Feb. 4: Francois Rabelais, French writer, physician, and monk

BORN FEBRUARY 4:

Francois Rabelais (1494-1553) French humanist writer, physician, and monk primarily known as a writer of satire, of the grotesque, and of bawdy jokes and songs. Best known is Gargantua and Pantagruel (which gives us the word "gargantuan"), peopled by giants to expose his outsized parody of the outdated (medieval) views of the institutions of his day--including the church which he served. "Rabelaisian" has come to mean "marked by gross robust humor, extravagance of caricature, or bold naturalism" (per Merriam-Webster). [N.B.: Many sources express doubt about the date (and even the year) of his birth; this one seems traditional.]

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Feb. 1: Ikkyu, Japanese Zen monk

BORN FEBRUARY 1:

Ikkyu (1394-1481) Iconoclastic Japanese Zen monk and poet who rejected rules of abstinence from sex, alcohol, and the eating of flesh. An avid student (and somewhat the patron saint) of the shakuhachi or bamboo flute. Some of his writings have been collected as The Crazy Cloud Anthology; Crow With No Mouth is also good.

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Nov. 2: Ryokan Taigu, Japanese monk and poet

BORN NOVEMBER 2:

Ryokan Taigu (1758-1831) Japanese monk who wrote numerous short poems. Perhaps his most famous involves the time his hut was robbed. There was nothing there to steal, but as the thief left, Ryokan chased after him to give him the clothes he was wearing! He then went home and sat down naked to write a poem declaring that at least the thief who robbed his hut had left the moon at his window.

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Oct. 23: Ignatius of Loyola, Spanish monk

BORN OCTOBER 23:

Ignatius of Loyola (1491-1556) Spanish Roman Catholic theologian and founder of the Jesuits; wrote the Autobiography and Spiritual Exercises, which are still used today.

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Sep. 5: Tommaso Campanella, Italian philosopher-monk

BORN SEPTEMBER 5th:

Tommaso Campanella (1568-1639) Italian philosopher-monk and poet known for his heterodox views, for which he was tortured and then imprisoned for 27 years, where he wrote among other works his utopian novel La città del Sole (The City of the Sun).

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