author

Pierre-Raymond de Brisson

b. 1745

A French traveler and memoirist, he is remembered for a vivid firsthand account of shipwreck, captivity, and survival in North Africa. His best-known book blends adventure with close observation, giving modern readers a striking glimpse of the late eighteenth century.

1 Audiobook

Perils and Captivity

Perils and Captivity

by Pierre-Raymond de Brisson, Charlotte-Adelaïde Dard, Jean Godin des Odonais

About the author

Born in 1745 and dying in 1820, Pierre-Raymond de Brisson is listed by the Bibliothèque nationale de France as a French author best known today for his travel narrative and memoir of survival.

His name is closely tied to An Account of the Shipwreck and Captivity of M. de Brisson, first published in the late eighteenth century and later translated into English. In it, he recounts his own experience after a shipwreck and his captivity, while also describing the lands stretching from Senegal to Morocco.

What makes his work memorable is its mix of danger, endurance, and eyewitness detail. For listeners who enjoy true adventures from earlier centuries, his writing offers both a personal survival story and a window into how Europeans described West and North Africa at the time.