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袪褍泻芯锌懈褋, 蟹薪邪泄写械薪懈泄 褍 小邪褉邪覒芯褋褨
"袪褍泻芯锌懈褋, 蟹薪邪泄写械薪懈泄 褍 小邪褉邪覒芯褋褨" - 芯写懈薪 蟹 薪邪泄褏懈屑械褉薪褨褕懈褏 褉芯屑邪薪褨胁 褋胁褨褌芯胁芯褩 谢褨褌械褉邪褌褍褉懈, 褋锌褉邪胁卸薪褨泄 褕械写械胁褉, 褟泻懈泄 锌褨写褕褌芯胁褏褍褦 写芯 褖芯褉邪蟹 薪芯胁懈褏 锌褉芯褔懈褌邪薪褜 褌邪 褨薪褌械褉锌褉械褌邪褑褨泄. 袟邪 褋胁芯褦褞 褋褌褉褍泻褌褍褉芯褞 胁褨薪 薪邪谐邪写褍褦 泻懈褌邪泄褋褜泻褍 褕泻邪褌褍谢泻褍, 胁褨写泻褉懈胁邪褞褔懈 褟泻褍, 屑懈 胁 薪邪泄薪械褋锌芯写褨胁邪薪褨褕懈褏 屑褨褋褑褟褏 胁懈褟胁谢褟褦屑芯 薪芯胁褨, 屑械薪褕褨 褕泻邪褌褍谢泻懈, 邪 胁 薪懈褏 - 蟹薪芯胁褍 薪芯胁褨, 褨 褌邪泻 屑邪谢芯 薪械 写芯 斜械蟹泻芯薪械褔薪芯褋褌褨. 袟邪 斜邪谐邪褌褋褌胁芯屑 蟹屑褨褋褌褍 泄芯屑褍 胁邪卸泻芯 蟹薪邪泄褌懈 邪薪邪谢芯谐懈 胁 褋胁褨褌芯胁褨泄 谢褨褌械褉邪褌褍褉褨. 笑械 蟹邪褏芯锌谢褞褞褔械 褔懈褌邪薪薪褟 薪邪泄胁懈褖芯谐芯 覒邪褌褍薪泻褍, 褟泻械 写邪褉褍褦 褔懈褌邪褔邪屑 斜邪谐邪褌芯 褨薪褌械谢械泻褌褍邪谢褜薪懈褏 薪邪褋芯谢芯写 褨 斜械蟹谢褨褔 械屑芯褑褨泄 褍 锌芯褕褍泻褍 泻谢褞褔褨胁 写芯 褌邪褦屑薪懈褑褜 褨 褉芯蟹胁'褟蟹邪薪薪褟 薪械褋邪屑芯胁懈褌懈褏 蟹邪谐邪写芯泻. 袪芯屑邪薪 褑械泄 屑芯卸薪邪 褔懈褌邪褌懈 褟泻 褎褨谢芯褋芯褎褋褜泻懈泄 褌胁褨褉, 褟泻 屑褨褋褌懈褔薪懈泄 褉芯屑邪薪, 褟泻 褉芯屑邪薪 卸邪褏褨胁, 褟泻 谐褉褍 蟹 谢褨褌械褉邪褌褍褉薪懈屑懈 褌褉邪写懈褑褨褟屑懈, 蟹谐褨写薪芯 蟹 蟹邪褋邪写邪屑懈 谢褨褌械褉邪褌褍褉懈 袩褉芯褋胁褨褌薪懈褑褌胁邪 褔懈 蟹谐褨写薪芯 蟹 蟹邪褋邪写邪屑懈 泻邪褉褌 褌邪褉芯. 袟薪邪泄写械屑芯 褌褍褌 褨 褎邪薪褌邪褋褌懈褔薪褨 屑芯褌懈胁懈 褨 械谢械屑械薪褌懈 锌褉懈谐芯写薪懈褑褜泻芯谐芯 褌邪 褕邪褏褉邪泄褋褜泻芯谐芯 褉芯屑邪薪褨胁, 械泻褋泻褍褉褋懈 胁 褌械芯谢芯谐褨褞, 褎褨谢芯褋芯褎褨褞, 谐械芯屑械褌褉褨褞 褨 褌. 写. 小懈褑懈谢褨泄褋褜泻褨 斜邪薪写懈褌懈, 锌褨褉邪褌懈, 泻芯薪褌褉邪斜邪薪写懈褋褌懈, 屑芯薪邪褏懈, 褉懈褑邪褉褨, 胁褔械薪褨, 泻褍锌褑褨, 卸械斜褉邪泻懈, 邪褉邪斜褋褜泻褨 褕械泄褏懈, 写懈锌谢芯屑邪褌懈, 褋芯谢写邪褌懈, 褦谐懈锌械褌褋褜泻褨 卸械褉褑褨, 泻邪斜邪谢褨褋褌懈, 锌褨写胁谢邪写薪褨 褩屑 写褍褏懈, 锌械褉械胁械褉褌薪褨, 薪邪褉械褕褌褨 褋邪屑 写懈褟胁芯谢 褋褌邪褞褌褜 谐械褉芯褟屑懈 褔懈褋谢械薪薪懈褏 褉芯蟹锌芯胁褨写械泄, 胁褨写褔褍褌薪芯 锌褉懈锌褉邪胁谢械薪懈褏 械褉芯褌懈泻芯褞. 袨褌芯卸, 胁褨写泻褉懈泄褌械 写谢褟 褋械斜械 褏懈屑械褉薪懈泄, 褎邪薪褌邪褋褌懈褔薪懈泄, 斜邪褉胁懈褋褌懈泄 褋胁褨褌 褉芯屑邪薪褍 携薪邪 袩芯褌芯褑褜泻芯谐芯.
720 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1847
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About the author
Jan Potocki
67听books105听followersJan Potocki was born into the Potocki family, an aristocratic family, that owned vast estates in Poland. He was educated in Geneva and Lausanne, served twice in the Polish Army as a captain of engineers, and spent some time on a galley as a novice Knight of Malta. He was probably a Freemason and had a strong interest in the occult.
Potocki's colorful life took him across Europe, Asia and North Africa, where he embroiled himself in political intrigues, flirted with secret societies, contributed to the birth of ethnology 鈥� he was one of the first to study the precursors of the Slavic peoples from a linguistic and historical standpoint.
In 1790 he became the first person in Poland to fly in a hot air balloon when he made an ascent over Warsaw with the aeronaut Jean-Pierre Blanchard, an exploit that earned him great public acclaim. He also established in 1788 in Warsaw a publishing house named Drukarnia Wolna (Free Press) as well as the city's first free reading room.
Potocki's wealth enabled him to travel extensively about Europe, the Mediterranean and Asia, visiting Italy, Sicily, Malta, the Netherlands, Germany, France, England, Russia, Turkey, Spain, Tunisia, Morocco, Egypt, and even Mongolia. He was also one of the first travel writers of the modern era, penning lively accounts of many of his journeys, during which he also undertook extensive historical, linguistic and ethnographic studies. As well as his many scholarly and travel writings, he also wrote a play, a series of sketches and a novel.
Potocki married twice and had five children. His first marriage ended in divorce, and both marriages were the subject of scandalous rumors. In 1812, disillusioned and in poor health, he retired to his estate at Uladowka in Podolia, suffering from "melancholia" (which today would probably be diagnosed as depression), and during the last few years of his life he completed his novel.
Potocki committed suicide in December 1815 at the age of 54, though the exact date is uncertain 鈥� possibly November 20, December 2 or December 11. There are also several versions of the circumstances of his death; the best-known story is that he shot himself in the head with a silver bullet 鈥� fashioned from the strawberry-shaped knob of a sugar bowl given to him by his mother 鈥� which he first had blessed by his castle priest. One version of Potocki's suicide suggests that he gradually filed the knob off the lid, a little every morning.
Potocki's most famous work is The Manuscript Found in Saragossa. Originally written in French as Manuscrit trouv茅 脿 Saragosse, it is a frame tale which he wrote to entertain his wife. On account of its rich interlocking structure and telescoping story sequences, the novel has drawn comparisons to such celebrated works as the Decameron and the Arabian Nights.
Potocki's colorful life took him across Europe, Asia and North Africa, where he embroiled himself in political intrigues, flirted with secret societies, contributed to the birth of ethnology 鈥� he was one of the first to study the precursors of the Slavic peoples from a linguistic and historical standpoint.
In 1790 he became the first person in Poland to fly in a hot air balloon when he made an ascent over Warsaw with the aeronaut Jean-Pierre Blanchard, an exploit that earned him great public acclaim. He also established in 1788 in Warsaw a publishing house named Drukarnia Wolna (Free Press) as well as the city's first free reading room.
Potocki's wealth enabled him to travel extensively about Europe, the Mediterranean and Asia, visiting Italy, Sicily, Malta, the Netherlands, Germany, France, England, Russia, Turkey, Spain, Tunisia, Morocco, Egypt, and even Mongolia. He was also one of the first travel writers of the modern era, penning lively accounts of many of his journeys, during which he also undertook extensive historical, linguistic and ethnographic studies. As well as his many scholarly and travel writings, he also wrote a play, a series of sketches and a novel.
Potocki married twice and had five children. His first marriage ended in divorce, and both marriages were the subject of scandalous rumors. In 1812, disillusioned and in poor health, he retired to his estate at Uladowka in Podolia, suffering from "melancholia" (which today would probably be diagnosed as depression), and during the last few years of his life he completed his novel.
Potocki committed suicide in December 1815 at the age of 54, though the exact date is uncertain 鈥� possibly November 20, December 2 or December 11. There are also several versions of the circumstances of his death; the best-known story is that he shot himself in the head with a silver bullet 鈥� fashioned from the strawberry-shaped knob of a sugar bowl given to him by his mother 鈥� which he first had blessed by his castle priest. One version of Potocki's suicide suggests that he gradually filed the knob off the lid, a little every morning.
Potocki's most famous work is The Manuscript Found in Saragossa. Originally written in French as Manuscrit trouv茅 脿 Saragosse, it is a frame tale which he wrote to entertain his wife. On account of its rich interlocking structure and telescoping story sequences, the novel has drawn comparisons to such celebrated works as the Decameron and the Arabian Nights.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 436 reviews
May 8, 2024
The long-gone times when the wilderness was inhabited by bandits, apparitions and evil spirits鈥� The young hero of the novel doesn鈥檛 look for easy ways so he encounters manifestations of the evil power on his every step鈥�
Love intrigues, adventures and affairs鈥� Hermits, Gypsies, cabbalists, villains, beauties, rovers 鈥� everyone sees it as his duty to recount the story of one鈥檚 own life鈥� Tales read in books鈥� Mysterious strangers鈥� And even the Wandering Jew is in a hurry to do his bit鈥�
Collisions of religions and beliefs鈥� Superstitions and philosophies鈥� Theories and misconceptions鈥� Mathematics and metaphysics鈥�
Wanderers live in the world of the roads and they are in touch with infinity.
How can I express in words the horror which filled me then? I was lying below the gibbet of Los Hermanos. The corpses of Zoto鈥檚 two brothers were not hanging from it but were lying on either side of me. I had apparently spent the night with them. I was lying on pieces of rope, fragments of wheels and human remains and the revolting rags which had fallen from them as they had rotted.
Love intrigues, adventures and affairs鈥� Hermits, Gypsies, cabbalists, villains, beauties, rovers 鈥� everyone sees it as his duty to recount the story of one鈥檚 own life鈥� Tales read in books鈥� Mysterious strangers鈥� And even the Wandering Jew is in a hurry to do his bit鈥�
鈥楾he first thing I will recommend to you is not to become attached to any image or emblem, but to strive to grasp the spirit of all such things. Thus, earth represents all that is material, and a god sitting on a lotus leaf floating on mud represents thought, which rests on matter without touching it. This is the emblem your lawgiver used when he said that the spirit of God was borne on the waters.鈥�
Collisions of religions and beliefs鈥� Superstitions and philosophies鈥� Theories and misconceptions鈥� Mathematics and metaphysics鈥�
鈥業 can indicate the infinite, but I cannot comprehend it. Now, if it is the case that I cannot comprehend, cannot express but can only indicate the infinitely great and the infinitely small, how can I express what is simultaneously infinitely great, infinitely intelligent, infinitely good and the creator of all infinities?鈥�
Wanderers live in the world of the roads and they are in touch with infinity.
January 29, 2024
5 馃尀馃尀馃尀馃尀馃尀
Me resulta muy dif铆cil describir esta novela, as铆 que no lo har茅. Solo dir茅 que ha sido una lectura maravillosa, aunque extenuante, y muy at铆pica. Se compone de una serie de relatos g贸ticos envueltos capa bajo capa en tramas y subtramas, que envuelven a las anteriores. Un aut茅ntico laberinto, del que ni puedes, ni quieres salir. Y todo empieza con unos cuadernos que un oficial del ej茅rcito franc茅s encuentra durante el sitio napole贸nico a Zaragoza. Pero esos cuadernos son de un siglo antes, pertenecen a las peripecias de un tal Alfonso Van Worden. Estas peripecias comprenden relatos de demonios, moros, gitanos, inquisidores, cabalistas, escuderos, al mism铆simo Jud铆o Errante, y qu茅 se yo cu谩ntos personajes m谩s que aparecen y desaparecen y se entrelazan. Una locura. Pero una locura de la que no quise salir, ni acabar el libro que me la proporcionaba. Enganche total.
Una de las mejores lecturas de mis 煤ltimos a帽os, que incluye en un solo libro terror g贸tico, novela picaresca, erotismo, relatos morales, todo ello con una calidad extraordinaria. Por si no se me ha entendido, lo repito, calidad EXTRAORDINARIA.
Fue publicada en 1814, en franc茅s, y el autor, el polaco Jan Potocki, se suicid贸 un a帽o despu茅s, pues sufr铆a una profunda depresi贸n, rayando en la locura, que le hac铆a pensar que acabar铆a convirti茅ndose en hombre lobo. 隆Y luego dicen que los genios no est谩n locos! Este lo estaba, pero nos dej贸 una obra inolvidable.
Concluyo. Si consigues conectar con la narraci贸n, y te metes de lleno en el laberinto que Potocki va desplegando, te auguro una lectura de muchos quilates. Pero deber谩s prestarle mucha atenci贸n, porque si desconectas, ya no te vuelves a enganchar. A mi me ha tenido enganchado, amordazado, colgado, drogado, fascinado, y todos los ados que le quer谩is a帽adir. De esos libros que S脥 volver铆as a leer transcurridos unos a帽os. Y que sea lo que dios quiera. Una obra maestra demencial, nunca mejor dicho.
A帽ado rese帽a tras mi segunda relectura. A煤n m谩s genial que la primera, si cabe.
May 12, 2021
DECAMERONE NERO
Il film omonimo del 1965 diretto da Wojciech Has.
Quante storie contiene questo romanzo?
Difficile dirlo.
La prima 猫 quella della sua genesi, che rimane avvolta in una nebbia confusa e misteriosa: fu mai davvero completato o il suicidio del suo autore, il conte polacco Jan Potocki, mise fine bruscamente alla scrittura? Perch茅 pubblicarne una parte e perch茅 scriverlo in francese (in quest鈥檜ltimo caso, data la vita nomade dell鈥檃utore, 猫 da ritenere che il francese all鈥檈poca fosse l鈥檌nglese di oggi, parlato in tutte le corti e da tutte le diplomazie, da est a ovest)? Esiste un testo completo da qualche parte?
La seconda 猫 quella dei plagi, delle copie, delle edizioni originali ma mai intere che spuntano da Leningrado a Parigi.
La terza si potrebbe individuare nella vita stessa dell鈥檃utore, avventurosa, movimentata, ricca di viaggi incontri conoscenze accadimenti. Per quanto relativamente breve (Potocki si spar貌 letteralmente una palla in testa a 54 anni), il conte polacco viaggi貌 in lungo e in largo con soggiorni prolungati in tutta Europa, la riva meridionale del Mediterraneo, la Mongolia e la Cina: fu uomo di conoscenze enciclopediche, erudito, curioso e interessato a tanti aspetti del suo tempo e di quelli antichi, tutti inclusi, dai pi霉 recenti ai pi霉 remoti, progressista, giacobino, illuminista, ma mai rigido, sempre aperto, attratto e affascinato dal misterioso, dal magico, dall鈥檌nsondabile, che oggi probabilmente definiremmo inconscio.
