Astolphe-Louis-Léonor, Marquis de Custine (18 March 1790 – 25 September 1857) was a French aristocrat and writer who is best known for his travel writing, in particular his account of his visit to Russia, La Russie en 1839.

In the aftermath of the overthrow of Robespierre and the end of the Reign of Terror, the friendship of the marchioness with Joseph Fouché (who would eventually become Minister of Police under Napoleon) allowed her to recover part of the family fortune.

[2] Custine spent time in the diplomatic service, attending the Congress of Vienna, and even accepted a military commission.

During the marriage Custine met and established a romantic relationship with an Englishman, Edward Saint-Barbe, who moved into the house with the couple, and remained his life companion.

[1] A few years later, in 1826, several family friends would die, as well as Custine's young son Enguerrand (born 1822), by his late wife, and his mother.

In 1835, an extremely attractive Polish count, the 23-year-old Ignatius Gurowski (1812–1887),[6] moved into Custine and Saint-Barbe's home in the rue de La Rochefoucauld to form a ménage à trois.

Wrote Custine: "He has an excellent heart, an original mind, is graciously ignorant of everything, and what settles it all, a charming bearing and countenance.

"[4] The capricious Gurowski was not an easy guest, running up debts and seducing both men and women, but appears to have amused the couple.

The detailed register of homosexuals, then maintained by the Paris police prefecture, and which termed Custine's inclinations 'frantic', wrote of Gurowski with a comical note of possible despair: "It is hereditary in his family: his father and grandfather were of the same religion.

He attributed this state of affairs to what he saw as the backwardness of the Russian Orthodox Church, combined with the disastrous effects of the Mongol invasion of medieval Russia, and the policies of Peter the Great.

In the mid-20th century, many commentators drew parallels between Custine's description of Russia and contemporary Soviet Union as well as noticing many similarities between his character outline of Nicholas I and Joseph Stalin.

[14] Custine's observations in La Russie en 1839 continue to be admired for their insight, prescience and sheer entertainment value, but are also disliked by others for reasons that can include the belief they are inaccurate, pretentious, racist, and that the idea of national stereotypes is an absurdity.

His conversations with the time-travelling narrator are intended to reflect Russia's continued struggle to search for its own identity and define its relations vis-à-vis Europe.