Was one of the great novels of the Enlightenment written by a man who thought he was a werewolf?
Why This Matters
Key context: <p>Surreal, mysterious and with an outlandish origin story, Jan Potocki’s The Manuscript Found in Saragossa has amassed a cult following that includes Salman Rushdie and Jerry Garcia. But it’s the book’s global humanism makes it relevant now, say the curators of a new exhibition</p><p>A young Walloon officer called Alphonse van Worden travels through the Sierra Morena on his way to Madrid to join the Spanish army. Along the way he has an erotic encounter with two demonic Moorish sisters, falls foul of shape-shifting apparitions and is tested by a Jewish Kabbalist attempting to use mystical formulas to control spirits and decipher the universe.</p><p>All these things happen in what might be one of the least-known great novels of the European canon, an encyclopedic <em>roman-monde</em> written more than 200 years ago called The Manuscript Found in Saragossa.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/books/2026/nov/05/the-manuscript-found-in-saragossa-jan-potocki-exhibition-switzerland">Continue reading...</a> This development from The Guardian highlights ongoing changes in the sector.
Surreal, mysterious and with an outlandish origin story, Jan Potocki’s The Manuscript Found in Saragossa has amassed a cult following that includes Salman Rushdie and Jerry Garcia. But it’s the book’s global humanism makes it relevant now, say the curators of a new exhibitionA young Walloon officer called Alphonse van Worden travels through the Sierra Morena on his way to Madrid to join the Spanish army. Along the way he has an erotic encounter with two demonic Moorish sisters, falls foul of shape-shifting apparitions and is tested by a Jewish Kabbalist attempting to use mystical formulas to control spirits and decipher the universe.All these things happen in what might be one of the least-known great novels of the European canon, an encyclopedic roman-monde written more than 200 years ago called The Manuscript Found in Saragossa. Continue reading...
Curation & Context
This page summarizes a public news report from The Guardian. Global News Hub provides the "Why This Matters" takeaway using editorial insights and AI curation to give readers rapid, high-value context before they click through to read the full article.