E la quarta 猫 in realt脿 ben pi霉 di una singola storia in quanto questo romanzo, novello Decamerone, novello 鈥淢ille e una notte鈥�, 猫 un gioco di scatole cinese, di storia nella storia, una introduce all鈥檃ltra, come finestre che si spalancano su nuovi paesaggi da cui si esce da un鈥檃ltra finestra per entrare in un altro tutto nuovo, che per貌 ricorda molto il precedente.
S矛 perch茅 la struttura del romanzo (in questa edizione 猫 pubblicata solo la parte certa dell鈥檕riginale, le prime quattordici giornate, in realt脿 quattordici notti, pi霉 alcune storie sciolte, ma collegate, anche se non nella stessa identica struttura, cio猫 non nello stesso manoscritto originale), con la sua reiterazione di situazione e personaggi chiave (due donne, due mogli, due sorelle, due demoni, le quattro cose insieme allo stesso tempo) che di volta in volta si ripetono sempre identiche, riprodotte e moltiplicate, con l鈥檌ntroduzione di leggera variante, a me ha fatto pensare al film Edge of Tomorrow che credevo basato su un romanzo di Philip K. Dick e invece si tratta di un autore che non conosco, Hiroshi Sakurazaka.
Poi, volendo, c鈥櫭� un ulteriore breve storia: quella racchiusa nella corta 鈥榓vvertenza鈥� scritta dallo stesso Potocki che vorrebbe il romanzo traduzione fedele di un manoscritto in spagnolo recuperato accidentalmente durante l鈥檃ssedio di Saragozza.
Il nucleo essenziale 猫 sempre quello degli incontri (e degli amori) di un viaggiatore con due sorelle, che lo attirano nel loro letto comune, talvolta facendo spazio anche alla madre (cos矛 la threesome diventa foursome).
Le due sorelle sono mussulmane, e quindi abituate all鈥檋arem e quindi senza problemi nel condividere lo stesso uomo, senza per questo rinunciare a divertirsi tra loro.
Lo stesso viaggiatore mi pare sia di origine moresca.
Le due donne man mano si rivelano per creature demoniache, se non addirittura entit脿 astrologiche legate alla costellazione dei Gemelli.
C鈥櫭� poi un secondo adattamento basato su questo romanzo, quello italiano intitolato 鈥淎gadah鈥� del 2017, diretto da Alberto Rondalli. Qui, Alessio Boni che recita il ruolo di Pietro Di Oria.
Le duecentocinquanta pagina che confluiscono in questa edizione sono novelle, frutto di sfrenata fantasia, che si incastrano una nell鈥檃ltra, creando quel gioco di scatole cinesi cui accennavo, ma anche formando un labirinto nel quale il lettore si muove incontrando fantasmi, demoni, scheletri, apparizioni, zingari, occultismo, spettri, con gusto nero, gotico, immorale, orrido, macabro, scabroso, ma scritte con stile di elegante asciuttezza, agevole, sobrio e preciso, senza sbavature n茅 eccessi.
Stile a parte, viene in mente E.T.A.Hoffmann.
Sempre 鈥淎gadah鈥�: Caterina Murino nel ruolo della Principessa M. S.
Il film omonimo del 1965 diretto da Wojciech Has.
Quante storie contiene questo romanzo?
Difficile dirlo.
La prima 猫 quella della sua genesi, che rimane avvolta in una nebbia confusa e misteriosa: fu mai davvero completato o il suicidio del suo autore, il conte polacco Jan Potocki, mise fine bruscamente alla scrittura? Perch茅 pubblicarne una parte e perch茅 scriverlo in francese (in quest鈥檜ltimo caso, data la vita nomade dell鈥檃utore, 猫 da ritenere che il francese all鈥檈poca fosse l鈥檌nglese di oggi, parlato in tutte le corti e da tutte le diplomazie, da est a ovest)? Esiste un testo completo da qualche parte?
La seconda 猫 quella dei plagi, delle copie, delle edizioni originali ma mai intere che spuntano da Leningrado a Parigi.
La terza si potrebbe individuare nella vita stessa dell鈥檃utore, avventurosa, movimentata, ricca di viaggi incontri conoscenze accadimenti. Per quanto relativamente breve (Potocki si spar貌 letteralmente una palla in testa a 54 anni), il conte polacco viaggi貌 in lungo e in largo con soggiorni prolungati in tutta Europa, la riva meridionale del Mediterraneo, la Mongolia e la Cina: fu uomo di conoscenze enciclopediche, erudito, curioso e interessato a tanti aspetti del suo tempo e di quelli antichi, tutti inclusi, dai pi霉 recenti ai pi霉 remoti, progressista, giacobino, illuminista, ma mai rigido, sempre aperto, attratto e affascinato dal misterioso, dal magico, dall鈥檌nsondabile, che oggi probabilmente definiremmo inconscio.
E la quarta 猫 in realt脿 ben pi霉 di una singola storia in quanto questo romanzo, novello Decamerone, novello 鈥淢ille e una notte鈥�, 猫 un gioco di scatole cinese, di storia nella storia, una introduce all鈥檃ltra, come finestre che si spalancano su nuovi paesaggi da cui si esce da un鈥檃ltra finestra per entrare in un altro tutto nuovo, che per貌 ricorda molto il precedente.
S矛 perch茅 la struttura del romanzo (in questa edizione 猫 pubblicata solo la parte certa dell鈥檕riginale, le prime quattordici giornate, in realt脿 quattordici notti, pi霉 alcune storie sciolte, ma collegate, anche se non nella stessa identica struttura, cio猫 non nello stesso manoscritto originale), con la sua reiterazione di situazione e personaggi chiave (due donne, due mogli, due sorelle, due demoni, le quattro cose insieme allo stesso tempo) che di volta in volta si ripetono sempre identiche, riprodotte e moltiplicate, con l鈥檌ntroduzione di leggera variante, a me ha fatto pensare al film Edge of Tomorrow che credevo basato su un romanzo di Philip K. Dick e invece si tratta di un autore che non conosco, Hiroshi Sakurazaka.
Poi, volendo, c鈥櫭� un ulteriore breve storia: quella racchiusa nella corta 鈥榓vvertenza鈥� scritta dallo stesso Potocki che vorrebbe il romanzo traduzione fedele di un manoscritto in spagnolo recuperato accidentalmente durante l鈥檃ssedio di Saragozza.
Il nucleo essenziale 猫 sempre quello degli incontri (e degli amori) di un viaggiatore con due sorelle, che lo attirano nel loro letto comune, talvolta facendo spazio anche alla madre (cos矛 la threesome diventa foursome).
Le due sorelle sono mussulmane, e quindi abituate all鈥檋arem e quindi senza problemi nel condividere lo stesso uomo, senza per questo rinunciare a divertirsi tra loro.
Lo stesso viaggiatore mi pare sia di origine moresca.
Le due donne man mano si rivelano per creature demoniache, se non addirittura entit脿 astrologiche legate alla costellazione dei Gemelli.
C鈥櫭� poi un secondo adattamento basato su questo romanzo, quello italiano intitolato 鈥淎gadah鈥� del 2017, diretto da Alberto Rondalli. Qui, Alessio Boni che recita il ruolo di Pietro Di Oria.
Le duecentocinquanta pagina che confluiscono in questa edizione sono novelle, frutto di sfrenata fantasia, che si incastrano una nell鈥檃ltra, creando quel gioco di scatole cinesi cui accennavo, ma anche formando un labirinto nel quale il lettore si muove incontrando fantasmi, demoni, scheletri, apparizioni, zingari, occultismo, spettri, con gusto nero, gotico, immorale, orrido, macabro, scabroso, ma scritte con stile di elegante asciuttezza, agevole, sobrio e preciso, senza sbavature n茅 eccessi.
Stile a parte, viene in mente E.T.A.Hoffmann.
Sempre 鈥淎gadah鈥�: Caterina Murino nel ruolo della Principessa M. S.
January 31, 2018
Unlike many so called classic texts I have read this one doesn't seem to have dated much. At least not in its first half. The writing is thought by scholars to have begun about 1809. As says in an attached blurb "...it reads like the most brilliant modern novel." I think that might be an effect of the recent English translation offered here that seems to give the text such a contemporary feel, like a modern-day historic novel.
The premise is that in the 1760s a Walloon officer named Alphonse (commissioned by Philip V) while traveling on leave in Andalucia, for centuries an Islamic land until the Reconquista, finds himself skirting a realm of ghosts, phantoms, specters, kindly bandits, storytelling gypsies and cabbalists. Because he does not at first succumb to the erotic offerings of these creatures--he has a very obnoxious sense of personal honor--he is able to preserve enough presence of mind to chronicle the many weird goings on.
The book is full of the so called Magic Realism used by and Rushdie himself. There are stories nested within stories nested within stories. The narrative is very straightforward. The characters wake up, go out, have dinner, come home, have sex, go to sleep, get up in the morning, and so on, and all of this action occurs during the briefest passages of text. There is the sense of the action moving full-tilt, almost out of control, but never really. It is only the impression created by the author's highly compressed style.
Among the treats offered by the narrative are vast underground hideouts carved out of the stone, sun-scorched landscapes 脿 la , convincing erotic encounters between men and women, abrupt murders, sometimes by the score. At a haunted inn phantoms show up at the stroke of midnight, though it is not known from whence the tolling comes. A motif of two men hanged on a gibbet, supposedly brothers of the bandit Zoto, who tells his story here, recurs throughout the early pages. At night the men leave the gibbet and get into mischief.
There are strange elixirs to be drunk, seeming transportations through time and space, usually during a dream. On the whole the book is a kind of onieric wonderland where men are men and women are women of a thankfully extinct old school, except when they're murdering succubi who only wish to eat young men because of the wonderful effect their blood has on the demonic constitution.
Then the Walloon officer succumbs, as he must, to the charms of the two Muslim women, who from the start have told him they are his cousins. A man who watches their erotic encounter sees only Alphonse sexually intimate with the two hanged men. From then on Alphonse seems to take some leave of his senses and is never sure if those Muslim women are his cousins / defacto wives or not. He sees them here in a pair of gypsy sisters, there in two women walking in the desert, but again it's not them. Later, he casts caution to the wind when he goes to meet them in an underground chambre d'amour. Who can blame him? It's either go insane or enjoy great if perhaps demonic sex with hot sisters!
In the meantime the gypsy leader tells his story, the geometer or mathematician tells his, the Wandering Jew tells his, the two Muslim "cousins" tell theirs, the male cabbalist tells his, the female cabbalist tells hers, and so on. All of the characters seek to tell stories that seem realistically within their realm of competence/experience. It is only the geometer's tale that seems to falter in the mid to late stages. One gets the impression that author Potocki had committed himself to a line of disquisition that he could not sustain. An astonishing novel of enormous complexity that is nevertheless highly readable, even difficult to put aside when sleep calls. Please read it.
PS. Some time later I began reading Matthew G. Lewis's Gothic horror novel, . It seems a likely model for Potocki.
The premise is that in the 1760s a Walloon officer named Alphonse (commissioned by Philip V) while traveling on leave in Andalucia, for centuries an Islamic land until the Reconquista, finds himself skirting a realm of ghosts, phantoms, specters, kindly bandits, storytelling gypsies and cabbalists. Because he does not at first succumb to the erotic offerings of these creatures--he has a very obnoxious sense of personal honor--he is able to preserve enough presence of mind to chronicle the many weird goings on.
The book is full of the so called Magic Realism used by and Rushdie himself. There are stories nested within stories nested within stories. The narrative is very straightforward. The characters wake up, go out, have dinner, come home, have sex, go to sleep, get up in the morning, and so on, and all of this action occurs during the briefest passages of text. There is the sense of the action moving full-tilt, almost out of control, but never really. It is only the impression created by the author's highly compressed style.
Among the treats offered by the narrative are vast underground hideouts carved out of the stone, sun-scorched landscapes 脿 la , convincing erotic encounters between men and women, abrupt murders, sometimes by the score. At a haunted inn phantoms show up at the stroke of midnight, though it is not known from whence the tolling comes. A motif of two men hanged on a gibbet, supposedly brothers of the bandit Zoto, who tells his story here, recurs throughout the early pages. At night the men leave the gibbet and get into mischief.
There are strange elixirs to be drunk, seeming transportations through time and space, usually during a dream. On the whole the book is a kind of onieric wonderland where men are men and women are women of a thankfully extinct old school, except when they're murdering succubi who only wish to eat young men because of the wonderful effect their blood has on the demonic constitution.
Then the Walloon officer succumbs, as he must, to the charms of the two Muslim women, who from the start have told him they are his cousins. A man who watches their erotic encounter sees only Alphonse sexually intimate with the two hanged men. From then on Alphonse seems to take some leave of his senses and is never sure if those Muslim women are his cousins / defacto wives or not. He sees them here in a pair of gypsy sisters, there in two women walking in the desert, but again it's not them. Later, he casts caution to the wind when he goes to meet them in an underground chambre d'amour. Who can blame him? It's either go insane or enjoy great if perhaps demonic sex with hot sisters!
In the meantime the gypsy leader tells his story, the geometer or mathematician tells his, the Wandering Jew tells his, the two Muslim "cousins" tell theirs, the male cabbalist tells his, the female cabbalist tells hers, and so on. All of the characters seek to tell stories that seem realistically within their realm of competence/experience. It is only the geometer's tale that seems to falter in the mid to late stages. One gets the impression that author Potocki had committed himself to a line of disquisition that he could not sustain. An astonishing novel of enormous complexity that is nevertheless highly readable, even difficult to put aside when sleep calls. Please read it.
PS. Some time later I began reading Matthew G. Lewis's Gothic horror novel, . It seems a likely model for Potocki.
September 25, 2018
Novel in the novel, story of a story in a story told by a story of a story... Very enigmatic and trendy, or rather was both of these in the 19th century. As it is, engrossing to the maximum.
Read
September 8, 2019I think I read this back in student days, I only think and with out certainty not for the usual reasons, but on account of the extreme unlikeness of what I recall, a Gothic Arabian nights with a framing narrative of the discovery of the eponymous manuscript by a traveller in Spain (a soldier from Belgium), which unleashes a continual plunging into stories, bizarre and convoluted, written by a Pole in French . It all sounds a little too unlikely to be true, and yet apparently it exists. If life isn't a dream then perhaps is is the unfurling of nested narratives, each knock on the door heralding not escape but immersion into further stories.
Indeed the more I think about it, the less possible it seems that such a devilish book would actually exist, perhaps I just found some old thing in the back rooms of the library and then dreamt the whole thing?
Indeed the more I think about it, the less possible it seems that such a devilish book would actually exist, perhaps I just found some old thing in the back rooms of the library and then dreamt the whole thing?
January 19, 2019
And swaggering in at a lithe 630 pages, middleweight champion of Eastern Europe, known as the Polish Decameron, blast them vuvuzelas for The Manuscript Found in Saragossa, a Spanish picaresque novel written in French by a polymathic aristocrat and suicide. Across sixty-six nights, Walloon officer Alphonse resists the erotic lure of Islamic conversion in the form of two Islamic temptresses, and listens to a series of yarns-within-yarns-within-yarns, from such eccentrics as the geometer Vel谩squez, with his algebraic equations on love and religion, the Gypsy Chief, with his long misadventures involving a meddlesome squire Busqueros (an inverse Sancho Panza), and the Wandering Jew, a rather boring man prone to retelling old biblical tales. The novel is an epic monster, a monument to classic and timeless storytelling that happily shares a plinth with The Arabian Nights for sheer logorrheic magnificence.
July 25, 2018
One of my top 10 novels! Stories within stories, full of magic and 18th century Spain in the background.
January 17, 2021
Introduction
Translator's Note
A Note on the Geographical Location
Glossary
A Guide to the Stories
--The Manuscript Found in Saragossa
Translator's Note
A Note on the Geographical Location
Glossary
A Guide to the Stories
--The Manuscript Found in Saragossa
September 21, 2010
Am I allowed to fully love a book I have never finished? A twisting gothic story cycle of tales within tales(and then within tales again) Kind of an updating of 1001 arabian nights and Dante's Divine Comedy(or the Decameron or Canterbery tales)for the age of reason(?!)Filled with ghoulish horror and lots of duels, weird intrigue, kabbalah, ghosts, hidden treasures, and lots of stories. If you are a fan of Milorad Pavic's Dictionary of the Khazars, Isak Dinesen's Seven Gothic Tales, Robert Irwin's Arabian Nightmare, Calvino, Borges, Pamuk's Black Book, John Barth's Sotweed Factor, and Edward Whittemore you owe yourself a trip into this dark tangle of a novel, now I should get around to finishing it. Potocki is interesting also. One of the first aeronauts and also for killing himself with a silver bullet
November 22, 2020
Incarnation de la pile 脿 lire !
