InQ Episode 61: “The Manuscript found in Saragossa”

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!