Note: This novel was written between about 1794 and about 1810. It was not published in its entirety during the author's lifetime, although various incomplete selections from it were. The earliest, titled Manuscrit trouvé à Saragosse, was printed in St. Petersburg 1804-1805; two others in Paris: Avadoro in 1813 and Dix Journées de la vie d'Alphonse Van Worden in 1814. The first attempt at reconstructing and publishing the whole thing, from partial manuscripts and other sources, appeared in 1989, edited by René Radrizzani. In 2004, more manuscripts having been discovered, a different complete edition was published, edited by François Rosset and Dominique Triaire.

Synopsis: A young officer of the Garde Wallonne, Alphonse Van Worden, wanders into the Sierra Morena where he experiences strange events and meets a very diverse cast of characters who tell him story after story— picaresque, libertine, philosophical, etc. It turns out that all these encounters are part of an ambitious plan prepared for centuries.