Cabezas en un paisaje, New York, collection Stanley Moss - Francisco 闯辞蝉茅 de Goya (entre 1819 et 1823)
C'est l'histoire d'Alphonse Van Worden, un jeune aspirant aux Gardes wallonnes qui fait route vers Madrid pour obtenir le titre convoit茅 et qui croise sur sa route, qui passe par la sinistre Sierra Morena, quantit茅 de personnages et de prodiges. Son histoire se croise alors avec une myriade d'autres histoires et prend la forme d'un v茅ritable roman polyphonique, et l'un des plus aboutis que j'aie lus jusqu'ici.
La reproduction interdite - Ren茅 Magritte (1937)
Cette 茅dition, fond茅e sur la totalit茅 des sources accessibles , se propose de restituer une forme int茅grale du texte de Jan Potocki dans sa langue originale. C'est un tr茅sor.
Portrait de Jean Potocki - attribu茅 脿 Francisco 闯辞蝉茅 de Goya (1791),
Varsovie, collection Marek et Charlotte Potocki
Les th猫mes majeurs :
- R茅cits ench芒ss茅s, mise en ab卯me de l'histoire cont茅e.
- Les intrigues souterraines et les souterrains, la filiation, les myst猫res, l'amour 脿 parfum incestueux, la passion inassouvie, le simulacre, la feinte, le travestissement, l'茅change de r么les, la confusion des identit茅s : bandits d'honneur, princes perfides, vivants pass茅s pour morts, sosies, la fluidit茅 de l'identit茅 : le chef des boh茅miens change de m茅tier, de religion, de personnalit茅 脿 de nombreuses reprises.
- Une histoire complexe et multiforme dans un Empire espagnol complexe et multiforme, sous la Maison des Habsbourg.
- Territoires de l'Espagne des Habsbourg dans le monde en 1598
- Dans ce livre, l'histoire est son propre moteur : une histoire en entra卯ne une autre, qui 脿 son tour demande une autre histoire pour s'茅claircir. Les histoires se recoupent les unes les autres, se refl猫tent, les situations se font 茅cho, les auditeurs et les raconteurs en sont les personnages 脿 un moment ou 脿 un autre, 脿 tour de r么le, ensemble.
- L'influence des mythes sur l'interpr茅tation du monde, interpr茅tation qui donne naissance alors 脿 autant de mythes. Voyage dans le temps, dans l'espace, et hors d'eux, dans le cadre du mythe.
Cisnes reflejando elefantes - Salvador Dal铆 (1937)
LIVRES COUSINS :
- Fictions 脿 tiroirs, m茅tafictions :
- R茅cits initiatiques, ambivalence du monde :
- Fictions fantastiques :
- Romans polyphoniques :
Ressources :
Le site
Site qui tient 脿 jour l鈥檃ctualit茅 des recherches sur le comte polonais.
TROUPE ITIN脡RANTE :
Cabezas en un paisaje, New York, collection Stanley Moss - Francisco 闯辞蝉茅 de Goya (entre 1819 et 1823)
C'est l'histoire d'Alphonse Van Worden, un jeune aspirant aux Gardes wallonnes qui fait route vers Madrid pour obtenir le titre convoit茅 et qui croise sur sa route, qui passe par la sinistre Sierra Morena, quantit茅 de personnages et de prodiges. Son histoire se croise alors avec une myriade d'autres histoires et prend la forme d'un v茅ritable roman polyphonique, et l'un des plus aboutis que j'aie lus jusqu'ici.
La reproduction interdite - Ren茅 Magritte (1937)
Cette 茅dition, fond茅e sur la totalit茅 des sources accessibles , se propose de restituer une forme int茅grale du texte de Jan Potocki dans sa langue originale. C'est un tr茅sor.
Portrait de Jean Potocki - attribu茅 脿 Francisco 闯辞蝉茅 de Goya (1791),
Varsovie, collection Marek et Charlotte Potocki
Les th猫mes majeurs :
- R茅cits ench芒ss茅s, mise en ab卯me de l'histoire cont茅e.
- Les intrigues souterraines et les souterrains, la filiation, les myst猫res, l'amour 脿 parfum incestueux, la passion inassouvie, le simulacre, la feinte, le travestissement, l'茅change de r么les, la confusion des identit茅s : bandits d'honneur, princes perfides, vivants pass茅s pour morts, sosies, la fluidit茅 de l'identit茅 : le chef des boh茅miens change de m茅tier, de religion, de personnalit茅 脿 de nombreuses reprises.
- Une histoire complexe et multiforme dans un Empire espagnol complexe et multiforme, sous la Maison des Habsbourg.
- Territoires de l'Espagne des Habsbourg dans le monde en 1598
- Dans ce livre, l'histoire est son propre moteur : une histoire en entra卯ne une autre, qui 脿 son tour demande une autre histoire pour s'茅claircir. Les histoires se recoupent les unes les autres, se refl猫tent, les situations se font 茅cho, les auditeurs et les raconteurs en sont les personnages 脿 un moment ou 脿 un autre, 脿 tour de r么le, ensemble.
- L'influence des mythes sur l'interpr茅tation du monde, interpr茅tation qui donne naissance alors 脿 autant de mythes. Voyage dans le temps, dans l'espace, et hors d'eux, dans le cadre du mythe.
Cisnes reflejando elefantes - Salvador Dal铆 (1937)
LIVRES COUSINS :
- Fictions 脿 tiroirs, m茅tafictions :
- R茅cits initiatiques, ambivalence du monde :
- Fictions fantastiques :
- Romans polyphoniques :
Ressources :
Le site
Site qui tient 脿 jour l鈥檃ctualit茅 des recherches sur le comte polonais.
TROUPE ITIN脡RANTE :
February 8, 2018
First things first: do NOT read anything that gives away spoilers about this book because, in my opinion, it will completely wreck the reading experience. This book channels down to an ending that should not be revealed at all, and you really will do yourself a disservice by knowing it ahead of time.
Believe it or not, the moment I turned the last page I wanted to read this book again. Given its 600-plus pages, that says a lot, and I ended up not rereading it, but I very easily could have. I loved this book and I loved the people in it, but I spent most of the time in awe of the author's imagination.
I will say right up front that this book will not be for everyone. It can be incredibly challenging because of the way it is written as a set of stories within stories within stories, which are often stopped and picked up again later rather than just finished at once, which in a couple of cases may require some backtracking. Reader expectations also play a role here. For example, I was reading Amazon reviews and came across one from a very disappointed reader who said that he was upset because he'd started this book with the expectation of a "fantasy work" but instead ended up with literary fiction. No comment on that one, but my point is that it's best to just go into it without any preconceived notions, because really, there's so much going on between these covers and so many different literary styles used here that to give it any sort of label would just flat out be folly. As the back cover blurb says, it's "entertainment on an epic scale," and really, that's how I'd approach it. In short, relax and go with the flow and you will be rewarded.
The nature of this novel is such that I can't give out much detail, but the back-cover blurb also reveals that these tales consist partly of "characters transformed through disguise, magic and illusion," and that idea, more than any other, plays out over and over again throughout this book. One such story made me laugh out loud, but there are spots of humor everywhere. And there's so much more, including arcane and esoteric lore, demons, ghosts, political intrigue, Satan himself, and the Holy Inquisition, and there is not a dull moment to be had in this book.
I loved it -- others may not share my experience, but it's one of those rare books that left me with a sense of loss after finishing it, knowing I'd come to the end. Each and every second with this book was just pure reading bliss.
Believe it or not, the moment I turned the last page I wanted to read this book again. Given its 600-plus pages, that says a lot, and I ended up not rereading it, but I very easily could have. I loved this book and I loved the people in it, but I spent most of the time in awe of the author's imagination.
I will say right up front that this book will not be for everyone. It can be incredibly challenging because of the way it is written as a set of stories within stories within stories, which are often stopped and picked up again later rather than just finished at once, which in a couple of cases may require some backtracking. Reader expectations also play a role here. For example, I was reading Amazon reviews and came across one from a very disappointed reader who said that he was upset because he'd started this book with the expectation of a "fantasy work" but instead ended up with literary fiction. No comment on that one, but my point is that it's best to just go into it without any preconceived notions, because really, there's so much going on between these covers and so many different literary styles used here that to give it any sort of label would just flat out be folly. As the back cover blurb says, it's "entertainment on an epic scale," and really, that's how I'd approach it. In short, relax and go with the flow and you will be rewarded.
The nature of this novel is such that I can't give out much detail, but the back-cover blurb also reveals that these tales consist partly of "characters transformed through disguise, magic and illusion," and that idea, more than any other, plays out over and over again throughout this book. One such story made me laugh out loud, but there are spots of humor everywhere. And there's so much more, including arcane and esoteric lore, demons, ghosts, political intrigue, Satan himself, and the Holy Inquisition, and there is not a dull moment to be had in this book.
I loved it -- others may not share my experience, but it's one of those rare books that left me with a sense of loss after finishing it, knowing I'd come to the end. Each and every second with this book was just pure reading bliss.
November 27, 2017
螘谓未喂伪蠁苇蟻慰谓 尾喂尾位委慰, 渭蔚 蟺慰位位苇蟼 蟺位畏蟻慰蠁慰蟻委蔚蟼 魏伪喂 蟽蠂蔚蟿喂魏维 蟺蟻蠅蟿蠈蟿蠀蟺畏 蟺位慰魏畏. 螌螠惟危!!
螣喂 蟺慰位位苇蟼 魏伪喂 蔚纬魏喂尾蠅蟿喂蟽渭苇谓蔚蟼 喂蟽蟿慰蟻委蔚蟼 魏伪喂 蟿伪 蟺慰位位维 慰谓蠈渭伪蟿伪 渭维位位慰谓 位蔚喂蟿慰蠉蟻纬畏蟽伪谓 伪蟺慰蟿蟻蔚蟺蟿喂魏维 蟽蟿慰 谓伪 未蔚胃蠋 渭蔚 魏维蟺慰喂慰谓 蠂伪蟻伪魏蟿萎蟻伪, 慰蟺蠈蟿蔚 蟿慰 尾喂尾位委慰 魏蠉位畏蟽蔚 渭维位位慰谓 伪未喂维蠁慰蟻伪 魏伪喂 蟿慰 蟿苇位慰蟼 未蔚谓 渭蔚 蟽蠀纬魏委谓畏蟽蔚...
螔蟻萎魏伪 蠈渭蠅蟼 蔚谓未喂伪蠁苇蟻慰蠀蟽伪 蟿畏谓 喂蟽蟿慰蟻委伪 蟿慰蠀 螤蔚蟻喂蟺位伪谓蠋渭蔚谓慰蠀 螜慰蠀未伪委慰蠀 魏伪喂 渭慰蠀 维蟻蔚蟽蔚 慰 渭蠀蟽蟿喂魏喂蟽渭蠈蟼 蟺慰蠀 蟿畏谓 蟺蔚蟻喂苇尾伪位蔚!
螌蟽慰喂 位慰喂蟺蠈谓 伪蟺慰蠁伪蟽委蟽蔚蟿蔚 谓伪 蟿慰 未喂伪尾维蟽蔚蟿蔚 慰蟺位喂蟽蟿蔚委蟿蔚 渭蔚 蠀蟺慰渭慰谓萎 未喂蠈蟿喂 胃伪 尾蟻蔚委蟿蔚 维蟺蔚喂蟻蔚蟼 蟺位畏蟻慰蠁慰蟻委蔚蟼 纬喂伪 胃蟻畏蟽魏蔚委蔚蟼, 伪蟺慰魏蟻蠀蠁喂蟽渭蠈, 喂蟽蟿慰蟻委伪, 渭伪胃畏渭伪蟿喂魏维, 蠁蠀蟽喂魏萎, 伪蟽蟿蟻慰位慰纬委伪 魏伪喂 蟺维蔚喂 位苇纬慰谓蟿伪蟼...
违螕1: 螘魏未蠈蟽蔚喂蟼 唯蠀蠂慰纬喂蠈蟼 魏伪喂 纬蟻伪渭渭伪蟿慰蟽蔚喂蟻维... 螆位蔚慰蟼 蟺喂伪! 韦慰 委未喂慰 渭苇纬蔚胃慰蟼 魏伪喂 蟿慰 委未喂慰 蟽蟿蠀位 蟽蔚 蠈位伪 蟿伪 尾喂尾位委伪. 韦喂 未喂伪尾维味蔚喂蟼 螠伪谓蟿维 蟿喂 螤慰蟿蠈蟿蟽魏喂 苇谓伪 魏伪喂 蟿慰 伪蠀蟿蠈... 螁魏蟻蠅蟼 蔚魏谓蔚蠀蟻喂蟽蟿喂魏蠈!
违螕2: 螘魏未蠈蟽蔚喂蟼 唯蠀蠂慰纬喂蠈蟼 魏伪喂 渭蔚蟿维蠁蟻伪蟽畏... 螒蟺蠈 蟿慰谓 蟿委蟿位慰 魏伪喂 渭蠈谓慰 魏伪蟿伪位伪尾伪委谓蔚喂 魏伪谓蔚委蟼 蟿喂 纬委谓蔚蟿伪喂. 韦慰 围蔚喂蟻蠈纬蟻伪蠁慰 蟿畏蟼 危伪蟻伪纬蠈蟽伪! 螛伪 渭蟺慰蟻慰蠉蟽蔚 谓伪 萎蟿伪谓 未位未 蟿畏蟼 危蔚尾委位位畏, 蟿慰蠀 螞慰谓未委谓慰, 蟿畏蟼 螤蟻伪纬伪蝿, 蟿畏蟼 螔慰蠀未伪蟺苇蟽蟿畏;; 螘魏蔚委 蟽蟿慰谓 唯蠀蠂慰纬喂蠈 伪魏慰蠉蟿蔚; 韦伪 慰谓蠈渭伪蟿伪 魏位委谓慰谓蟿伪喂!!
违螕3: 韦慰 尾喂尾位委慰 蟿慰 蠂维蟻喂蟽伪 萎未畏 蟽蔚 魏维蟺慰喂慰谓 蟺慰蠀 蟿慰 苇蠄伪蠂谓蔚...
螣喂 蟺慰位位苇蟼 魏伪喂 蔚纬魏喂尾蠅蟿喂蟽渭苇谓蔚蟼 喂蟽蟿慰蟻委蔚蟼 魏伪喂 蟿伪 蟺慰位位维 慰谓蠈渭伪蟿伪 渭维位位慰谓 位蔚喂蟿慰蠉蟻纬畏蟽伪谓 伪蟺慰蟿蟻蔚蟺蟿喂魏维 蟽蟿慰 谓伪 未蔚胃蠋 渭蔚 魏维蟺慰喂慰谓 蠂伪蟻伪魏蟿萎蟻伪, 慰蟺蠈蟿蔚 蟿慰 尾喂尾位委慰 魏蠉位畏蟽蔚 渭维位位慰谓 伪未喂维蠁慰蟻伪 魏伪喂 蟿慰 蟿苇位慰蟼 未蔚谓 渭蔚 蟽蠀纬魏委谓畏蟽蔚...
螔蟻萎魏伪 蠈渭蠅蟼 蔚谓未喂伪蠁苇蟻慰蠀蟽伪 蟿畏谓 喂蟽蟿慰蟻委伪 蟿慰蠀 螤蔚蟻喂蟺位伪谓蠋渭蔚谓慰蠀 螜慰蠀未伪委慰蠀 魏伪喂 渭慰蠀 维蟻蔚蟽蔚 慰 渭蠀蟽蟿喂魏喂蟽渭蠈蟼 蟺慰蠀 蟿畏谓 蟺蔚蟻喂苇尾伪位蔚!
螌蟽慰喂 位慰喂蟺蠈谓 伪蟺慰蠁伪蟽委蟽蔚蟿蔚 谓伪 蟿慰 未喂伪尾维蟽蔚蟿蔚 慰蟺位喂蟽蟿蔚委蟿蔚 渭蔚 蠀蟺慰渭慰谓萎 未喂蠈蟿喂 胃伪 尾蟻蔚委蟿蔚 维蟺蔚喂蟻蔚蟼 蟺位畏蟻慰蠁慰蟻委蔚蟼 纬喂伪 胃蟻畏蟽魏蔚委蔚蟼, 伪蟺慰魏蟻蠀蠁喂蟽渭蠈, 喂蟽蟿慰蟻委伪, 渭伪胃畏渭伪蟿喂魏维, 蠁蠀蟽喂魏萎, 伪蟽蟿蟻慰位慰纬委伪 魏伪喂 蟺维蔚喂 位苇纬慰谓蟿伪蟼...
