Adelbert von Chamisso

Adelbert von Chamisso (born Louis Charles Adélaïde de Chamisso de Boncourt, 1781–1838) was a German poet and naturalist of French origin. After serving as a Prussian officer, he studied botany and medicine and took part as a naturalist in the Russian Rurik expedition’s voyage around the world from 1815 to 1818. He later worked at the Botanical Garden in Berlin. Although French was his native language, he wrote significant works in German. His best-known works include the novella “Peter Schlemihl’s Miraculous Story” and the poem “The Giant’s Toy” (“Das Riesenspielzeug”).