SCANDINAVIAN sven hedin LEGENDS

Dressed as a local, Hedin is surrounded by members of his expedition in Tibet. Opposite page: Maria Broman, a.k.a. Mille.

A world explorer’s broken heart the one that got away The world recognized him as the Great Explorer, having rediscovered the ancient Silk Route and found the source of Brahmaputra. He was greeted by the big names of his time. But there was one heart SVEN HEDIN never conquered until it was too late – Mille Broman’s. Axel Odelberg follows in the footsteps of one of history’s saddest love stories.

2 Scanorama july/august 2007 Scanorama july/august 2007 3 Left: Arriving in Stockholm in 1909, Hedin is greeted as a national hero. He had just toured Europe, lecturing about his third expedition and being awarded honorary doctorates from Oxford and ven Hedin was waiting for his men in the vil- steamship von Döbeln on October 16, 1893, and watched the fig- other universities. lage of Merkit on the western outskirts of the ures of his friends and family on the quayside slowly fade away Taklamakan Desert while they went to Jarkent in the rain. to buy camels for his planned desert crossing. He had been biding his time for several weeks ighteen months had now passed since that October when a letter from Stockholm arrived. evening. Hedin had spent most of the time carrying LEGENDS Reading it, he went numb. The letter said out extensive exploration trips in the Pamir, where he Mille was about to become engaged to another had tried to climb the holy mountain of Muztaghata man. And Hedin had been convinced that she was Efour times. waiting patiently and faithfully for him to come back from his The letter with the disastrous rumors about Broman reached explorations in Asia. After all, it was to show himself worthy of Hedin in April 1895. He had been in Merkit since March, and Sher that he was risking his life in the mountains and deserts. time was running out for the desert crossing he was planning. They had met in 1891. He, a talented and ambitious young man Difficulties in acquiring the necessary number of camels had determined to become an internationally celebrated explor- delayed the whole undertaking, and the dry, hot season was er, and she, a blond, blue-eyed Stockholm high society beauty approaching. What was a risky venture at the best of times could named Maria Broman, but everybody called her Mille. be a fatal undertaking in the heat of the summer. Hedin was mesmerized by her and she found him exciting. The word retreat hardly existed in Hedin’s vocabulary, but had So began a romance that was to play out over many years, a the rumors about Broman not reached him, it is possible that he romance characterized by impassioned reveries of love, inner would have postponed the desert crossing until a more suitable turmoil, pride and acts of desperation. A romance so random time of the year. The bad news about Broman, how­ever, trans- and tragic in its fated conclusion that it was nothing short of a formed him from bold to foolhardy. As he confessed 35 years real-life classical drama. later in an unpublished manuscript: Two years after they first met, Hedin took off on his first great “Life without her was unthinkable. I had been ready to sub- expedition. As he stood at the railing, waving his farewells, he mit myself to whatever trials and tribulations were necessary Right: 26 years old and was filled with both distress and elation. Distress because of the to win her praise and adulation. And now she was about to give When he finally stood outside her parents’ home – a palatial madly in love. Below: Hedin meets Chinese long periods of loneliness and longing that lay before him. Ela- her heart to someone else. I might just as well die of thirst in the residence on the outskirts of Stockholm – and knocked on the leader Chiang Kai-shek tion because he was now finally on his way. But there were other desert! Life simply wasn’t worth living any more.” door, his heart was pounding harder than it had ever done on and his wife. reasons too: immediately prior to his departure, he had asked With his judgment thus obscured by a broken heart, he set the high, oxygen-starved plateaus of Tibet. His stomach was in Broman whether she would wait for him. out across the Taklamakan. No one had ever done it before. He knots. He was admitted to the house, and Broman, enchantingly “I