违螕1: 螘魏未蠈蟽蔚喂蟼 唯蠀蠂慰纬喂蠈蟼 魏伪喂 纬蟻伪渭渭伪蟿慰蟽蔚喂蟻维... 螆位蔚慰蟼 蟺喂伪! 韦慰 委未喂慰 渭苇纬蔚胃慰蟼 魏伪喂 蟿慰 委未喂慰 蟽蟿蠀位 蟽蔚 蠈位伪 蟿伪 尾喂尾位委伪. 韦喂 未喂伪尾维味蔚喂蟼 螠伪谓蟿维 蟿喂 螤慰蟿蠈蟿蟽魏喂 苇谓伪 魏伪喂 蟿慰 伪蠀蟿蠈... 螁魏蟻蠅蟼 蔚魏谓蔚蠀蟻喂蟽蟿喂魏蠈!
违螕2: 螘魏未蠈蟽蔚喂蟼 唯蠀蠂慰纬喂蠈蟼 魏伪喂 渭蔚蟿维蠁蟻伪蟽畏... 螒蟺蠈 蟿慰谓 蟿委蟿位慰 魏伪喂 渭蠈谓慰 魏伪蟿伪位伪尾伪委谓蔚喂 魏伪谓蔚委蟼 蟿喂 纬委谓蔚蟿伪喂. 韦慰 围蔚喂蟻蠈纬蟻伪蠁慰 蟿畏蟼 危伪蟻伪纬蠈蟽伪! 螛伪 渭蟺慰蟻慰蠉蟽蔚 谓伪 萎蟿伪谓 未位未 蟿畏蟼 危蔚尾委位位畏, 蟿慰蠀 螞慰谓未委谓慰, 蟿畏蟼 螤蟻伪纬伪蝿, 蟿畏蟼 螔慰蠀未伪蟺苇蟽蟿畏;; 螘魏蔚委 蟽蟿慰谓 唯蠀蠂慰纬喂蠈 伪魏慰蠉蟿蔚; 韦伪 慰谓蠈渭伪蟿伪 魏位委谓慰谓蟿伪喂!!
违螕3: 韦慰 尾喂尾位委慰 蟿慰 蠂维蟻喂蟽伪 萎未畏 蟽蔚 魏维蟺慰喂慰谓 蟺慰蠀 蟿慰 苇蠄伪蠂谓蔚...
January 26, 2020
El 煤ltimo destello del Siglo de las Luces. Obra laber铆ntica, es una delicia perderse en sus recodos.
May 3, 2011
Potocki brought a little bit of everything to this book of tales within tales within tales: gothic horror, bildungsroman, swashbuckling adventure, picaresque reminiscent of the great Lazarillo de Tormes, philosophical and theological exposition, libertine erotica, political intrigue, travelogue鈥攊n other words, a true olla podrida of styles, narrated in an arch, dry, and ultra-witty voice that has been admirably delivered from the French original by the English scholar Ian Maclean. The Manuscript Found in Saragossa, discovered by a French officer during the Napoleonic seizure of the eponymous city, is ostensibly the diary recorded鈥攐ver the course of sixty-six story-filled days鈥攂y Alphonse van Worden, a young Walloon officer on his way to Madrid to join an elite regiment of the Spanish monarch. Honour-bound to make his way through the wild, rugged, and ominous Sierra Morena鈥攁 range home to fearsome bandits, gypsies, Moorish refugees, and, portentously, evil spirits and demons in service to the Archfiend鈥攖he straight-laced Alphonse, deserted by his frightened servants, determinedly lodges himself in an abandoned, haunted hostelry close to a ghastly public gallows鈥�Los Hermanos鈥攆rom which dangle the hideously disfigured bodies of two local sibling bandits. From this fateful decision the young caballero will find himself spending the next sixty-six days being regaled, tested, tempted, and discomfited by a parade of characters and entities that he encounters as he journeys through the shadowy vales and gnarled peaks of northern Andalusia; ranging from a pair of lascivious muslim sisters/succubi, to a one-eyed, emaciated automaton whose mind has been claimed by the mountain's madnesses, to the Geometer Vel谩squez, whose quiet and decent autodidact father鈥攁 man robbed of his dukedom and his soulmate by his eloquent and cunning Frenchified brother鈥攑rovides what is perhaps the most moving and resplendent of the novel's many monologues.
This is an immensely entertaining and thoroughly readable book. It becomes apparent that Potocki must have originally planned TMFIS to lean more towards the gothic horror stylings of works such as The Monk, only to subsequently steer his literary vessel away from such benighted waters and into the brighter streams of enlightenment naturalism, philosophical speculation and roguish adventure. Although this does not detract from the superb quality of Potocki's writing, it does, in my opinion, cause the story to lose some of its wonderful sense of mystery and eeriness. This transformation occurs around the time of the appearance of the verbose Gypsy chieftain鈥攁 central figure to the stories, one who functions as a hub around which the other tales encircle and entwine. The accumulation of stories range from the Old World to the New, from the ancient realm which witnessed the birth of Abraham through to the first half of the eighteenth century, though a majority of the action takes place in a beautifully and majestically rendered Spain in the waning days of the Habsburg dynasty. The way that characters and plot-lines in the various tales interact with and encounter each other鈥攇uided by the mischievous hand of coincidence and the stentorian hand of fate鈥攑roves eminently enjoyable for the reader; and the breathless declarations of love, the amorous encounters, the dashing swordplay, cunning intrigues, faithless abandonments, and devilish temptations鈥攐ften pitting stoic and taciturn Spaniards against their more emotional European brethren鈥攔ush the reader headlong through the sixty-six days of historic, apocryphal, and cryptic reminiscences.
In the introduction, Maclean acknowledges that several critics have complained about the ending that Potocki fashioned, about the sense of letdown in the author's method of tying up all of the various story lines and loose threads. Indeed, Potocki had written different, and differing, drafts of several of the daily chapters, and it is still debated whether the current edition represents the definitive assemblage of the Polish polymath's imaginative fiction. However, such complaints overlook the sheer readability of The Manuscript. Surrounded as I am by bookshelves, every wall bearing tomes that haunt me with the knowledge that, were I to live two lives, I might not make it through all of them, I often found myself tempted to abandon this collection of tall-tales to move on to more meaty fare; and yet, after telling myself I would partake of just one more story, I would inevitably get drawn in, held rapt while the hours whistled by and another week in textual time had passed鈥攈ours in which not the slightest trace of boredom could insert itself into page after page of crackling, razor-honed wit. That, to me, is the ultimate testament to an author's greatness: when he has drawn you once within his literary bear hug, you cannot resist the continual desire to go back for another until that melancholy moment arrives when there are no more embraces left for him to give.
This is an immensely entertaining and thoroughly readable book. It becomes apparent that Potocki must have originally planned TMFIS to lean more towards the gothic horror stylings of works such as The Monk, only to subsequently steer his literary vessel away from such benighted waters and into the brighter streams of enlightenment naturalism, philosophical speculation and roguish adventure. Although this does not detract from the superb quality of Potocki's writing, it does, in my opinion, cause the story to lose some of its wonderful sense of mystery and eeriness. This transformation occurs around the time of the appearance of the verbose Gypsy chieftain鈥攁 central figure to the stories, one who functions as a hub around which the other tales encircle and entwine. The accumulation of stories range from the Old World to the New, from the ancient realm which witnessed the birth of Abraham through to the first half of the eighteenth century, though a majority of the action takes place in a beautifully and majestically rendered Spain in the waning days of the Habsburg dynasty. The way that characters and plot-lines in the various tales interact with and encounter each other鈥攇uided by the mischievous hand of coincidence and the stentorian hand of fate鈥攑roves eminently enjoyable for the reader; and the breathless declarations of love, the amorous encounters, the dashing swordplay, cunning intrigues, faithless abandonments, and devilish temptations鈥攐ften pitting stoic and taciturn Spaniards against their more emotional European brethren鈥攔ush the reader headlong through the sixty-six days of historic, apocryphal, and cryptic reminiscences.
In the introduction, Maclean acknowledges that several critics have complained about the ending that Potocki fashioned, about the sense of letdown in the author's method of tying up all of the various story lines and loose threads. Indeed, Potocki had written different, and differing, drafts of several of the daily chapters, and it is still debated whether the current edition represents the definitive assemblage of the Polish polymath's imaginative fiction. However, such complaints overlook the sheer readability of The Manuscript. Surrounded as I am by bookshelves, every wall bearing tomes that haunt me with the knowledge that, were I to live two lives, I might not make it through all of them, I often found myself tempted to abandon this collection of tall-tales to move on to more meaty fare; and yet, after telling myself I would partake of just one more story, I would inevitably get drawn in, held rapt while the hours whistled by and another week in textual time had passed鈥攈ours in which not the slightest trace of boredom could insert itself into page after page of crackling, razor-honed wit. That, to me, is the ultimate testament to an author's greatness: when he has drawn you once within his literary bear hug, you cannot resist the continual desire to go back for another until that melancholy moment arrives when there are no more embraces left for him to give.
May 9, 2024
Este es uno de esos libros de los que ya no se escriben: una novela total de historias dentro de historias, llena de alquimistas, misterios, cristianos viejos y conversos, logias y ladrones en la Espa帽a de los bandoleros del siglo XVIII, llena de historias de magia, leyendas y secretos, de pasadizos, misterios y enigmas.
Es un libro largo, por eso recomiendo leerlo despacio, alternando otras lecturas entre un decamer贸n y otro.
El resto, disfrutar de una gran historia, de la novela genial de un noble que decidi贸 que prefer铆a viajar por Europa en lugar de quedarse disfrutando tranquilamente en su sal贸n palaciego.
Qu茅 suerte la nuestra.
Es un libro largo, por eso recomiendo leerlo despacio, alternando otras lecturas entre un decamer贸n y otro.
El resto, disfrutar de una gran historia, de la novela genial de un noble que decidi贸 que prefer铆a viajar por Europa en lugar de quedarse disfrutando tranquilamente en su sal贸n palaciego.
Qu茅 suerte la nuestra.
February 21, 2019
螒蟺委胃伪谓畏 蟽蠉位位畏蠄畏, 喂未委蠅蟼 伪谓 伪谓伪位慰纬喂蟽蟿蔚委 魏伪谓蔚委蟼 蠈蟿喂 纬蟻维蠁蟿畏魏蔚 200 蠂蟻蠈谓喂伪 蟺蟻喂谓. 螠蔚蟿伪渭慰谓蟿苇蟻谓慰 魏伪喂 魏位伪蟽喂魏蠈 蟿伪蠀蟿蠈蠂蟻慰谓伪, 维渭蔚蟽慰蟼 蟺蟻蠈未蟻慰渭慰蟼 蟿慰蠀 韦味蠈喂蟼, 蟿慰蠀 螤蔚蟻苇魏, 蟿慰蠀 螤维尾喂蟿蟼, 蟿慰蠀 螆魏慰, 伪魏蠈渭畏 魏喂 伪谓 未蔚谓 蟿慰 蔚委蠂伪谓 蠀蟺蠈蠄畏 蟿慰蠀蟼.
August 18, 2021
Poche volte un libro rispecchia cosi' tanto l'essenza del suo autore. Il 'manoscritto...' e' un potpurri a volte anche simparicamente sgangherato di cabala, favola, racconto dell'orrore, etnografia, erotismo birichino, esoterismo e soprattutto di una ironia cosi' elegante e diffusa da strappare piu' volte il sorriso a scena aperta. Ed e' questo forse il dato piu' sorprendente rispetto all'autore che terminera' i propri giorni togliendosi la vita. Autore che durante la sua esistenza ha visto mezzo mondo di fine '700 inizio '800 e conosciuto i costumi di mille popolazioni. La magia di questo libro e' proprio la capacita' quasi immediata e misteriosa di teletrasportarci in un altro tempo e in un altro luogo dimentichi dell'attualita'. Un piccolo gioiello!
April 2, 2020
Teszek egy b谩tortalan 茅s eleve kudarcra 铆t茅lt k铆s茅rletet arra, hogy ennek a k枚nyvnek a tartalm谩t 枚sszefoglaljam. Sz贸val. Van ez a fiatal elbesz茅l艖, aki valamikor a XVIII. sz谩zad derek谩n elindul Madridba, hogy csatlakozzon a vallon ezredhez. Rohadt b谩tor sr谩cr贸l besz茅l眉nk, annyira b谩tor, hogy a Sierra Moren谩n kereszt眉l akar Madridba menni, holott k枚ztudott, hogy a Sierra Morena tele van szellemekkel, d茅monokkal meg v谩mp铆rokkal, de 煤gy tele van, hogy ha feldobsz egy krumplit (mi茅rt pont krumplit?), akkor 贸hatatlanul egy szellemet, d茅mont vagy v谩mp铆rt tal谩lsz el, amin az nyilv谩n megs茅rt艖dik. Sz贸val ne dob谩lj krumplit. R枚gt枚n tal谩lkozik is k茅t akasztott emberrel (aminek k茅s艖bb jelent艖s茅ge lesz), azt谩n 枚sszefut k茅t csodasz茅p le谩nyz贸val, akik t谩voli rokonai, 茅s nagyon akarnak 谩m valamit a fiatalembert艖l, de olyasvalamit, hogy annak a puszta gondolat谩t贸l elpirulok, pedig l谩ttam 茅n m谩r kar贸n varny煤t. Tekintve azonban, hogy k茅t l谩nnyal az ember egyszerre csak abban az esetben egyes眉lhet a h谩zass谩g szent k枚tel茅k茅ben, ha muzulm谩n, ez茅rt a h枚lgyem茅nyek elkezdik kapacit谩lni h艖s眉nket, hogy vegye fel az iszl谩m hitet. (Neh茅z nyom贸sabb 茅rvet elk茅pzelni az iszl谩m hit mellett, mondhatn谩nk erre, de nem mondjuk, mert nem vagyunk mi olyanok.) A fiatalember nem 谩ll k枚t茅lnek, ugyanakkor kider眉l, hogy a h谩zass谩g szent k枚tel茅ke n茅lk眉l is lehet 谩m egyes眉lni (min艖 felfedez茅s!), 谩m ennek nem v谩rt k枚vetkezm茅nye van: h艖s眉nk ugyanis a鈥� khm鈥� tev茅kenys茅g ut谩n arra 茅bred, hogy a k茅t akasztott ember bit贸f谩ja alatt fekszik. (Ugye mondtam, hogy jelent艖s茅ge lesz?) Mivel t枚bbsz枚r is megism茅tli a kellemd煤s k铆s茅rletet, ugyanazzal az eredm茅nnyel, arra a k枚vetkeztet茅sre jut, hogy lehet, a l谩nyok k铆s茅rt艖 d茅monok. B谩r jobb volna, ha nem azok lenn茅nek, mert h艖s眉nk sz铆vesen k铆s茅rletezne tov谩bb vel眉k - sz贸val bizakodik. Mik枚zben bizakodik, az茅rt halad is valamerre, 茅s 煤tja sor谩n tal谩lkozik cig谩nyvajd谩kkal, kabalist谩kkal, tud贸sokkal 茅s nemesekkel, s艖t, mag谩val a bolyg贸 zsid贸val is, akikkel hosszas besz茅lget茅sekbe elegyedik, mik枚zben a Sierra Morena rejt茅lyes, nagy hatalm煤 ura, Gomel茅z sejk a h谩tt茅rben sand谩n a szak谩ll谩ba mosolyog. Vajon min mosolyog a sejk? 脡s mi van a k茅t unokah煤gocsk谩val? D茅monok vagy nem d茅monok? Nem mindegy 谩m az, mert ha d茅monok, akkor buktuk a templomi esk眉v艖t. Mondjuk ha csak muzulm谩nok, akkor is.
