Christian Reuter

Christian Reuter was a German author from Kütten near Halle, baptized in 1665 and documented as living until at least 1712. Reliable reference sources describe him as a satirical writer of the Baroque period, and he is especially associated with the literary figure Schelmuffsky.

He studied in Leipzig, first theology and later law, before turning to writing. His work includes satirical prose and plays, with Schelmuffskys wahrhafftige curiöse und sehr gefährliche Reisebeschreibung zu Wasser und Lande generally cited as his best-known book and as an early German picaresque novel.

Reuter's writing is remembered for its humor, exaggeration, and interest in social pretension and middle-class weakness. Even in brief biographies, he comes across as a writer who liked to puncture self-importance and make misadventure entertaining.