“The True Comic Life of Francion” by the French writer Charles Sorel (1602 - 1674) is the first picaresque novel in French literature, which opened the way for other novels of the same type (for example, “Gilles Blas” by Lesage). C. Sorel skillfully used the form of the Spanish novel, filling it with French content. The author captured in it the living, authentic reality of his time - France in the first quarter of the 17th century. Among the writer’s contemporaries, “The Life of Francion” was incredibly popular. And for the modern reader the book is of undoubted interest: the narrative develops dynamically, the plot is very entertaining, the details are juicy and sharply noted.