Valahogy 铆gy. Az van ugyanis, hogy Potocki egyszer疟en r枚h枚gve dobja sutba az 谩tl谩that贸 cselekm茅nysz枚v茅st. A reg茅ny legszembet疟n艖bb struktur谩lis jellemz艖je, hogy (hasonlatosan az Ezeregy茅jszak谩hoz) t枚rzssz枚veg茅nek minimum h谩romnegyede mes茅kb艖l 谩ll. Ezt 煤gy kell elk茅pzelni, hogy h艖s眉nk megy, mendeg茅l, 茅s tal谩lkozik X. lovaggal. X. lovag elkezdi mes茅lni saj谩t 茅lett枚rt茅net茅t. Azt谩n m谩snap j枚n Y., a remete, 茅s 艖 is elkezdi mes茅lni az 茅lett枚rt茅net茅t. Csakhogy beesteledik, menni kell a szerepl艖knek hajcsik谩lni, a mese f茅lbeszakad. M谩snap azt谩n Y. folytatja. De lehet, hogy X. Ak谩rmelyik眉k is folytatja, egyszer csak azon kapja mag谩t az olvas贸, hogy X. a saj谩t t枚rt茅net茅ben tal谩lkozik Z.-vel, aki szint茅n elkezd a mes茅n bel眉l mes茅lni, Y. pedig a saj谩t mes茅j茅ben W.-vel fut 枚ssze, aki szint煤gy mes茅be kezd, 茅s azt sem z谩rhatjuk ki, hogy W. a mes茅ben elhelyezett mes茅j茅ben m茅g 枚sszefut valakivel, akinek szint茅n mes茅lhetn茅kje van. H谩t 铆gy. Nem csoda, hogy m茅g a szerepl艖k se mindig 茅rtik, 茅ppen melyik t枚rt茅netbe csatlakoztak be, pl谩ne, hogy ezen t枚rt茅netek szerepl艖i egy id艖 ut谩n elkezdenek 谩tj谩rni a p谩rhuzamos mes茅kbe, olyan kibor铆t贸 katyvaszt eredm茅nyezve, hogy att贸l az embernek f眉le-farka kett茅谩ll. Egy biztos: soha nem 茅reztem m茅g jobban sz眉ks茅g茅t, hogy valami h谩l贸zati 谩bra-szer疟s茅get szerkesszek a sz枚veg mell茅, h谩tha akkor tudni fogom, ki kivel van.
脡s m茅gis, az elviselhetetlens茅g hat谩r谩t s煤rol贸 fragment谩lts谩g ellen茅re nem tudtam magam kivonni a sz枚veg b谩ja al贸l. Potocki a laikusok nagy fene b谩tors谩g谩val egyszerre haszn谩l fel kihal谩sra 铆t茅lt irodalmi form谩kat (vegy眉k 茅szre: meg铆r谩s谩nak ideje nem sokkal el艖zi meg a V枚r枚s 茅s feket茅t, vagy 茅pp Hugo reg茅nyeit), ugyanakkor bizonyos aspektusaiban (k眉l枚n枚sen a term茅keny k谩osz haszn谩lat谩ban) megd枚bbent艖en modern. L谩tv谩nyosan t枚rekszik valamif茅le univerzalit谩sra 鈥� egyszerre akar tudom谩nyr贸l, vall谩sr贸l, m谩gi谩r贸l 茅s k铆s茅rtetekr艖l reg茅lni, ezot茅ri谩t 茅s matematik谩t 茅s t枚rt茅nelmet igyekszik egy porondra ereszteni, azt谩n l谩ssuk, mi j枚n ki az eg茅szb艖l. Ha siker眉l az olvas贸nak eleresztenie elv谩r谩sait arr贸l, hogyan is k茅ne kin茅znie egy 鈥瀝endes鈥� reg茅nynek, nagy 茅lvezetet tal谩l majd ebben a sz枚vegben.
Valahogy 铆gy. Az van ugyanis, hogy Potocki egyszer疟en r枚h枚gve dobja sutba az 谩tl谩that贸 cselekm茅nysz枚v茅st. A reg茅ny legszembet疟n艖bb struktur谩lis jellemz艖je, hogy (hasonlatosan az Ezeregy茅jszak谩hoz) t枚rzssz枚veg茅nek minimum h谩romnegyede mes茅kb艖l 谩ll. Ezt 煤gy kell elk茅pzelni, hogy h艖s眉nk megy, mendeg茅l, 茅s tal谩lkozik X. lovaggal. X. lovag elkezdi mes茅lni saj谩t 茅lett枚rt茅net茅t. Azt谩n m谩snap j枚n Y., a remete, 茅s 艖 is elkezdi mes茅lni az 茅lett枚rt茅net茅t. Csakhogy beesteledik, menni kell a szerepl艖knek hajcsik谩lni, a mese f茅lbeszakad. M谩snap azt谩n Y. folytatja. De lehet, hogy X. Ak谩rmelyik眉k is folytatja, egyszer csak azon kapja mag谩t az olvas贸, hogy X. a saj谩t t枚rt茅net茅ben tal谩lkozik Z.-vel, aki szint茅n elkezd a mes茅n bel眉l mes茅lni, Y. pedig a saj谩t mes茅j茅ben W.-vel fut 枚ssze, aki szint煤gy mes茅be kezd, 茅s azt sem z谩rhatjuk ki, hogy W. a mes茅ben elhelyezett mes茅j茅ben m茅g 枚sszefut valakivel, akinek szint茅n mes茅lhetn茅kje van. H谩t 铆gy. Nem csoda, hogy m茅g a szerepl艖k se mindig 茅rtik, 茅ppen melyik t枚rt茅netbe csatlakoztak be, pl谩ne, hogy ezen t枚rt茅netek szerepl艖i egy id艖 ut谩n elkezdenek 谩tj谩rni a p谩rhuzamos mes茅kbe, olyan kibor铆t贸 katyvaszt eredm茅nyezve, hogy att贸l az embernek f眉le-farka kett茅谩ll. Egy biztos: soha nem 茅reztem m茅g jobban sz眉ks茅g茅t, hogy valami h谩l贸zati 谩bra-szer疟s茅get szerkesszek a sz枚veg mell茅, h谩tha akkor tudni fogom, ki kivel van.
脡s m茅gis, az elviselhetetlens茅g hat谩r谩t s煤rol贸 fragment谩lts谩g ellen茅re nem tudtam magam kivonni a sz枚veg b谩ja al贸l. Potocki a laikusok nagy fene b谩tors谩g谩val egyszerre haszn谩l fel kihal谩sra 铆t茅lt irodalmi form谩kat (vegy眉k 茅szre: meg铆r谩s谩nak ideje nem sokkal el艖zi meg a V枚r枚s 茅s feket茅t, vagy 茅pp Hugo reg茅nyeit), ugyanakkor bizonyos aspektusaiban (k眉l枚n枚sen a term茅keny k谩osz haszn谩lat谩ban) megd枚bbent艖en modern. L谩tv谩nyosan t枚rekszik valamif茅le univerzalit谩sra 鈥� egyszerre akar tudom谩nyr贸l, vall谩sr贸l, m谩gi谩r贸l 茅s k铆s茅rtetekr艖l reg茅lni, ezot茅ri谩t 茅s matematik谩t 茅s t枚rt茅nelmet igyekszik egy porondra ereszteni, azt谩n l谩ssuk, mi j枚n ki az eg茅szb艖l. Ha siker眉l az olvas贸nak eleresztenie elv谩r谩sait arr贸l, hogyan is k茅ne kin茅znie egy 鈥瀝endes鈥� reg茅nynek, nagy 茅lvezetet tal谩l majd ebben a sz枚vegben.
July 16, 2021
Esta es una novela de las que ya no se escriben. Una extra帽a mezcla de terror gotico con comedia de enredo. El libro empieza con todos los elementos del g贸tico y nos narra la historia de Alfonso Van werden, un oficial que de viaje por Espa帽a se encontrar谩 con esp铆ritus, fantasmas de degollados, princesas encantadas y demas fauna que les contaran sus historias. El libro esta hecho a base de historias que se entrecruzan unas con otras como un laberinto, y a煤nque no es dif铆cil de seguir esa estructura liosa puede desanimar al que no este acostumbrado a este tipo de literatura.
Disfrute enormemente la primera parte con todos esos elementos terrorificos y aventuras, la segunda hecha de historias de enredos amorosos y la larga y genial historia del jefe de los gitanos es tambi茅n muy buena. A destacar en esta segunda parte la narraci贸n del sabio que compone una enciclopedia de 18 tomos durante toda su vida para ver como las ratas se lo comen todo en una tarde.
Solo para amantes de libros como El quijote o Melmoth, el errabundo. El terror aqu铆 es solo un elemento m谩s y viene en peque帽as dosis.
Toda una rara avis que utiliza a Espa帽a como emplazamiento para las fant谩sticas historias que se narran a lo largo del libro. Una obra fruto de su tiempo, ya no se escriben libros as铆.
Disfrute enormemente la primera parte con todos esos elementos terrorificos y aventuras, la segunda hecha de historias de enredos amorosos y la larga y genial historia del jefe de los gitanos es tambi茅n muy buena. A destacar en esta segunda parte la narraci贸n del sabio que compone una enciclopedia de 18 tomos durante toda su vida para ver como las ratas se lo comen todo en una tarde.
Solo para amantes de libros como El quijote o Melmoth, el errabundo. El terror aqu铆 es solo un elemento m谩s y viene en peque帽as dosis.
Toda una rara avis que utiliza a Espa帽a como emplazamiento para las fant谩sticas historias que se narran a lo largo del libro. Una obra fruto de su tiempo, ya no se escriben libros as铆.
July 16, 2021
鈥淒as Wort bewegt die Luft und den Geist, es wirkt auf die Sinne und auf die Seele.鈥�
Jemand, der Jan Graf Potockis Ausnahmeroman Die Handschrift von Saragossa liest, wird wohl kaum umhinkommen, den oben zitierten Worten des Kabbalisten, einer der unz盲hligen Figuren in diesem Werk, zuzustimmen, denn dem Verfasser ist es wahrhaft gelungen, mit blo脽en Worten eine wahre Welt aufzubauen, die uns aus mehreren Perspektiven zug盲nglich gemacht wird. Eigentlich bin ich nur zuf盲llig auf dieses Buch gesto脽en, habe ich doch irgendwo 鈥� ich wei脽 nicht einmal mehr die Quelle 鈥� gelesen, bei Die Handschrift von Saragossa handele es sich um einen Roman, der als unverfilmbar gilt 鈥� obgleich er mindestens einmal verfilmt wurde 鈥�, was mich als Tristram-Shandy-Verehrer nat眉rlich unbedingt neugierig machte, zumal ich noch nie von diesem Buch geh枚rt hatte.
Jeder Versuch, dieses Werk zusammenzufassen, mu脽 wohl St眉ckwerk bleiben, denn es handelt sich um ein Kaleidoskop ineinander verschachtelter Geschichten, die am Ende hin mehr und mehr miteinander verzahnt werden. Potocki geht in dieser Hinsicht 眉ber Werke wie Decamerone oder The Canterbury Tales oder das gro脽e Vorbild all dieser opera magna, die Erz盲hlungen aus Tausendundeiner Nacht, hinaus, denn zum einen dient die Rahmenhandlung ihm nicht nur als Einbettung seiner Geschichten, sondern bekommt immer wieder ihre eigene Dynamik, und zum anderen werden die Erz盲hlungen nicht einfach aneinandergereiht, sondern die in ihnen handelnden Figuren tauchen oftmals auch wieder in anderen Erz盲hlungen auf. Dar眉ber hinaus spielt Potocki munter mit den Erz盲hlebenen, wenn 鈥� vor allem in der Geschichte des Zigeunerhauptmanns 鈥� dem Erz盲hler selbst eine Geschichte erz盲hlt wird, die allerdings wieder eine Geschichte enth盲lt, welche ihrerseits wieder von einer Erz盲hlung unterbrochen wird. Dies geht so weit, da脽 einige der Zuh枚rer des Zigeunerhauptmanns angesichts dieser Verschachtelung ihre Verwirrung bekunden und einer von ihnen, der Geometer, dar眉ber sinniert, ob es nicht logischer und systematischer w盲re, zum einen streng linear, zum anderen in tabellarischer Form zu erz盲hlen, indem man f眉r jede der Hauptfiguren eine eigene Spalte aufmacht. Hier wird also auch die Kunst des Erz盲hlens und ihr Verh盲ltnis zur Wirklichkeit selbst thematisiert. Potocki beherrscht die Erz盲hlkunst 眉brigens auch meisterhaft 鈥� lediglich gegen Ende hin macht sich eine gedr盲ngter wirkende Erz盲hlweise bemerkbar, als sei dem Verfasser daran gelegen gewesen, nun endlich mal zum Schlu脽 zu kommen 鈥�, die sich auch in der Vielzahl der von ihm bedienten Genres zeigt: Wir haben romantische oder auch schelmenhafte Liebesgeschichten, Humoresken, Ausfl眉ge in den pikaresken Roman, Gespenstergeschichten, Geschichten 眉ber politische Intrigen sowie auch philosophische Exkurse, die alles andere als langweilig sind. So wird in der Geschichte des Ewigen Juden 眉ber die Entstehung von Religionen sinniert und dar眉ber, wie Elemente 盲lterer Religionen ihren Weg in j眉ngere Glaubenssysteme finden und wie Religion an sich wandelbar ist und von den 盲u脽eren geschichtlichen Umst盲nden ebenso abh盲ngt wie sie diese mitgestaltet. Man kann sich vorstellen, da脽 derlei 脺berlegungen bei den orthodoxen Vertretern der katholischen Kirche seinerzeit nicht auf ungeteilte Gegenliebe gesto脽en sein d眉rfen. Potocki aber geht noch weiter, indem er seine Leser in eine Welt f眉hrt, in der Christen, Juden und Muslime in vielf盲ltiger 鈥� nicht immer friedlicher 鈥� Verbindung miteinander stehen, aber allesamt ihre Stimmen bekommen, und in der sich am Ende herausstellt, da脽 zwischen allen von ihnen gemeinsame verwandtschaftliche Beziehungen bestehen. Wenn das Zusammenleben auch nicht immer konfliktfrei ist 鈥� eigentlich ist es dies in den seltensten Ausnahmef盲llen 鈥�, so l盲脽 Potocki doch keinen Zweifel am Anteil aller an der gro脽en Menschheitsfamilie. Dies, sowie viele andere philosophische Exkurse 鈥� keine Angst, es gibt deren nicht so viele, denn das Narrative 眉berwiegt 鈥� machen Die Handschrift von Saragossa zu einem Buch, das bemerkenswert gut gealtert ist.
An erster Stelle stehen jedoch immer noch die spannenden und meist 眉berraschenden Geschichten, mit denen Potocki seine Leser aufs vorz眉glichste unterh盲lt. So ganz nebenbei entwirft er auch, ohne eine wirkliche Hauptfigur zu erschaffen, einen Mikrokosmos unverge脽licher Figuren, wie etwa den Haupterz盲hler, den etwas naiven Alfons van Worden, den schusseligen, aber brillanten Mathematiker Vel谩squez, den findigen Zigeunerhauptmann Avadoro und seinen pedantischen Vater, der sich der Tintenherstellung verschrieb 鈥� meine unangefochtene Lieblingsfigur 鈥�, den durchtriebenen Intriganten Busqueros, die kluge Rebekka oder den leichtlebigen Ritter von Toledo, womit wir allerdings nur einen kleinen Teil der Handelnden benannt h盲tten. Aus all ihrer Interaktion entspinnt sich im Nu eine kleine Welt, die unserer realen im Hinblick auf Komplexit盲t in nichts nachsteht.
Von mir gibt es f眉r diese zuf盲llige Leseentdeckung, ein Werk, an dem sein Verfasser viele Jahre seines Lebens feilte und das zu den einzigartigen architektonischen Leistungen der Erz盲hlkunst zu rechnen ist, eine unbedingte Leseempfehlung. Es ist allerdings anzuraten, diesen Roman m枚glichst in einem Rutsch zu lesen, denn ansonsten d眉rfte man ob der vielen Figuren und Erz盲hlebenen und ihres Ineinanderwirkens sehr bald den 脺berblick verlieren.
Jemand, der Jan Graf Potockis Ausnahmeroman Die Handschrift von Saragossa liest, wird wohl kaum umhinkommen, den oben zitierten Worten des Kabbalisten, einer der unz盲hligen Figuren in diesem Werk, zuzustimmen, denn dem Verfasser ist es wahrhaft gelungen, mit blo脽en Worten eine wahre Welt aufzubauen, die uns aus mehreren Perspektiven zug盲nglich gemacht wird. Eigentlich bin ich nur zuf盲llig auf dieses Buch gesto脽en, habe ich doch irgendwo 鈥� ich wei脽 nicht einmal mehr die Quelle 鈥� gelesen, bei Die Handschrift von Saragossa handele es sich um einen Roman, der als unverfilmbar gilt 鈥� obgleich er mindestens einmal verfilmt wurde 鈥�, was mich als Tristram-Shandy-Verehrer nat眉rlich unbedingt neugierig machte, zumal ich noch nie von diesem Buch geh枚rt hatte.
