François Rabelais
Rabelais, Françoys
– April 9, 1553
Birth place: Domaine de la Devinière, Seuilly, Touraine, France
Browse magazine works (first published 1532)
"Maistre Alcofribas" points to "Alcofribas Nasier", pseudonym and anagram of François Rabelais. This name is quite meaningful: * Alcofribas is reminiscent of great Muslim scholars, such as Al-Khwarizmi al-Khati, known for systematizing Muslim alchemy, or theologian and philosopher Al-Ghazali, for instance. * Nasier has a ''nas-'' radical evoking the nose: either the red nose of drinkers or the rotten one of the syphilitic. Both are indeed addressed by Rabelais in the opening line of his famous Gargantua prologue: Beuveurs tres illustres, et vous, Verolez tres precieux - car à vous, non à autres, sont dediez mes écritz [...], Most illustrious drinkers, and ye, most precious poxed — for to ye, not to others, are my writings dedicated [...].