imagined the possibility of its production. It stands outside other thingsa mixture of mad mirth and gravity, of folly and reason, of childishness and grandeur, of the commonplace and the out-of-the-way, of popular verve and polished humanism, of mother-wit and learning, of baseness and nobility, of personalities and broad generalization, of the comic and the serious, of the impossible and the familiar. Throughout the whole there is such a force of life and thought, such a power of good sense, a kind of assurance so authoritative, that he takes rank with the greatest; and his peers are not many. You may like him or not, may attack him or sing his praises, but you cannot ignore him. He is of those that die hard. Be as fastidious as you will; make up your mind to recognize only those who are, without any manner of doubt, beyond and above all others; however few the names you keep, Rabelais will always remain.

Had Rabelais never written his strange and marvellous romance, no one would ever have imagined the possibility of its production. It stands outside other thingsa mixture of mad mirth and gravity, of folly and reason, of childishness and grandeur, of the commonplace and the out-of-the-way, of popular verve and polished humanism, of mother-wit and learning, of baseness and nobility, of personalities and broad generalization, of the comic and the serious, of the impossible and the familiar. Throughout the whole there is such a force of life and thought, such a power of good sense, a kind of assurance so authoritative, that he takes rank with the greatest; and his peers are not many. You may like him or not, may attack him or sing his praises, but you cannot ignore him. He is of those that die hard. Be as fastidious as you will; make up your mind to recognize only those who are, without any manner of doubt, beyond and above all others; however few the names you keep, Rabelais will always remain.

Good people, most illustrious drinkers, and you, thrice precious gouty gentlemen, did you ever see Diogenes, and cynic philosopher? If you have seen him, you then had your eyes in your head, or I am very much out of my understanding and logical sense. It is a gallant thing to see the clearness of (wine, gold,) the sun. Ill be judged by the blind born so renowned in the sacred Scriptures, who, having at his choice to ask whatever he would from him who is Almighty, and whose word in an instant is effectually performed, asked nothing else but that he might see. Item, you are not young, which is a competent quality for you to philosophate more than physically in wine, not in vain, and henceforwards to be of the Bacchic Council; to the end that, opining there, you may give your opinion faithfully of the substance, colour, excellent odour, eminency, propriety, faculty, virtue, and effectual dignity of the said blessed and desired liquor.

Gargantua e Pantagruel rappresenta ancora oggi unopera unica e affascinante.Un testo che, a quasi 500 anni dalla sua prima uscita, mantiene intatta la sua originalita e lintrinseca forza di attrazione nei confronti dei lettori di tutte le fasce deta.Divisa in cinque libri, pubblicati tra il 1532 e il 1564, lopera narra le rocambolesche avventure di due giganti, padre e figlio, nella Francia del Rinascimento. François Rabelais, che qui si firma con lo pseudonimo Alcofribas Nasier (lanagramma del suo nome), si prende gioco della mentalita e del pensiero medievali, esaltando al contrario la cultura umanistica e antica. Sotto il profilo linguistico, poi, Gargantua e Pantagruel e una fonte inesauribile di invenzioni e neologismi. Un vero piacere per gli occhi e per la mente.Fantasia, ironia e satira infine percorrono le numerose pagine che, grazie allestro dellautore, non annoiano mai.François Rabelais nasce a Deviniere il 4 febbraio del 1493.Riceve uneducazione religiosa e inizialmente prende i voti. In seguito, dopo aver lasciato labito talare, intraprende gli studi di Medicina. Quindi comincia la sua produzione letteraria. Il suo nome e indissolubilmente legato al capolavoro della letteratura umanistica Gargantua e Pantagruel.Notevole e come riesca a trattare argomenti seri e importanti, quali la religione, la filosofia e leducazione attraverso immagini spesso divertenti e surreali. Questo lo rende di certo accessibile e vicino a noi.Muore a Parigi il 9 aprile 1553.

Adaptation de l'ancien français par Marie-Madeleine Fragonard

Estos variados escritos de Rabelais nos acercan a nuevas facetas literarias y humanas del creador de los célebres gigantes Gargantúa y Pantagruel. Sus cartas, sus almanaques y su Siomaquia -relato de un simulacro de batalla- conforman una miscelanea de textos que permite descubrir los saberes, los ideales y las aspiraciones de este 'hombre plural' que ha sido considerado a lo largo de los siglos uno de los grandes exponentes del Renacimiento frances. En esta nueva traduccion de textos rabelaisianos, el lector encontrara algunas claves para comprender el entorno privado y cultural de un autor cuya imaginacion aun hoy nos interpela.

La storia del gigante Gargantua e di suo figlio Pantagruele (come dei personaggi minori), consiste in un percorso attraverso le follie del mondo (da cui il debito di Rabelais nei confronti di Erasmo) e attraverso lipocrisia della cultura dominante, la quale merita solo una carnevalesca derisione, libera da qualsiasi freno. Le avventure dei personaggi sono inserite in unatmosfera eccessiva e goliardica e vengono tenute insieme da uno stile imprevedibile, che si impossessa, in modo satirico, tanto del gergo popolare quanto di quello accademico.Nota: gli e-book editi da E-text in collaborazione con Liber Liber sono tutti privi di DRM; si possono quindi leggere su qualsiasi lettore di e-book, si possono copiare su piu dispositivi e, volendo, si possono anche modificare.Questo e-book aiuta il sito di Liber Liber, una mediateca che rende disponibili gratuitamente migliaia di capolavori della letteratura e della musica.

From: Five Books Of The Lives, Heroic Deeds And Sayings Of Gargantua / And His Son Pantagruel / Illustrated by Gustave Dore / Tr.: Sir Thomas Urquhart of Cromarty and Peter Antony Motteux

Le second roman de Rabelais, toujours publié sous le nom dAlcofribas Nasier, pose des problèmes de datation, la critique actuelle hésitant entre 1533-1534 et 1535. En raison de la répression royale d

Pantagruel est le fils de Badebec, morte en couche, et de Gargantua, roi dUtopie, qui décida de soccuper soigneusement de léducation de son fils. Pantagruel a très tôt un énorme appétit, très vite in

From: Five Books Of The Lives, Heroic Deeds And Sayings Of Gargantua / And His Son Pantagruel / Illustrated by Gustave Dore / Tr.: Sir Thomas Urquhart of Cromarty and Peter Antony Motteux

From: Five Books Of The Lives, Heroic Deeds And Sayings Of Gargantua / And His Son Pantagruel / Illustrated by Gustave Dore / Tr.: Sir Thomas Urquhart of Cromarty and Peter Antony Motteux

"Bonsoir lecteurs, ne vous cassez pas trop la tête avec mes fautes. Si vous pensez que je suis tordu d'avoir écrit cela, peut-être l'êtes-vous presqu'autant de l'avoir lu. Toutefois, si vous avez lu ces pages pour vous marrer, de même que je les ai pondues, vous et moi méritons plus le pardon qu'une quantité de faux-derches en soutane, d'hypocrites, de cagots, de faux savants, de journalistes prétentieux, de critiques bilieux, de professeurs qui ne professent que leur pauvre contenu qui ne tient même pas entre leurs fesses, de doctes religieux qui brandissent l'Ecrit comme la vérité avec laquelle. Ils se déguisent pour ne pas être reconnus dans les bordels mondains des sectes et des insectes qui rongent les âmes et les confiances."