Jeder Versuch, dieses Werk zusammenzufassen, mu脽 wohl St眉ckwerk bleiben, denn es handelt sich um ein Kaleidoskop ineinander verschachtelter Geschichten, die am Ende hin mehr und mehr miteinander verzahnt werden. Potocki geht in dieser Hinsicht 眉ber Werke wie Decamerone oder The Canterbury Tales oder das gro脽e Vorbild all dieser opera magna, die Erz盲hlungen aus Tausendundeiner Nacht, hinaus, denn zum einen dient die Rahmenhandlung ihm nicht nur als Einbettung seiner Geschichten, sondern bekommt immer wieder ihre eigene Dynamik, und zum anderen werden die Erz盲hlungen nicht einfach aneinandergereiht, sondern die in ihnen handelnden Figuren tauchen oftmals auch wieder in anderen Erz盲hlungen auf. Dar眉ber hinaus spielt Potocki munter mit den Erz盲hlebenen, wenn 鈥� vor allem in der Geschichte des Zigeunerhauptmanns 鈥� dem Erz盲hler selbst eine Geschichte erz盲hlt wird, die allerdings wieder eine Geschichte enth盲lt, welche ihrerseits wieder von einer Erz盲hlung unterbrochen wird. Dies geht so weit, da脽 einige der Zuh枚rer des Zigeunerhauptmanns angesichts dieser Verschachtelung ihre Verwirrung bekunden und einer von ihnen, der Geometer, dar眉ber sinniert, ob es nicht logischer und systematischer w盲re, zum einen streng linear, zum anderen in tabellarischer Form zu erz盲hlen, indem man f眉r jede der Hauptfiguren eine eigene Spalte aufmacht. Hier wird also auch die Kunst des Erz盲hlens und ihr Verh盲ltnis zur Wirklichkeit selbst thematisiert. Potocki beherrscht die Erz盲hlkunst 眉brigens auch meisterhaft 鈥� lediglich gegen Ende hin macht sich eine gedr盲ngter wirkende Erz盲hlweise bemerkbar, als sei dem Verfasser daran gelegen gewesen, nun endlich mal zum Schlu脽 zu kommen 鈥�, die sich auch in der Vielzahl der von ihm bedienten Genres zeigt: Wir haben romantische oder auch schelmenhafte Liebesgeschichten, Humoresken, Ausfl眉ge in den pikaresken Roman, Gespenstergeschichten, Geschichten 眉ber politische Intrigen sowie auch philosophische Exkurse, die alles andere als langweilig sind. So wird in der Geschichte des Ewigen Juden 眉ber die Entstehung von Religionen sinniert und dar眉ber, wie Elemente 盲lterer Religionen ihren Weg in j眉ngere Glaubenssysteme finden und wie Religion an sich wandelbar ist und von den 盲u脽eren geschichtlichen Umst盲nden ebenso abh盲ngt wie sie diese mitgestaltet. Man kann sich vorstellen, da脽 derlei 脺berlegungen bei den orthodoxen Vertretern der katholischen Kirche seinerzeit nicht auf ungeteilte Gegenliebe gesto脽en sein d眉rfen. Potocki aber geht noch weiter, indem er seine Leser in eine Welt f眉hrt, in der Christen, Juden und Muslime in vielf盲ltiger 鈥� nicht immer friedlicher 鈥� Verbindung miteinander stehen, aber allesamt ihre Stimmen bekommen, und in der sich am Ende herausstellt, da脽 zwischen allen von ihnen gemeinsame verwandtschaftliche Beziehungen bestehen. Wenn das Zusammenleben auch nicht immer konfliktfrei ist 鈥� eigentlich ist es dies in den seltensten Ausnahmef盲llen 鈥�, so l盲脽 Potocki doch keinen Zweifel am Anteil aller an der gro脽en Menschheitsfamilie. Dies, sowie viele andere philosophische Exkurse 鈥� keine Angst, es gibt deren nicht so viele, denn das Narrative 眉berwiegt 鈥� machen Die Handschrift von Saragossa zu einem Buch, das bemerkenswert gut gealtert ist.
An erster Stelle stehen jedoch immer noch die spannenden und meist 眉berraschenden Geschichten, mit denen Potocki seine Leser aufs vorz眉glichste unterh盲lt. So ganz nebenbei entwirft er auch, ohne eine wirkliche Hauptfigur zu erschaffen, einen Mikrokosmos unverge脽licher Figuren, wie etwa den Haupterz盲hler, den etwas naiven Alfons van Worden, den schusseligen, aber brillanten Mathematiker Vel谩squez, den findigen Zigeunerhauptmann Avadoro und seinen pedantischen Vater, der sich der Tintenherstellung verschrieb 鈥� meine unangefochtene Lieblingsfigur 鈥�, den durchtriebenen Intriganten Busqueros, die kluge Rebekka oder den leichtlebigen Ritter von Toledo, womit wir allerdings nur einen kleinen Teil der Handelnden benannt h盲tten. Aus all ihrer Interaktion entspinnt sich im Nu eine kleine Welt, die unserer realen im Hinblick auf Komplexit盲t in nichts nachsteht.
Von mir gibt es f眉r diese zuf盲llige Leseentdeckung, ein Werk, an dem sein Verfasser viele Jahre seines Lebens feilte und das zu den einzigartigen architektonischen Leistungen der Erz盲hlkunst zu rechnen ist, eine unbedingte Leseempfehlung. Es ist allerdings anzuraten, diesen Roman m枚glichst in einem Rutsch zu lesen, denn ansonsten d眉rfte man ob der vielen Figuren und Erz盲hlebenen und ihres Ineinanderwirkens sehr bald den 脺berblick verlieren.
November 13, 2021
I'm afraid I couldn't groove with this so-called Golden Oldie. I generally love Penguins, but this one failed to engage me more than half the time.
What began as an investable frame narrative with a very readable rhythm soon devolved into the riff-raffy onslaught of melodrama. Here you will find in no certain order: a surprising and adventurous compilation of old-fashioned shaggy-dog stories, woven with threads of dreamlike metafiction by campfire-scout-master-esque side characters, face-glowingly in love with their own sappy sob stories. Quirky and engrossing in chunks but bloated and lacking in cavorting moments. The prose progresses from solid to paint-by-numbers, conjuring Old European flair with a few jaunts into Ancient Egypt and Biblical reference town. If you like stony castles and goat-clad cliffs try some other piece of 18th Century pastoral or picaresque lit. I wanted it to be effusive and charming but it persisted in being haggard and overwrought. Not much eroticism or horror or many dizzying imaginative feats to speak of.
Calvino did it for me. Even Boccaccio and the Arabian Nights are more palatable.
In the end it resolved into an unmemorable melange. I recall an inane story about a man whose life was ruined when he spilled a giant pot of ink. Then he lost a bunch of money. The end.
One stand-out story was incredible though. The one telling of the scholar, tracing his life's work through his composition of a hundred volumes encompassing all extant human knowledge, along with his downfall. While that one and a few others were masterfully done, the vast majority of these 66 non-Arabian nights were commonplace, mediocre, mundane tales of spurned lovers, cheating spouses, unfilial brats, and the no-longer-interesting tropes of much early 19th Century fiction.
What began as an investable frame narrative with a very readable rhythm soon devolved into the riff-raffy onslaught of melodrama. Here you will find in no certain order: a surprising and adventurous compilation of old-fashioned shaggy-dog stories, woven with threads of dreamlike metafiction by campfire-scout-master-esque side characters, face-glowingly in love with their own sappy sob stories. Quirky and engrossing in chunks but bloated and lacking in cavorting moments. The prose progresses from solid to paint-by-numbers, conjuring Old European flair with a few jaunts into Ancient Egypt and Biblical reference town. If you like stony castles and goat-clad cliffs try some other piece of 18th Century pastoral or picaresque lit. I wanted it to be effusive and charming but it persisted in being haggard and overwrought. Not much eroticism or horror or many dizzying imaginative feats to speak of.
Calvino did it for me. Even Boccaccio and the Arabian Nights are more palatable.
In the end it resolved into an unmemorable melange. I recall an inane story about a man whose life was ruined when he spilled a giant pot of ink. Then he lost a bunch of money. The end.
One stand-out story was incredible though. The one telling of the scholar, tracing his life's work through his composition of a hundred volumes encompassing all extant human knowledge, along with his downfall. While that one and a few others were masterfully done, the vast majority of these 66 non-Arabian nights were commonplace, mediocre, mundane tales of spurned lovers, cheating spouses, unfilial brats, and the no-longer-interesting tropes of much early 19th Century fiction.
April 8, 2017
Imagine a drawer. You open it, and inside is a story. The story also has several additional drawers which, when opened, reveal additional stories with additional drawers inside them. This goes on for a while.
Filled with delicious treats, this book combines all the pleasures of a puzzle box with all the pleasures of a box a of chocolates. Best euro I ever spent. You should read it immediately.
Filled with delicious treats, this book combines all the pleasures of a puzzle box with all the pleasures of a box a of chocolates. Best euro I ever spent. You should read it immediately.
April 26, 2025
Die Handschrift von Saragossa, vor mehr als 200 Jahren vom polnischen Grafen Jan Potocki verfasst, geh枚rt eindeutig zu den au脽ergew枚hnlichsten Werken der Literaturgeschichte und verdient ohne Zweifel die Bezeichnung Kultbuch.
Im Vorwort stellt sich der Erz盲hler als franz枚sischer Offizier vor, der nach der Belagerung von Saragossa beim Durchst枚bern eines verlassenes Hauses eine alte, in spanischer Sprache verfasste Handschrift fand, in der von R盲ubern, Gespenstern und Kabbalisten die Rede war. Anscheinend war der Offizier unterbesch盲ftigt, denn nichts erschien ihm besser geeignet, sich zu zerstreuen, als die Lekt眉re eines wunderlichen Romans. Kurz darauf ger盲t er in spanische Gefangenschaft. Der Hauptmann der Spanier erkennt in dem Manuskript die Geschichte eines seiner Ahnen und 眉bersetzt es ins Franz枚sische.
Der Held und Erz盲hler der Handschrift ist Alfonso van Warden, dem seine Ehre gerade gebietet, sich auf dem schnellsten Weg zum K枚nig nach Madrid zu verf眉gen, und dieser Weg f眉hrt ausgerechnet durch die von Gespenstern heimgesuchte und wegen ihrer schr枚cklichen Gefahren ber眉chtigte Felsw眉ste der Sierra Morena. Gleich zu Beginn erscheinen in einer verlassenen Herberge zwei maurische Damen, geben sich als seine Cousinen aus und verf眉hren ihn. Am n盲chsten Morgen erwacht er, statt zwischen den zwei Sch枚nen, unter dem Galgen von San Hermanos zwischen den verwesenden Leichen zweier R盲uber. Auf seiner Reise stolpert er so von einem phantastischen Abenteuer ins N盲chste und lernt dabei zahlreiche r盲tselhafte Gestalten kennen, die ihm alle ihre Geschichten erz盲hlen.
Der Kunstgriff, einen 盲u脽eren Rahmen zu setzen, in dem einzelne Geschichten erz盲hlt werden, ist von Boccaccios Decamerone oder Tausendundeine Nacht bekannt und war zu der Zeit beliebt. Potocki persifliert diese Mode, indem er dem 盲u脽eren Rahmen gleich noch einen zweiten einf眉gt und die einzelnen Geschichten nicht linear erz盲hlt, sondern ineinander verschachtelt, unterbricht, sp盲ter wieder aufnimmt, innere Bez眉ge herstellt oder die Erz盲hler als Figuren in anderen Begebenheiten wieder auftreten und wom枚glich schon Geh枚rtes ganz anders erz盲hlen l盲sst. Dazu werden alte, philosophische oder religi枚se Quellen zitiert oder obskure historische Ereignisse wiedergegeben. Auf diese Weise entsteht ein vertracktes Labyrinth aus ineinander verschachtelten Geschichten vor einem schillernden Hintergrund aus Philosophie, Religion, Kulturgeschichte und Mythos. Dass Potocky damit postmoderne Erz盲hlstrukturen des sp盲ten 20.Jh. vorwegnahm, konnte er nicht wissen.
Es ist Konzentration notwendig, um den 脺berblick zu behalten und immer zu wissen, wer denn gerade die Geschichte erz盲hlt, in der eine Geschichte erz盲hlt wird, in der wiederum jemand auftritt, der drei Ebenen h枚her oder drei Kapitel fr眉her seine Geschichte erz盲hlt. Aber es ist Spa脽 pur - wenn man denn sowas mag.
Als 眉berzeugter Aufkl盲rer persifliert Potocki auch die literarischen Moden der Romantik, in der - als Reaktion auf die Vernunft der Aufkl盲rung - gerade die Schauerliteratur hoch im Kurs war. Verfallene Gem盲uer, unterirdische Gew枚lbe, Galgenh眉gel oder wildromantische Naturlandschaften sind die Schaupl盲tze, an denen Alfonso seine Bekanntschaften macht: ein Einsiedler, ein Kabbalist und seine Schwester, ein Mathematiker, ein Zigeunerhauptmann samt T枚chter, der ewige Jude, Nachkommen altehrw眉rdiger Geschlechter oder Mitglieder geheimer Verbindungen, allesamt in verschw枚rerischer Mission und mit uralten famili盲ren Wurzeln im Orient oder in der Zeit des maurischen Kalifats in Spanien.
Dazu kommt die Ironie, mit der Potocky so manche Eigenheit seiner Zeit parodiert. Beispielsweise war der Erhalt der Ehre f眉r einen Edelmann von 盲u脽erster Priorit盲t, und diese Ehre konnte schnell verletzt werden - man musste nur vom Mitbewerb mit der Kutsche 眉berholt werden und schon sahen die Herren sich gen枚tigt, ihre Degen zu ziehen und sich zu duellieren, im schlimmsten Fall mit tragischem Ausgang. Potocky nimmt solche Gepflogenheiten vorzugsweise adeliger und wohlhabender Kreise aufs Korn und 眉bt so augenzwinkernd Kritik am Selbstverst盲ndnis seiner Standesgenossen.
Auch Liebeswerben und Erotik kommen nicht zu kurz. Wenn die betreffenden Szenen zwar nur dezent angedeutet und der Phantasie des Lesers, der Leserin 眉berlassen werden, d眉rften dabei einige Tabus f眉r die damalige Zeit nicht unerheblich verletzt worden sein.
Durch all das kurzweilige Geschehen zieht sich die aufkl盲rerische und kosmopolitische 脺berzeugung des Autors. Dem Aberglauben und der Zauberei genauso wie den Religionen und 眉berholten Wertesystemen wird der Geist des Humanismus und der Vernunft entgegengesetzt. Wenn dieselbe Geschichte von unterschiedlichen Erz盲hlern unterschiedlich erz盲hlt wird, stellt sich eben heraus, dass es keine absolute Wahrheit gibt. Auch die Weltreligionen werden in diesem Sinne als historisch bedingte und dem Wandel der Zeit unterworfene Ph盲nomene dargestellt.
Die Handschrift von Saragossa stellt innerhalb ihrer Epoche ein Ausnahmewerk dar, das mit kaum etwas verglichen werden kann und das selbst f眉r heutige Verh盲ltnisse einzigartig ist. Etwas Gesp眉r f眉r die Ironie im Licht der Zeit vorausgesetzt, ist die Lekt眉re ein wahres Vergn眉gen und Erlebnis.
Die Publikationsgeschichte ist gleicherma脽en abenteuerlich wie der Roman, man kann diese detailliert im Anhang der vorliegenden Ausgabe nachlesen. Potocki war kein Schriftsteller, er hatte kein Interesse an einer Ver枚ffentlichung, und sein Roman war wohl mehr eine private Obsession. Er arbeitete fast zwanzig Jahre daran bis zu seinem Tod im Jahr 1815 und nur zwei Ausschnitte wurden zu Lebzeiten als Privatdrucke ver枚ffentlicht. Das in franz枚sisch verfasste Originalmanuskript ging irgendwo zwischen Paris und Petersburg verloren und gilt als verschollen. Aufgrund der Nachfrage erschienen zahlreiche Plagiate und fragw眉rdige Nacherz盲hlungen. Erst Mitte des 20.Jh. konnte das Original nahezu vollst盲ndig rekonstruiert werden und erschien zum ersten Mal in voller L盲nge. F眉r deutschsprachige Leser sei die sehr gelungene Neu眉bersetzung von Manfred Zander empfohlen.
