I used to be fascinated by Alexandra David-Neel. I am surprised to see that anyone on the Internet remembers Sven Hedin. I went on a huge Sven Hedin kick a few years ago, around 2020 or so, but this is the first time I've seen a native English speaker express any interest in him. I don't think any reasonable person can criticize Hedin too harshly for failing to foresee the horrors of World War II. We might as well criticize him for failing to foresee the health hazards posed by waste products from fission reactors. The man was an explorer. He actually trudged on his own two feet and nearly died of thirst but kept going. He was not a specialist in politics or law.
A balanced consideration of Hedin, including his Jewish ancestry and his opposition to British imperialism, can be found at:
https://svenhedinfoundation.org/biography/sven-hedin-biography/
I used to be fascinated by Alexandra David-Neel. I am surprised to see that anyone on the Internet remembers Sven Hedin. I went on a huge Sven Hedin kick a few years ago, around 2020 or so, but this is the first time I've seen a native English speaker express any interest in him. I don't think any reasonable person can criticize Hedin too harshly for failing to foresee the horrors of World War II. We might as well criticize him for failing to foresee the health hazards posed by waste products from fission reactors. The man was an explorer. He actually trudged on his own two feet and nearly died of thirst but kept going. He was not a specialist in politics or law.