Gerdt von Bassewitz

Born on January 4, 1878, Gerdt Bernhard von Bassewitz-Hohenluckow was a German writer, playwright, and actor. Sources describe him as a former lieutenant in the Prussian militia who later found success in the theater world.

During his lifetime, he was known as a playwright, but today he is remembered above all for Peterchens Mondfahrt (Peter and Anneli's Journey to the Moon / Little Peter's Journey to the Moon). The story first succeeded on stage in Leipzig before being published as a book, and it became the work most closely tied to his name.

Bassewitz died in Berlin on February 6, 1923. Though his life was relatively short, his moon-journey fantasy continued to live on through later editions, adaptations, and its lasting place in German children's literature.