"Gargantua is born into a long line of eminent giants, and his birth - through his mother's ear, after an overindulgence in tripes - recalls the fabled nativities of the gods of old. Such an auspicious beginning can only herald an equally auspicious life, and it is a life we are led through in remarkable detail, from his early show of genius, by the invention of the best of all possible arse-wipes, through his wide-ranging education, to his adult life and adventures." "Rabelais's hero, the father of his other great invention, Pantagruel, grows up to be a learned, humane and courageous giant, confronting the dual perils of sophistry and foreign aggression. Filled with hilarious and surreal episodes, such as the bell theft of Notre-Dame and the cake-makers' war, together with a generous dose of bawdy and bodily humour, Rabalais's Gargantua equals Pantagruel in wit, warmth and humanistic inventiveness, and offers a striking burlesque on the vacuousness and hypocrisy of his contemporary society."--BOOK JACKET.