# Prof. Jan Harald — Topsy-Turvy character guide

> Prof. Jan Harald in Topsy-Turvy by Jules Verne.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Harald, Jan Harald

**First appearance:** 0001-in-which-the-delegates-from-england-holland-sweden-denmark-and-russia-are-presented-to-the-reader

## Snapshot

Swedish delegate and scientist whose scholarly authority lends the polar auction a veneer of learned legitimacy it may not deserve.

## Who they are

Harald arrives in Baltimore among the Northern European delegates who disembark from separate steamers to feign indifference to one another, though they are in truth bitter rivals. As a scientist representing Sweden, he belongs to the contingent of nations each carrying funds to challenge the American Society, though their purses are unequal. His presence underscores that the auction is not merely commerce but a contest over scientific prestige and national destiny in the Arctic.

## In the story

### [In Which the Delegates from England, Holland, Sweden, Denmark and Russia Are Presented to the Reader](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/topsy_turvy_se/chapters/in-which-the-delegates-from-england-holland-sweden-denmark-and-russia-are-presented-to-the-reader)

Swedish-Norwegian delegate, Professor of Cosmography; red-faced with blond hair, regards the polar region as valueless and attends only out of duty.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/topsy_turvy_se/characters/prof_jan_harald
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/topsy_turvy_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/topsy_turvy_se/characters