author
Graf von Felix Luckner
1881–1966
An adventurous German sailor and writer, he became famous as the daring captain of the raider Seeadler in the First World War. His real life was so dramatic that it often reads like a sea novel.
2 Audiobooks
Seeteufel: Abenteuer aus meinem Leben
by Graf von Felix Luckner
Count Luckner, the Sea Devil
by Lowell Thomas, Graf von Felix Luckner
About the author
Born in Dresden on June 9, 1881, Felix Graf von Luckner came from an aristocratic family but built his reputation through a restless life at sea. As a young man he ran away to join merchant ships, worked a wide range of jobs, and later trained formally as a seaman before serving in the German navy.
He is best remembered for commanding the sailing commerce raider SMS Seeadler during the First World War. Luckner gained the nickname "the Sea Devil" for bold attacks on Allied shipping, and he became widely known for combining theatrical daring with a reputation for trying to avoid unnecessary loss of life.
After the war, he turned that fame into a public career as an author, lecturer, and globe-trotting celebrity. He remained a colorful figure for decades and died in Malmö, Sweden, on April 13, 1966.