harry clemens ulrich graf von kessler (23 may 1868 – 30 november 1937) was an anglo-german count, diplomat, writer, and patron of modern art. english translations of his diaries "journey to the abyss" (2011) and "berlin in lights" (1971) reveal anecdotes and details of artistic, theatrical, and political life in europe, mostly in germany, from the late 19th century through the collapse of germany at the end of world war i until his death in lyon in 1937.