author
Freiherr von Karl Ludwig Pöllnitz
1692–1775
A restless courtier, traveler, and memoirist, he turned a life of constant movement through Europe into sharp, entertaining writing. His books offer a lively window into 18th-century courts, manners, and personalities.
4 Audiobooks
About the author
Born in Issum in 1692, Karl Ludwig Freiherr von Pöllnitz grew up with ties to the Prussian court and became known for an adventurous, unsettled life. He moved through several European courts, traveled widely, and built a reputation as both a charming observer and a controversial figure.
Pöllnitz wrote in French, the language of much elite European culture at the time, and is best remembered for his memoirs and travel writings. These works mix court gossip, social observation, and personal experience, making them valuable not just as literature but also as vivid glimpses of 18th-century political and social life.
Later in life, he was associated especially with the court of Frederick II of Prussia in Berlin, where he served as a courtier. He died in Berlin in 1775, leaving behind a body of writing that still interests readers for its wit, its immediacy, and its portrait of a world built on rank, ceremony, and intrigue.