Gerdt von Bassewitz

Gerdt Bernhard von Bassewitz-Hohenluckow (4 January 1878 in Allewind, Kingdom of Württemberg – 6 February 1923 in Berlin) was a German lieutenant in the Prussian militia, a writer, a playwright, and an actor. He had his only great success with ''Little Peter's Journey to the Moon'' (''Peterchens Mondfahrt''), which began as a successful stage play in 1912 in Leipzig and was published as a book in 1915.

It 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 became assistant stage director in Cologne. Eventually, he moved to Berlin, where he made a living as a freelance writer.

On 6 February 1923, after a public reading at the Villa Siemens, he committed suicide at the age of 45. Provided by Wikipedia