Algot Lange

Born in Stockholm on May 10, 1884, Algot Lange was a Swedish-born explorer and author who later lived in the United States. He was born Åke Mortimer Lange and later used his father’s name, Algot; his parents were the opera singer Algot Lange and the pianist and writer Ina Lange.

He became known for expeditions in the Amazon basin and for writing about those travels for general readers. His best-known book, In the Amazon Jungle, presents the Upper Amazon as a place of danger, hardship, and constant surprise, which helped make his work appealing to readers interested in exploration and adventure.

Lange’s life connected travel, performance, and storytelling: he came from an artistic family, but made his name through firsthand accounts of South America. He died in New York on February 21, 1961.