re: Geographer
Here's what I found about the real caracter: Elisée Reclus.
He was a voyager, writer, geographer, an anarchist.
Like other writers at the same time (Hugo, Verlaine), he moved to Belgium (ben tiens;)) and ended his life there.
BTW, some of us have left more than just their names over here.
When the war in Iraq started, being the only representative over here of the so-called "axis of weasel", (oh, merde alors, encore une connerie!) it was kind of tough....but survivable :-) (thanks to space)!