author
Gerdt von Bassewitz
1878–1923
Best remembered for the dreamy children’s classic Peterchens Mondfahrt, he moved between military life, the stage, and writing before creating the work that kept his name alive. His story has the feel of a fairy tale itself: one enduring success, born first as a play and then as a beloved book.
1 Audiobook
Peterchens Mondfahrt: Ein Märchenspiel
by Gerdt von Bassewitz
About the author
Born on January 4, 1878, in Allewind in the Kingdom of Württemberg, Gerdt Bernhard von Bassewitz-Hohenluckow was a German writer, playwright, actor, and former lieutenant in the Prussian militia. His career crossed several worlds, from the military to the theater, and that mix of discipline and imagination gives his life a distinctive shape.
He is chiefly remembered for Peterchens Mondfahrt (Little Peter's Journey to the Moon), his best-known and most lasting work. The story first found success as a stage play in Leipzig in 1912 and later appeared as a book in 1915, winning generations of young readers with its playful fantasy and moonlit adventure.
Bassewitz died in Berlin on February 6, 1923. Although he did not leave behind a large body of famous works, the charm and staying power of Peterchens Mondfahrt secured him a lasting place in German children’s literature.