Baron Munchausen's Narrative of his Marvellous Travels and Campaigns in Russia (The Surprising Adventures of Baron Munchausen) is a 1785 novel about a fictional German nobleman written by the German writer Rudolf Erich Raspe.
The lead character Baron Munchausen is loosely based on a real baron, Hieronymus Karl Friedrich, Freiherr von Münchhausen (1720–1797): the fictionalized character was created by Rudolf Erich Raspe.
Rudolf Erich Raspe (March 1736 – 16 November 1794) was a German librarian, writer, and scientist, called by his biographer John Patrick Carswell a "rogue". He is best known for his collection of tall tales The Surprising Adventures of Baron Munchausen, also known as Baron Munchausen's Narrative of his Marvellous Travels and Campaigns in Russia, originally a satirical work with political aims.