am far too young to make such a decision. I have no wish to underestimated the distance as well as the difficulties. It was a sweet, approached him. He stared at her like a man hypnotized. tie either of us down for so many years,” replied the 19-year-old disastrous mistake. Two of his men perished. But any hopes he had harbored before the meeting soon evapo- beauty with a smile. Hedin and the other two in his party of four managed to save rated. She bid him welcome with the formality reserved for an It was hardly a reply designed to encourage an average suitor, themselves after having crawled through the maze of sand dunes acquaintance seen the day before rather than three and a half but Hedin was far from average. Broman’s words acted as a spur. for almost a week without water. Hedin saved the life of one of years ago. There was no outward indication of joy at seeing him With his almost medieval view of chivalry between the sexes, he his men by carrying water to him in his boots. That became again, of admiration for his achievements, or of relief for his safe interpreted this as a promise that she would be his – if only he Hedin’s first claim to world fame. Hedin’s own drawing of it was return. Devastated by her indifference, Hedin was wounded to could prove himself worthy of her affections. later published in newspapers all over the world. the very depths of his massive ego. He cast himself as the noble knight who, full of expectation Two years later, after more explorations in the Pamir region and fired by the purity of his love for an innocent young maiden, and a long trip through Tibet, he returned home. The rumor that hey continued to meet, but Broman kept him on ventures forth into an uncertain world of adventure, to return Broman was about to be engaged soon proved to be unfounded, tenterhooks. Her attitude shifted between warm one day in triumph as the prince valiant. and once again he dared to hope that she might be his. intimacy and cold indifference, on the heels of which Such was his state of mind as he stood on the deck of the The closer he got to Stockholm, the tenser Hedin felt. Around she would invariably beg his forgiveness. For Hedin, midday on May 10, 1897, the steamship Nordkusten berthed at Tit was an emotional roller-coaster ride he found himself power- Skeppsbron in central Stockholm. Hedin was at the railing. He less to stop. He consoled himself by reasoning, “She has feelings had been gone for three years and seven months, traveled 26,000 for me, but cannot – for some childish pride – permit herself to kilometers, and spent the equivalent of 242,000 dollars. admit them.” He waved at the welcoming committee on the quayside and He had much to attend to and could not afford to become surveyed the faces to see who was waiting for him. He spotted entangled in affairs of the heart. Publishers in several countries his mother and father, siblings, other relatives, and friends, but were waiting impatiently for his manuscript of the expedition. failed to find the beautiful smile he was looking for. There was Institutions and geographical societies all over Europe were no Mille Broman. inviting him to lecture. His heart sank. All the joy of being reunited with his family and In May and June 1898, Hedin was in London to lecture about friends was overshadowed by her absence. his explorations at the Royal Geographical Society. Broman Despite all the attention and congratulations heaped upon arranged to go there at the same time, and they spent many days him after his homecoming, noth- together in the British capital. ing could dispel his thoughts of Broman was loving and tender. Hedin had never felt closer to Left: The famous drawing Broman. Tormented by uncer- her: she allowed him to embrace and even kiss her, and assured that Hedin made, showing tainty, he sent her a brief mes- him that none of the other men who sought her favor meant any- the moment when he saved the life of one of his men sage: “I have remained faithful thing to her at all. She said that she loved him ... a little, in any In 1936, Adolf Hitler during the Taklamakan to you for almost four years now. case. He was intoxicated with his love for her. And now, finally, meets his childhood hero crossing. When can I see you?” She replied he had won her over. Or so he thought. in Berlin. The Nazi leader had read all Hedin’s books.

