Biography

Count Jan Potocki (8 March 1761 - 23 December 1815) was a Polish nobleman, ethnologist, linguist, traveler and author of the Enlightenment period, whose life and exploits made him a celebrated figure in Poland. He is known chiefly for his picaresque novel, The Manuscript Found in Saragossa. Born into affluent Polish nobility, Potocki lived abroad from an early age and was primarily educated in Switzerland. He frequently visited the salons of Paris and toured Europe before temporarily returning to Poland in 1778. As a soldier, he fought in Austrian ranks in the War of the Bavarian Succession, and in 1789 was appointed a military engineer in the Polish army. During his extensive voyages he actively documented prevailing customs, ongoing wars, revolutions and national awakenings, which made him a pioneer of travel literature. Fascinated by the occult, Potocki studied ancient cultures, rituals and secret societies. Simultaneously, he was a member of parliament and took part in the Great Sejm shortly before the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth ceased to exist. In spite of his literary career, Potocki became burdened by mental illness, melancholy as well as severe clinical lycanthropy, which led him to believe that he was transformed into a werewolf. He committed suicide by gunshot in 1815, however, the circumstances of his death remain controversial to this day.
- IMDb mini biography by: Bonitao

Was one of the first people to ride in a hot air balloon (Warsaw, 1790).

Was an Egyptologist.

Pictured on a 5z Polish postage stamp issued 25 June 2015, commemorating the 200th anniversary of his death.