author

Pierre-Raymond de Brisson

b. 1745

A French traveler and naval officer, he is remembered for a gripping firsthand account of shipwreck and captivity on the West African coast in the late 1780s. His survival story helped bring an unfamiliar part of the world vividly to European readers.

1 Audiobook

Perils and Captivity Comprising The sufferings of the Picard family after the shipwreck of the Medusa, in the year 1816; Narrative of the captivity of M. de Brisson, in the year 1785; Voyage of Madame Godin along the river of the Amazons, in the year 1770.

Perils and Captivity Comprising The sufferings of the Picard family after the shipwreck of the Medusa, in the year 1816; Narrative of the captivity of M. de Brisson, in the year 1785; Voyage of Madame Godin along the river of the Amazons, in the year 1770.

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

About the author

Born in Moissac on January 22, 1745, Pierre-Raymond de Brisson was a French naval officer and traveler. He is chiefly known for the narrative of his experiences after a shipwreck near the coast of Senegal, where he was taken captive and later made his way back to freedom.

His best-known book, Histoire du naufrage et de la captivité de M. de Brisson, appeared in 1789 and was soon translated into English. Part adventure story and part travel narrative, it offered readers a direct account of danger, endurance, and the landscapes between Senegal and Morocco.

Library and catalog records identify him as living from 1745 to 1820. Although not among the most famous travel writers of his century, his work remains notable as a vivid firsthand testimony from the age of exploration and maritime risk.