with details of time and place. look. ibl, lucky etnografiska museet, page: right etnografiska museet. page: left opening spread: ibl, etnografiska museet. Once they had returned to Stockholm, however, it was the

4 Scanorama july/august 2007 Scanorama july/august 2007 5 Again he confronted Broman with his desperate pleadings. She was sorrowful and riddled with remorse. “I’m unworthy of and that her engagement was an awful mistake. She was heart- asked him to visit her at home one day while her husband and you. You are too good for me,” she said with tears in her eyes. broken about it all. In a bid to reflect on the situation and restore children were out. Only then, 11 years after the event, did he dis- It was the first time he had seen her cry. “But I cannot possibly her equilibrium, she retreated to the peace and quiet of a sanato- cover the ironic twist of fate that once and for all had turned their marry an explorer. It means too much uncertainty. If you were rium in the Norwegian mountains with an aunt as her confidante unhappy love story into a tragedy. to promise never to go on your travels again ...” The rest of the and chaperone. Instead of breaking off her engagement as she had intended, sentence was left hanging in the air. Had he heard her correctly? Night after night passed before she was finally prescribed Broman had married. But since then, she explained, she had not

LEGENDS Was she serious? Did she really want him to abandon everything some sleeping pills and fell into a deep slumber. In her dreams, enjoyed a single day of happiness. Hedin wondered what might that gave purpose and meaning to his life? she could hear Hedin’s voice calling her name. Her aunt, awoken have happened if he had never sent his letter and if she had sent His reply was full of newfound pride: “I could never forsake by Broman’s sobbing in her sleep, was uneasy: whatever was hers. He imagined cabling a telegram to her immediately: “Come my calling – not even for the woman I love. If her love is not going on inside the head of her beautiful niece? to St Petersburg.” great enough to sacrifice herself for my sake, then she is not the The following morning, Broman asked for a pen and paper. There they would have become engaged before having to part woman I dreamed of. She is not the one for me.” Still in bed, she wrote to Hedin, baring her broken heart: “My again. She would have returned home to Sweden while he con- This prompted a similarly obstinate and melodramatic love, can you forgive me? Can you forgive me? Can you ever tinued on toward Central Asia. He could not, after all, forsake response: “If you love the wastelands of Asia more than you love me, then it is best that we go our separate ways.” They gravely agreed that things between them had come to an end, and he stood up to leave. Crying, she tried to prevent him, but Hedin She had discovered that it was, indeed, Hedin whom she Escorted by a guard of honor, Hedin is on his way to meet Lord Minto, was unrelenting. He returned home utterly drained. That eve- the viceroy of India, in his summer residence in the Himalayas. ning he told his mother for the first time of his unrequited love loved and that her engagement was an awful mistake. for Broman. “I feel so sorry for that dear boy of mine,” Hedin’s mother same old story: sometimes she led him on; sometimes she wrote in her diary. “How has he been able to work as hard as forgive me? You cannot judge me more harshly than I judge his calling. The whole of Sweden knew that he had embarked on rejected his advances. He simply could not fathom such behav- he has, write his book and so many other things, and go on all myself. I am sorry, so sorry ... Please will you not rescue me? I a major new expedition, and his sponsors, the king, the Nobel ior. Wracked by uncertainty and anxiety, he decided to force the those lecture tours? He has a strong will and such an astonishing feel my life slipping away from me.” family and others were expecting him to devote himself to hard issue. He wanted a clear answer. capacity for work. Please God, let him get over this soon.” Later that day she raced to the post office to send her plea. work, not affairs of the heart. Afterward, when he had returned, “Why are you such a riddle?” he wrote reproachfully. “Why do When she arrived, however, the postmaster handed her a letter the two of them would have married, and Hedin’s life would have you toy so cruelly with my heart? I have to know whether your n a bid to put it all behind him, Hedin threw himself into that had just arrived. Recognizing Hedin’s handwriting, she tore taken on a much different hue and direction than what it did. answer is a yes or a no.” She replied as though she did not under- his work. Having completed En färd genom Asien, which frantically at the envelope, pulled out the letter, and read the Would this different ending to the story have made him a hap- stand what he meant and dodged the issue once again. was now to be published in five countries, he devoted brief message where he chivalrously wished her every success pier man? He did not know. October saw the publication of En färd genom Asien (Through himself to finishing his work on his scientific findings. with her engagement and the future. In 1920, Broman wrote a letter to Hedin, where she confessed Asia), an account of Hedin’s travels. He gave Broman a copy, for IAs a kind of therapy to counter his grief, he decided to start That was it. She could not bring herself to send her cry for that she still felt pain and cried when she thought of those days. which she thanked him and praised the book, saying she had preparations for his next expedition. He felt that he would not help. On that June day in 1899, fate brutally decided that this She died a few years later, 54 years old. The news of her death read every single word. be able to get Broman out of his head until he was once more on protracted love story should end in tragedy. Hedin always con- reached him while he was on an expedition to central China, and But when he wrote to her again a few days later, this time her his way – especially after seeing her engagement announced in sidered himself to be a lucky man, but when it came to love, the the memories flooded back. reply contained a request for him not to send any more letters. the newspaper. “She could have been a little more considerate odds were stacked against him. Hedin remained a bachelor until his death. He survived the “I have more important things to think about at the moment,” in letting me know,” he mused, cut to the quick. love of his life by almost a quarter of a century, dying in 1952, she wrote. On Midsummer Day 1899, he departed on his second major y 1910, it was 11 years since Hedin had last met Mille aged 87. Tucked away in a diary on his bedside table was a pic- He knew that she was being courted by another man who, like expedition to Asia. Shortly before he left, he wrote Broman a Broman. She was now part of his past, but no one else ture of Mille Broman. Broman, came from a rich family. It was rumored once again brief letter, magnanimously congratulating her on her engage- had taken her place. In Hedin’s own words, “Asia that an engagement was in the offing. Heartbroken, Hedin ment and wishing her well for the future. What he did not know became my cold bride.” He was still oblivious to the Axel Odelberg is a Swedish journalist and writer currently finishing an extensive left a telephone message with Broman’s mother, asking her to was that she was on the point of breaking off her betrothal. Bdrama that had taken place in the mountains of Norway, so Bro- biography on Sven Hedin, scheduled for release early in 2008.

