Gerdt Bernhard von Bassewitz (1878 - 1923), having been a lieutenant in the Prussian militia, a playwright, and an actor, had his only great success with Peter and Anneli's Journey to the Moon (Peterchens Mondfahrt), which began as a successful stage play in 1912 in Leipzig and was issued as a book in 1915. It quickly became one of the best-loved German children's books and has been a bestseller in Germany to this day. After his success, von Bassewitz went on to become an assistant stage director in Cologne. Eventually he moved to Berlin, where he lived as a freelance writer.