Dass Jan Graf Potocki als ein ungew枚hnlicher Zeitgenosse beschrieben wird, ist nach der Lekt眉re nicht weiter verwunderlich. Der weitgereiste Universalgelehrte stammte aus dem polnischen Hochadel, bet盲tigte sich als Forscher, Wissenschaftsautor, Politiker und Diplomat und war ein Freund der franz枚sischen Revolution. Er zog sich in sp盲teren Jahren wahrscheinlich aus gesundheitlichen Gr眉nden immer mehr zur眉ck, widmete sich nur mehr seinem Roman und wurde immer sonderlicher. In seinen letzten Lebenswochen feilte er an einer, von seinem Samovar abgebrochenen Silberkugel, lie脽 diese vom Pfarrer weihen und erschoss sich damit.
Im Vorwort stellt sich der Erz盲hler als franz枚sischer Offizier vor, der nach der Belagerung von Saragossa beim Durchst枚bern eines verlassenes Hauses eine alte, in spanischer Sprache verfasste Handschrift fand, in der von R盲ubern, Gespenstern und Kabbalisten die Rede war. Anscheinend war der Offizier unterbesch盲ftigt, denn nichts erschien ihm besser geeignet, sich zu zerstreuen, als die Lekt眉re eines wunderlichen Romans. Kurz darauf ger盲t er in spanische Gefangenschaft. Der Hauptmann der Spanier erkennt in dem Manuskript die Geschichte eines seiner Ahnen und 眉bersetzt es ins Franz枚sische.
Der Held und Erz盲hler der Handschrift ist Alfonso van Warden, dem seine Ehre gerade gebietet, sich auf dem schnellsten Weg zum K枚nig nach Madrid zu verf眉gen, und dieser Weg f眉hrt ausgerechnet durch die von Gespenstern heimgesuchte und wegen ihrer schr枚cklichen Gefahren ber眉chtigte Felsw眉ste der Sierra Morena. Gleich zu Beginn erscheinen in einer verlassenen Herberge zwei maurische Damen, geben sich als seine Cousinen aus und verf眉hren ihn. Am n盲chsten Morgen erwacht er, statt zwischen den zwei Sch枚nen, unter dem Galgen von San Hermanos zwischen den verwesenden Leichen zweier R盲uber. Auf seiner Reise stolpert er so von einem phantastischen Abenteuer ins N盲chste und lernt dabei zahlreiche r盲tselhafte Gestalten kennen, die ihm alle ihre Geschichten erz盲hlen.
Der Kunstgriff, einen 盲u脽eren Rahmen zu setzen, in dem einzelne Geschichten erz盲hlt werden, ist von Boccaccios Decamerone oder Tausendundeine Nacht bekannt und war zu der Zeit beliebt. Potocki persifliert diese Mode, indem er dem 盲u脽eren Rahmen gleich noch einen zweiten einf眉gt und die einzelnen Geschichten nicht linear erz盲hlt, sondern ineinander verschachtelt, unterbricht, sp盲ter wieder aufnimmt, innere Bez眉ge herstellt oder die Erz盲hler als Figuren in anderen Begebenheiten wieder auftreten und wom枚glich schon Geh枚rtes ganz anders erz盲hlen l盲sst. Dazu werden alte, philosophische oder religi枚se Quellen zitiert oder obskure historische Ereignisse wiedergegeben. Auf diese Weise entsteht ein vertracktes Labyrinth aus ineinander verschachtelten Geschichten vor einem schillernden Hintergrund aus Philosophie, Religion, Kulturgeschichte und Mythos. Dass Potocky damit postmoderne Erz盲hlstrukturen des sp盲ten 20.Jh. vorwegnahm, konnte er nicht wissen.
Es ist Konzentration notwendig, um den 脺berblick zu behalten und immer zu wissen, wer denn gerade die Geschichte erz盲hlt, in der eine Geschichte erz盲hlt wird, in der wiederum jemand auftritt, der drei Ebenen h枚her oder drei Kapitel fr眉her seine Geschichte erz盲hlt. Aber es ist Spa脽 pur - wenn man denn sowas mag.
Als 眉berzeugter Aufkl盲rer persifliert Potocki auch die literarischen Moden der Romantik, in der - als Reaktion auf die Vernunft der Aufkl盲rung - gerade die Schauerliteratur hoch im Kurs war. Verfallene Gem盲uer, unterirdische Gew枚lbe, Galgenh眉gel oder wildromantische Naturlandschaften sind die Schaupl盲tze, an denen Alfonso seine Bekanntschaften macht: ein Einsiedler, ein Kabbalist und seine Schwester, ein Mathematiker, ein Zigeunerhauptmann samt T枚chter, der ewige Jude, Nachkommen altehrw眉rdiger Geschlechter oder Mitglieder geheimer Verbindungen, allesamt in verschw枚rerischer Mission und mit uralten famili盲ren Wurzeln im Orient oder in der Zeit des maurischen Kalifats in Spanien.
Dazu kommt die Ironie, mit der Potocky so manche Eigenheit seiner Zeit parodiert. Beispielsweise war der Erhalt der Ehre f眉r einen Edelmann von 盲u脽erster Priorit盲t, und diese Ehre konnte schnell verletzt werden - man musste nur vom Mitbewerb mit der Kutsche 眉berholt werden und schon sahen die Herren sich gen枚tigt, ihre Degen zu ziehen und sich zu duellieren, im schlimmsten Fall mit tragischem Ausgang. Potocky nimmt solche Gepflogenheiten vorzugsweise adeliger und wohlhabender Kreise aufs Korn und 眉bt so augenzwinkernd Kritik am Selbstverst盲ndnis seiner Standesgenossen.
Auch Liebeswerben und Erotik kommen nicht zu kurz. Wenn die betreffenden Szenen zwar nur dezent angedeutet und der Phantasie des Lesers, der Leserin 眉berlassen werden, d眉rften dabei einige Tabus f眉r die damalige Zeit nicht unerheblich verletzt worden sein.
Durch all das kurzweilige Geschehen zieht sich die aufkl盲rerische und kosmopolitische 脺berzeugung des Autors. Dem Aberglauben und der Zauberei genauso wie den Religionen und 眉berholten Wertesystemen wird der Geist des Humanismus und der Vernunft entgegengesetzt. Wenn dieselbe Geschichte von unterschiedlichen Erz盲hlern unterschiedlich erz盲hlt wird, stellt sich eben heraus, dass es keine absolute Wahrheit gibt. Auch die Weltreligionen werden in diesem Sinne als historisch bedingte und dem Wandel der Zeit unterworfene Ph盲nomene dargestellt.
Die Handschrift von Saragossa stellt innerhalb ihrer Epoche ein Ausnahmewerk dar, das mit kaum etwas verglichen werden kann und das selbst f眉r heutige Verh盲ltnisse einzigartig ist. Etwas Gesp眉r f眉r die Ironie im Licht der Zeit vorausgesetzt, ist die Lekt眉re ein wahres Vergn眉gen und Erlebnis.
Die Publikationsgeschichte ist gleicherma脽en abenteuerlich wie der Roman, man kann diese detailliert im Anhang der vorliegenden Ausgabe nachlesen. Potocki war kein Schriftsteller, er hatte kein Interesse an einer Ver枚ffentlichung, und sein Roman war wohl mehr eine private Obsession. Er arbeitete fast zwanzig Jahre daran bis zu seinem Tod im Jahr 1815 und nur zwei Ausschnitte wurden zu Lebzeiten als Privatdrucke ver枚ffentlicht. Das in franz枚sisch verfasste Originalmanuskript ging irgendwo zwischen Paris und Petersburg verloren und gilt als verschollen. Aufgrund der Nachfrage erschienen zahlreiche Plagiate und fragw眉rdige Nacherz盲hlungen. Erst Mitte des 20.Jh. konnte das Original nahezu vollst盲ndig rekonstruiert werden und erschien zum ersten Mal in voller L盲nge. F眉r deutschsprachige Leser sei die sehr gelungene Neu眉bersetzung von Manfred Zander empfohlen.
Dass Jan Graf Potocki als ein ungew枚hnlicher Zeitgenosse beschrieben wird, ist nach der Lekt眉re nicht weiter verwunderlich. Der weitgereiste Universalgelehrte stammte aus dem polnischen Hochadel, bet盲tigte sich als Forscher, Wissenschaftsautor, Politiker und Diplomat und war ein Freund der franz枚sischen Revolution. Er zog sich in sp盲teren Jahren wahrscheinlich aus gesundheitlichen Gr眉nden immer mehr zur眉ck, widmete sich nur mehr seinem Roman und wurde immer sonderlicher. In seinen letzten Lebenswochen feilte er an einer, von seinem Samovar abgebrochenen Silberkugel, lie脽 diese vom Pfarrer weihen und erschoss sich damit.
October 8, 2019
Di Manoscritto trovato a Saragozza si dice che sia l'antesignano dei moderni "pastiche", un'opera scritta con l'ambizione di contenere tutti i generi letterarii: romanzo di formazione, d'avventura, picaresco, erotico, horror, fantastico. Se ne parla come (ed 猫) un romanzo Matrioska, in cui ogni storia contiene altre storie; una frase all'inizio sembra anticiparlo, descrivendo un personaggio come il "cognato del genero della cognata del suocero di mia suocera"; la sensazione di disorientamento che si prova leggendo questa frase 猫 identica a quella che si prover脿 pi霉 avanti, quando il protagonista racconta dello zingaro che racconta di Rebecca che racconta di...
Di "Manoscritto" forse non si dice, ma lo dir貌 io: la scrittura 猫 eccezionale; l'autore manipola con disinvoltura lingue e dialetti, peccato nella mia edizione ci siano poche annotazioni in merito.
Tante belle cose, comunque esticazzi. Questa 猫 roba per nerd della letteratura o per studiosi veri, e mi ha stufato giusto un attimo prima della fine. Suona fine a se stesso: manca di sangue vero, per quanto abbondi la salsa di pomodoro. Tuttavia, ha il grandissimo pregio della brevit脿, da cui le mie personalissime 4 stelle anzich茅 3.
Di "Manoscritto" forse non si dice, ma lo dir貌 io: la scrittura 猫 eccezionale; l'autore manipola con disinvoltura lingue e dialetti, peccato nella mia edizione ci siano poche annotazioni in merito.
Tante belle cose, comunque esticazzi. Questa 猫 roba per nerd della letteratura o per studiosi veri, e mi ha stufato giusto un attimo prima della fine. Suona fine a se stesso: manca di sangue vero, per quanto abbondi la salsa di pomodoro. Tuttavia, ha il grandissimo pregio della brevit脿, da cui le mie personalissime 4 stelle anzich茅 3.
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December 6, 2015
I tend to introduce these reviews with a story or anecdote inspired by the text in question, something, in most cases, from my own past or present life. So as I came to write about Jan Potocki鈥檚 The Manuscript Found in Saragossa I was understandably perturbed when I realised that group sex [specifically threesomes] is so central to the novel鈥檚 plot. As much as I want to engage and entertain the reader, to build a relationship with the reader, I don鈥檛 much fancy going there. Even a self-obsessed blabbermouth has his limits.
In which case, what else should I focus on? Well, The Manuscript could be said to be a Gothic novel, with ghosts [and Satan!] featuring heavily, and I did once, as a child, apparently claim to have seen one sitting on the end of my bed, but that was likely the overactive imagination of a troubled little boy. I could, instead, write something about Jan Potocki himself, and how it is said that that he killed himself with a silver bullet, fashioned from the handle of a sugar bowl, which is certainly a suitably macabre anecdote. But, in the end, I have come to see that none of that is necessary, because what is most telling, most relevant, relative to this novel, is precisely my desire to share stories, my love of inventing, dramatising and embellishing, my need, you might say, to rummage around in my memories and work the details of my life into short narratives.
The Manuscript Found in Saragossa begins with a brief passage about how the book was, well, found in Saragossa by an unnamed French military man, who is later captured by the Spanish. Once under arrest he requests that he be able to keep the manuscript, which, as it is written in Spanish, he can only fully understand when it is translated and read to him by a Spanish captain. Therefore, before even entering the main body of the work, one has got a taste of how tricksy and shifting and tangled, how difficult to pin down, the book is: it is, to reiterate, the story of a manuscript written in Spanish鈥iscovered by a Frenchman鈥ranslated out loud by a Spaniard鈥hen written down in French. And yet it was actually authored by a Polish Count [鈥lthough this too is subject to debate].
The following 600 pages are then given over to a mind-bending number of stories, stories within stories, and stories within stories within stories, etc., that take place mostly in Spain, France and Italy. There is, however, also a strong framing narrative, involving a young Wolloon Guard, Alphonse Von Worden, and his peregrinations through the possibly haunted Sierra Moreno and beyond, in the company of, amongst others, cabbalists, sexy lesbian Muslim sisters [who may be succubi], gypsies, bandits, and hanged men. For me, it is this that sets The Manuscript Found in Saragossa apart from other well-known books of this sort. The Arabian Nights and The Decameron, for example, are wonderful, but the framing narrative in each is just that: it is a thin [i.e. underdeveloped], less-than-engaging device that merely serves to tie the more entertaining tales together. Yet with Potocki鈥檚 work the frame is probably the most enjoyable [ or certainly the most intriguing] aspect of the novel, and I was always eager to get back to it, even though the other stories, with the exception of The Wandering Jew鈥檚, were also able to effortlessly hold my attention.
[One of Zoto鈥檚 brothers, from the film version of the novel]
One would expect with this kind of novel that there wouldn鈥檛 be a great deal of character depth or development, but that isn鈥檛 necessarily the case here. I certainly wouldn鈥檛 call any of the main characters complex, but Potocki does provide backstories, and explanations or justifications as to their personalities or behaviour. For example, in one of the stories we are told how Alphonse鈥檚 father was an expert on duelling, and duelling etiquette, and how he impressed upon his son the importance of honour and fearlessness; indeed, he once wanted the young boy thrashed when he admitted that he would be frightened if ever in the presence of ghosts. Therefore, one understands, in retrospect, why Alphonse refused to turn back even when warned twice about travelling through the Sierra Moreno, and why he appears to take all the strange goings-on in his stride. Furthermore, throughout the framing narrative Alphonse鈥檚 honour is put to the test. After giving the two Muslim sisters his word that he would not think ill of them, no matter what he was told or experienced, he is frequently asked to denounce them, but steadfastly refuses, and is, in fact, generally suspicious of anyone who wants him to doubt them.
I briefly mentioned Alphonse鈥檚 father in the preceding paragraph, and it is worth noting that the relationship between parents and children, specifically fathers and their children, plays a key role in most of the stories. Potocki鈥檚 fathers tend to be demanding of their offspring and/or subject to some peculiar preoccupation themselves. Take Valasquez, the geometrician, whose father insists that he avoid geometry and mathematics, and learn how to dance instead; or the cabbalist Rebecca, whose father, also a cabbalist, devotes his life to the art, and later insists that his daughter marry two demi-Gods. What the author shows in this instance, and in many other stories, is how one鈥檚 parents influence the direction of one鈥檚 life and help to mould the person that you become. Rebecca feels pressurised into pursuing cabbala, which does not interest her as much as her father and brother, and considers it an impediment to her living her life as she would like, taking a mortal husband and having children of her own.
Eventually Rebecca gives up cabbala, and one sees in this another of the novel鈥檚 motifs, which is that of things or people changing in some way or becoming something else. The most obvious, and repeated, example of this is the two hanged men, who we are initially informed are Zoto鈥檚 brothers [and therefore bandits], but who are later revealed to be shepherds, executed by the authorities in place of the brothers. Throughout, many of the characters have some experience of the two men, which invariably involves them coming down from the gallows and taking another form 鈥� such as the two Muslim sisters, Emina and Zubaida 鈥� and attempting to, or succeeding in, seducing them. Moreover, there is some debate as to whether the men are ghosts or vampires, or even whether they are, in fact, supernatural at all.
