Gargantua and Pantagruel Illustrated Book 1

Most noble and illustrious drinkers... Thus begins Gargantua and Pantagruel a grotesque and carnivalesque collection of exuberant fantastical stories that takes us from the ancient world through to the European Renaissance. At the heart of these tall tales are the giant Gargantua and his equally seismic son Pantagruel. Containing magical adventures maniacal punning slapstick humor erudite allusions and just about any bodily function one can think of here is quite possibly the zaniest most risqué book ever written. Featuring the original translation by Urquhart and Motteaux - celebrated for its fluidity and playfulness. Bill Homewood gives a virtuosic and delightfully exuberant reading of this extraordinary text - a narrator so perfectly matched to his material that you can't help but smile. [The Times (London)]