Francois Rabelais holds a unique place in the history of world literature, and no more so than for his extraordinary satirical entertainment "Gargantua and Pantagruel." Here the first of these volumes is presented in a new and lively translation. "Pantagruel" recounts the life a popular giant. From his portentous birth and colorful childhood, to his visit to Paris and his travels through Utopia, and not withstanding his enormous appetite, Pantagruel's history is told with a breathtaking degree of gaiety and wit. Ingeniously coining new expressions, and with an unashamed obsession with bodily functions, Rabelais blends prose and poetry, the sacred and profound, to offer a heady satire of the religious society of his day. The result is a bawdy and brilliant celebration of life.