[Emina and Zubaida, and Alphonse]
As a reviewer you want to identify, and discuss, the author鈥檚 aims, his ideas; you want to be able to say what the point is of all that you have read. But one of the features of The Manuscript is that it doesn鈥檛 appear to have any overriding, unifying theme[s]. Take the stuff about change, you might say that it is intended to highlight how things are not always what they seem, to warn you that you should not judge too rashly; or perhaps you could see it all as a comment on how life is full of twists and turns, how it is rarely ever stable and consistent. Yet I don鈥檛 really buy any of that, which is to say that, yes, life is not always consistent, but I don鈥檛 think the author was too concerned with communicating that idea to his audience. I think, as hinted at in my introduction, that the book is simply a very fine example of [a love of] the art of story telling; it is the product of someone revelling in it and having fun, rather than that of a man wanting to instruct or teach or philosophise. And sometimes that is just what you need: mindless fun, that doesn鈥檛 overtax your brain or play on your emotions.
In which case, what else should I focus on? Well, The Manuscript could be said to be a Gothic novel, with ghosts [and Satan!] featuring heavily, and I did once, as a child, apparently claim to have seen one sitting on the end of my bed, but that was likely the overactive imagination of a troubled little boy. I could, instead, write something about Jan Potocki himself, and how it is said that that he killed himself with a silver bullet, fashioned from the handle of a sugar bowl, which is certainly a suitably macabre anecdote. But, in the end, I have come to see that none of that is necessary, because what is most telling, most relevant, relative to this novel, is precisely my desire to share stories, my love of inventing, dramatising and embellishing, my need, you might say, to rummage around in my memories and work the details of my life into short narratives.
The Manuscript Found in Saragossa begins with a brief passage about how the book was, well, found in Saragossa by an unnamed French military man, who is later captured by the Spanish. Once under arrest he requests that he be able to keep the manuscript, which, as it is written in Spanish, he can only fully understand when it is translated and read to him by a Spanish captain. Therefore, before even entering the main body of the work, one has got a taste of how tricksy and shifting and tangled, how difficult to pin down, the book is: it is, to reiterate, the story of a manuscript written in Spanish鈥iscovered by a Frenchman鈥ranslated out loud by a Spaniard鈥hen written down in French. And yet it was actually authored by a Polish Count [鈥lthough this too is subject to debate].
The following 600 pages are then given over to a mind-bending number of stories, stories within stories, and stories within stories within stories, etc., that take place mostly in Spain, France and Italy. There is, however, also a strong framing narrative, involving a young Wolloon Guard, Alphonse Von Worden, and his peregrinations through the possibly haunted Sierra Moreno and beyond, in the company of, amongst others, cabbalists, sexy lesbian Muslim sisters [who may be succubi], gypsies, bandits, and hanged men. For me, it is this that sets The Manuscript Found in Saragossa apart from other well-known books of this sort. The Arabian Nights and The Decameron, for example, are wonderful, but the framing narrative in each is just that: it is a thin [i.e. underdeveloped], less-than-engaging device that merely serves to tie the more entertaining tales together. Yet with Potocki鈥檚 work the frame is probably the most enjoyable [ or certainly the most intriguing] aspect of the novel, and I was always eager to get back to it, even though the other stories, with the exception of The Wandering Jew鈥檚, were also able to effortlessly hold my attention.
[One of Zoto鈥檚 brothers, from the film version of the novel]
One would expect with this kind of novel that there wouldn鈥檛 be a great deal of character depth or development, but that isn鈥檛 necessarily the case here. I certainly wouldn鈥檛 call any of the main characters complex, but Potocki does provide backstories, and explanations or justifications as to their personalities or behaviour. For example, in one of the stories we are told how Alphonse鈥檚 father was an expert on duelling, and duelling etiquette, and how he impressed upon his son the importance of honour and fearlessness; indeed, he once wanted the young boy thrashed when he admitted that he would be frightened if ever in the presence of ghosts. Therefore, one understands, in retrospect, why Alphonse refused to turn back even when warned twice about travelling through the Sierra Moreno, and why he appears to take all the strange goings-on in his stride. Furthermore, throughout the framing narrative Alphonse鈥檚 honour is put to the test. After giving the two Muslim sisters his word that he would not think ill of them, no matter what he was told or experienced, he is frequently asked to denounce them, but steadfastly refuses, and is, in fact, generally suspicious of anyone who wants him to doubt them.
I briefly mentioned Alphonse鈥檚 father in the preceding paragraph, and it is worth noting that the relationship between parents and children, specifically fathers and their children, plays a key role in most of the stories. Potocki鈥檚 fathers tend to be demanding of their offspring and/or subject to some peculiar preoccupation themselves. Take Valasquez, the geometrician, whose father insists that he avoid geometry and mathematics, and learn how to dance instead; or the cabbalist Rebecca, whose father, also a cabbalist, devotes his life to the art, and later insists that his daughter marry two demi-Gods. What the author shows in this instance, and in many other stories, is how one鈥檚 parents influence the direction of one鈥檚 life and help to mould the person that you become. Rebecca feels pressurised into pursuing cabbala, which does not interest her as much as her father and brother, and considers it an impediment to her living her life as she would like, taking a mortal husband and having children of her own.
Eventually Rebecca gives up cabbala, and one sees in this another of the novel鈥檚 motifs, which is that of things or people changing in some way or becoming something else. The most obvious, and repeated, example of this is the two hanged men, who we are initially informed are Zoto鈥檚 brothers [and therefore bandits], but who are later revealed to be shepherds, executed by the authorities in place of the brothers. Throughout, many of the characters have some experience of the two men, which invariably involves them coming down from the gallows and taking another form 鈥� such as the two Muslim sisters, Emina and Zubaida 鈥� and attempting to, or succeeding in, seducing them. Moreover, there is some debate as to whether the men are ghosts or vampires, or even whether they are, in fact, supernatural at all.
[Emina and Zubaida, and Alphonse]
As a reviewer you want to identify, and discuss, the author鈥檚 aims, his ideas; you want to be able to say what the point is of all that you have read. But one of the features of The Manuscript is that it doesn鈥檛 appear to have any overriding, unifying theme[s]. Take the stuff about change, you might say that it is intended to highlight how things are not always what they seem, to warn you that you should not judge too rashly; or perhaps you could see it all as a comment on how life is full of twists and turns, how it is rarely ever stable and consistent. Yet I don鈥檛 really buy any of that, which is to say that, yes, life is not always consistent, but I don鈥檛 think the author was too concerned with communicating that idea to his audience. I think, as hinted at in my introduction, that the book is simply a very fine example of [a love of] the art of story telling; it is the product of someone revelling in it and having fun, rather than that of a man wanting to instruct or teach or philosophise. And sometimes that is just what you need: mindless fun, that doesn鈥檛 overtax your brain or play on your emotions.
August 15, 2024
This may be the best Polish novel ever written. Potocki was a member of one of the leading noble families of Poland. During the Napoleonic Wars he served as an officer with the French army. He appears to have taken a series of soldier's campfire tales and strung them together to create a work very similar to Antoine Galland's translation of the Tales of the Arabian nights. To this Potocki adds Masonic and Kabbalistic elements. It is a brio performance by any measure. Try to find Jerzy Haas's brilliant movie adaption once you are done reading this remarkable book. Lu en francais.
July 16, 2019
I wasn't sure quite how to rate this one. The sheer number of nested stories and the similarity between many of the plot lines meant that I pretty much gave up trying to remember who was who.
Still, it was quite enjoyable and for some reason (known only to myself I suspect) the resolution reminded me slightly of Illuminatus
Still, it was quite enjoyable and for some reason (known only to myself I suspect) the resolution reminded me slightly of Illuminatus
September 10, 2021
'The Manuscript Found in Saragossa' has been on my to-read list for at least a decade and I have no recollection of how it got there. I haven't come across any convenient library copies and most of those on eBay are heavily abridged. Finally I found an affordable second hand copy with all 600 pages. It was worth waiting for! What an absolutely delightful, hilarious, strange, philosophical, gothic novel. The labyrinthine narrative begins like this: a young Walloon officer named Alphonse is journeying across a Spanish desert. After losing his companions, he takes refuge in an empty inn. There he meets and is seduced by two mysterious and beautiful women who claim to be his cousins. He wakes up the next morning under a gallows, between the corpses of two bandits. Alphonse is understandably concerned that he may have had a threesome with ghosts, vampires, zombies, or demons. Pondering this mystery, he continues his journey and encounters a series of voluble personages who tell him their life stories.
These autobiographical tales invariably contain the stories of others nested within them, to the point that the reader gets three stories deep. The characters themselves comment on this and make suggestions like, "I have always thought that novels and other works of that kind should be written in several columns like chronological tables." It takes a skilled writer to make such an intricate structure work without completely confusing the reader. I admit that the novel is best read in large chunks so as to keep track of who is talking, but nonetheless found it easier to follow than expected simply because it's so entertaining. The stories involve all manner of amusing drama, including duels, war, banditry, thwarted love, cross-dressing, vengeance, secret marriages, and geometry. The characters all have distinctive and often hilariously deadpan voices, such as:
As the novel continues, the reader starts to see linkages between the stories and with Alphonse's strange experience. It's very satisfying to pull threads together and notice how stories overlap. As befits a novel of this length, there is a whole lot going on. I was fascinated by the clever and ambiguous combination of religious, supernatural, philosophical, and scientific themes, which evoke the Enlightenment better than any non-fiction I've read on the topic (which admittedly isn't much). The reader is treated to accounts from a cabbalist of his magical powers and a lecture from a geometer on how all human knowledge can be divided into subjects. Better still, these two characters discuss such topics with each other and other characters. Meanwhile, Alphonse puzzles as to whether he had a supernatural experience or was manipulated by humans for unknown reasons. The reader gets the sense of a world trying to reconcile old beliefs and new discoveries through dialogue. Potocki is a very funny writer, so everyone and everything is mocked at least a little. This manifests in farcical scenes of medical students pretending to be ghosts as they steal corpses from a graveyard for dissection, as well as discussions like this:
Potocki's comedy and melodrama are based upon great insight. For every amusing bit of byplay, there is a remarkable aside like this:
None of the tales have an obvious or heavy-handed moral message. Some end tragically, some happily, some ambiguously. Nobody is utterly villainous or utterly heroic, although Busqueros is utterly annoying. Nobody is a totally reliable narrator either. One character is, allegedly, the Wandering Jew of myth:
I've never read a novel quite like this one. The intricate structure conveys a wonderful sense of polyphony, diverse perspectives, curiosity, discovery, and demystification. The excitement of intellectual enquiry via debate is prominent amid the emotional turmoil of love, betrayal, and loss. On top of this, it manages to be both spicy and hilarious, a combination which very few novels achieve. The introduction also notes that the author and composition of the book were as mysterious as its content. Potocki had a tumultuous and exciting life, which undoubtedly informed the stories his characters tell. 'The Manuscript Found in Saragossa' was apparently written some time between the 1790s and his death by suicide in 1815. It was composed in French but no complete original manuscript survives (or at least none had been found when this 1996 edition was published). The complete version has been pieced together using a Polish translation. I found the English translation readable and atmospheric, giving the novel a tone I really loved. I highly recommend following the hapless Alphonse as he wanders into a web of intrigue, adventure, intellectual investigation, and bickering. I don't know how obscure this novel is in the 21st century, but it deserves to be very well known. I intend to tell everyone willing to discuss books with me about it.
These autobiographical tales invariably contain the stories of others nested within them, to the point that the reader gets three stories deep. The characters themselves comment on this and make suggestions like, "I have always thought that novels and other works of that kind should be written in several columns like chronological tables." It takes a skilled writer to make such an intricate structure work without completely confusing the reader. I admit that the novel is best read in large chunks so as to keep track of who is talking, but nonetheless found it easier to follow than expected simply because it's so entertaining. The stories involve all manner of amusing drama, including duels, war, banditry, thwarted love, cross-dressing, vengeance, secret marriages, and geometry. The characters all have distinctive and often hilariously deadpan voices, such as:
"Signor Zoto," Monaldi replied, "It is somewhat surprising that you have not got the heart to administer any punishment at all to your wife but you are prepared to waylay men at the edge of a wood. But everything is possible and this is far from the only such contradiction hidden in the human heart. I am ready to introduce you to my friends [who are bandits] but you must first commit at least one murder."
As the novel continues, the reader starts to see linkages between the stories and with Alphonse's strange experience. It's very satisfying to pull threads together and notice how stories overlap. As befits a novel of this length, there is a whole lot going on. I was fascinated by the clever and ambiguous combination of religious, supernatural, philosophical, and scientific themes, which evoke the Enlightenment better than any non-fiction I've read on the topic (which admittedly isn't much). The reader is treated to accounts from a cabbalist of his magical powers and a lecture from a geometer on how all human knowledge can be divided into subjects. Better still, these two characters discuss such topics with each other and other characters. Meanwhile, Alphonse puzzles as to whether he had a supernatural experience or was manipulated by humans for unknown reasons. The reader gets the sense of a world trying to reconcile old beliefs and new discoveries through dialogue. Potocki is a very funny writer, so everyone and everything is mocked at least a little. This manifests in farcical scenes of medical students pretending to be ghosts as they steal corpses from a graveyard for dissection, as well as discussions like this:
"Good Lord," said the cabbalist to Senor Don de Velasquez the geometer, "if you don't yourself know the feeling of impatience you must have observed it occasionally in those with whom you have dealings."
"That is so," replied Velasquez. "I have often observed impatience in others, and it seems to me to be a feeling of unease which never ceases growing, without there appearing to be any law that governs the growth. One may say, however, that in general terms it is in inverse ratio to the square of the force of inertia. So that if I am twice as difficult to move to impatience as you are, I will only suffer one degree of it at the end of the first hour while you will suffer four. The same applies to all emotions which can be looked on as motive forces."
Potocki's comedy and melodrama are based upon great insight. For every amusing bit of byplay, there is a remarkable aside like this:
Like everything in this world, religions are subject to a slow, continuous force which tends continually to change their form and nature, with the result that after some centuries a religion that is still thought of as the same ends up by offering different things for men to put their faith in: allegories whose meaning has been lost, dogmas which no longer are fully believed.
None of the tales have an obvious or heavy-handed moral message. Some end tragically, some happily, some ambiguously. Nobody is utterly villainous or utterly heroic, although Busqueros is utterly annoying. Nobody is a totally reliable narrator either. One character is, allegedly, the Wandering Jew of myth:
I then spoke and asked the Jew what was the charm he found in such wilderness.
"Not seeing any humans," he replied. "And if I do meet some lost traveller or a family of Arabs, I know the lair of a lioness who is rearing her young. I lead her towards her prey and have the pleasure of seeing her devour them under my very eyes."
"You seem to have a somewhat bad character, Senor Ahasuerus," said Velasquez.
"I warned you," said the cabbalist. "He's the greatest scoundrel on earth."
"If you had lived eighteen hundred years," said the wanderer, "you wouldn't be any better than I am."
"I hope to live longer and be better than you," said the cabbalist. "But enough of these disagreeable thoughts. Continue with your story."
I've never read a novel quite like this one. The intricate structure conveys a wonderful sense of polyphony, diverse perspectives, curiosity, discovery, and demystification. The excitement of intellectual enquiry via debate is prominent amid the emotional turmoil of love, betrayal, and loss. On top of this, it manages to be both spicy and hilarious, a combination which very few novels achieve. The introduction also notes that the author and composition of the book were as mysterious as its content. Potocki had a tumultuous and exciting life, which undoubtedly informed the stories his characters tell. 'The Manuscript Found in Saragossa' was apparently written some time between the 1790s and his death by suicide in 1815. It was composed in French but no complete original manuscript survives (or at least none had been found when this 1996 edition was published). The complete version has been pieced together using a Polish translation. I found the English translation readable and atmospheric, giving the novel a tone I really loved. I highly recommend following the hapless Alphonse as he wanders into a web of intrigue, adventure, intellectual investigation, and bickering. I don't know how obscure this novel is in the 21st century, but it deserves to be very well known. I intend to tell everyone willing to discuss books with me about it.
April 28, 2021
Count Jan Potocki鈥檚 The Manuscript Found in Saragossa has somewhat of a cult following amongst fans of Gothic fiction. It consists of a collection of supernatural tales linked together by a complex series of frame stories, as in a nightmarish hall of mirrors. It has been called a "black Decameron". This is a really apt description, considering that practically all Gothic tropes are represented in the convoluted text: from ghosts to vampires, secret societies to violent bandits, underground passages to haunted castles. A bonus for Melitensia enthusiasts 鈥� one of the stories features a Knight of Malta who murders a rival in Strait Street, Valletta just up the road from where I earn my daily bread (in decidedly more mundane environs).
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