The novel Gil Blas was written by the French novelist Alain-Rene Lesage. Lesage was born in 1668 and is best known for his picaresque novel Gil Blas, which was published between 1715 and 1735. The novel follows the adventures of a young man from a humble background as he makes his way through the world. Lesage's other works include Le Diable Boiteux (1707) and Histoire de Monsieur de Montagne (1731).