The best are the worst

 

“Äventyraren Sven Hedin” is a popularized book by Axel Odelberg about the life of famed Swedish explorer Sven Hedin (1865-1952). The author describes Hedin as a man who “found his way in geography but lost it in politics”, which seems to be a fair assessment. Hedin traveled widely in Central, Inner and East Asia. He made sensational archeological discoveries in the deserts, solved the mystery of the “wandering lake” Lop Nur, discovered (or supposedly discovered) Transhimalaya and the sources of several Indian rivers, and attempted to climb Muztagh Ata in Xinjiang. He also made a dramatic but failed attempt to reach Lhasa in Tibet, at the time off limits to foreigners. 

Hedin became an international super-celebrity, spoke several European and Asian languages more or less fluently, and met a number of luminaries, including Emperor Meiji of Japan, the British explorer Stanley, Chinese Nationalist leader Chiang Kai-shek, and the Russian Czar Nicholas II. From an upper class background, he also had connections with the Swedish royal court and was apparently the last person in Swedish history to be ennobled. His coat of arms shows a globe centered on Asia!

As a person, Hedin seems to have been both charming, an excellent speaker, tough and somewhat reckless. He was good at flattery, but also easily flattered. Odelberg believes that Hedin was too fixed on the exterior of people he encountered, including the trappings of power. Interestingly, Hedin never got married and had no children. His love affairs were entirely Platonic. I can´t help wondering if he might have been homosexual or even asexual. 

His political views, while conservative at bottom, were frequently idiosyncratic and mercurial. He turned from being pro-Russian to becoming Sweden´s most prominent anti-Russian militarist activist, only to develop sympathies for the Bolshevik regime after the revolution. During his travels, he tried to be on good terms with both the Russians, the British and the Chinese, while at bottom having a “pro-Asian” attitude and a contempt for Christian missionaries. His pro-German sympathies were more fixed, and he was eventually to develop strong pro-Nazi attitudes. Indeed, Hedin was one of the few Swedes who could meet more or less freely with Hitler himself, who did his best to flatter the famous explorer with effusive praise. Hedin´s pro-Nazi sympathies and increasingly prominent anti-Semitism were bizarre, since he was actually half-Jewish! It´s not clear to me whether Hitler and the other Nazi leaders knew this.

I admit that I found “Äventyraren Sven Hedin” a fascinating read. I never much cared for Hedin before…well, except for one thing. 

In 1914, Hedin made his most memorable (and most controversial) intervention in Swedish politics. He actually used King Gustav V to force the liberal government of Karl Staaff to resign! The short story is that the king addressed a pro-militarist farmers´ march in Stockholm, expressing strong support for larger defense spending. The so-called Courtyard Speech was secretly written by Hedin (something he didn´t admit until 40 years later). The liberal government, which opposed Swedish rearmament, resigned and was replaced by a conservative administration which subsequently was confirmed in a snap election. 

This was a remarkable achievement by Hedin, but it did take place before Sweden introduced universal suffrage. It was also the last time a Swedish king tried to meddle in politics. Judging by the book, Hedin managed to remain on good terms (more or less) with all the main political factions in Sweden even after the 1914 events, which strikes me as even more remarkable. During World War II, the Swedish government (which was neutral in the war) used Hedin as a back channel to Hitler. Odelberg speculates that maybe Hedin played a role when Hitler lobbied Stalin not to force too harsh peace terms on Finland after the Winter War.

In general, though, Hedin´s pro-Nazi sympathies (rather obviously) destroyed his reputation. He even wrote a panegyrical obituary to Hitler upon learning that the German Führer had shot himself in Berlin, arguing that Hitler was one of the greatest men in world history! It´s not clear to me whether Hedin ever recanted his views, but shortly before his death, he actually criticized the terror against the Jews and against Poland in an interview with an Irish (sic) newspaper.

I´m not sure how to end this review. Maybe by saying that the best are frequently also the worst?