1483?-1553

French physician and writer whose most scathing works, Pantagruel (1532) and Gargantua (1534), satires on the human condition and theology, were vehemently condemned by the Church. His name is a created anagram of Alcofribas Nasier. Originally a Franciscan priest, he engaged in literary exchanges with humanist scholars. Later, he changed to the Benedictines because his Greek language books were confiscated. In 1530 he went to Montpellier and became a doctor within a year. He then moved to Lyons where he lectured on human anatomy and practiced medicine.