arrange a meeting. She had discovered that it was, indeed, Hedin whom she loved ian hinchliffe by translated tibet). of hedin sven (painting etnografiska museet, man’s message came as a surprise. She wanted to meet him and [email protected]

1865 1887 1890 1895 1897–98 1901 1905 1914–18 1940 Born February 19 Publishes his First visit to Kashgar in Almost dies of thirst in Tours Europe lecturing about his Attempts to reach Hedin leads a third expedition to First World War. Hedin sides with the Meets Hitler for a fourth in Stockholm, where first book about China. Celebrates Christmas the Taklamakan Desert. explorations, and is celebrated like Tibet’s holy city of Tibet. The government in London Germans and faces fierce criticism from and final time in Berlin. his father is the city his travels in there with the legendary Saves his servant’s life a modern-day rock star. Awarded an Lhasa, but is preven- tries to thwart his efforts, but Britain and France. Expelled from the Leaves with assurances architect Persia explorer Sir Francis Young- by carrying water to honorary medal by the Royal Geo- ted from doing so after playing hide and seek with Royal Geographical Society. Stripped of that Hitler has no inten- husband him in his boots graphical Society. Meets Henry Stan- on the orders of the the British, he succeeds in enter­ the French Légion d’honneur tion of invading Sweden ley, one of his childhood heroes Dalai Lama ing Tibet via “the back door”

1900 1880 Hedin’s discovery of the ruins 1902 1907 1923 1927 of the ancient town of Loulan Inspired by the praise showered in the Lop Desert marks a Undertakes a new Euro- Reaches Shigatse, Travels the world. Embarks on a major scientific 1952 upon Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld 1893 new chapter in the history of pean lecture tour. Award­ meets the Panchen Meets Henry Ford expedition to China with after navigating the Northeast research into the Silk Route ed the Livingstone Medal Lama and discovers and appeals for research­ers from many Dies November 26, aged Passage, Hedin sets his mind on Embarks on his first major by the Royal Scottish the source of the funds for a new countries, not least China. The 87 in his bed at home becoming an explorer journey of exploration in Asia Geographical Society Brahmaputra expedition expedition lasts for eight years

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