Was one of the great novels of the Enlightenment written by a man who thought he was a werewolf?

Jan Potocki’s *The Manuscript Found in Saragossa*, an unusual, little-known novel from the early 19th century, is the focus of a new exhibition in Switzerland. Its nested stories range across centuries and continents, and the curators argue that its vision of cultural exchange gives it renewed relevance.

Potocki, a Polish count who wrote in French, drew on interests including Jewish culture and esoteric learning. He died by suicide in 1815, prompting speculation that he believed he was a werewolf, though this is linked to an unverified story about a sugar-bowl lid. In 2002, newly identified manuscripts led scholars to conclude that he had left behind two novels, complicating the book’s publication history.