InQ Episode 61: “The Manuscript found in Saragossa”

Ink & Quill

What a strange book! Often compared to The Arabian Nights or The Decameron, this novel touches on every genre (with a large portion dedicated to the Gothic), every theme, every concept of the era from romance, to marriage, to chivalry, religion, politics, succubi, ghosts, skeletons, you name it, The Manuscript has it! Written at the turn of the 19th century, Jan Potocki, Polish author writing in French has achieved a tour de force with this novel. A whole encompassing novel that deals with everything! Not a small task

Whether you like it or hate it, you can’t remain indifferent to it.

Composed of stories within stories within stories, told and re-told from a variety of different voices, despite its apparent disconnect the novel really forms a whole which only becomes apparent as the reader nears the end.

This is not for everyone, but it is one of those texts that need to be read at least once before you die. By now, it has become a Classic. A tedious read, but worth it!