Karl May

Karl Friedrich May (Hohenstein-Ernstthal, February 25th 1842 - Radebeul, March 30th 1912) was one of the German writers most sold with the world, in particular for its novels of adventures to the Far West whose two heroes are the White Old Shatterhand and Apache Winnetou. He wrote also novels of adventures being held in the Middle East, as well as less known stories occurring in his native Germany, of poetries, an autobiography and a play. He also composed two famous German romantic songs does not forget me and a version of the I greet you Marie .

Biography

May was born in a poor family and undoubtedly suffered from Cécité little time after its birth, due to the Malnutrition. It found the sight after an surgical operation and a medical care at age the four years. It went to school, in Saxony, in Waldenburg. During its studies, it became teaching, it started to write, but remained without success for a long time. While he worked as teacher, he made a certain number of small larcenies and was imprisoned several times.

It is only starting from 1875 that May had success as a writer, becoming extremely popular. Many of its books are written with the first nobody by the narrator-protagonist and sometimes he claimed to have tried out what he described. It is possible that he was a compulsif liar.

He used many pen names: captain Ramon Diaz of Escosura, Mr. Gisela, Hobble-Frank, Karl Hohenthal, D. Jam, Prince Muhamel Lautréamont (perhaps in reference to the French poet Lautréamont (1846-1870)), Ernst von Linden, P. van der Löwen, Emma Pollmer, Richard Plöhn, and Franz Langer. Today, its books are published under its true name.

He visited North America only in 1908, not going further that in the town of Buffalo, in the State of New York. Its lack of direct experience of Far West was compensated by a clever combination of creativity, imagination and information sources including charts, reports and guides of voyage, as well as studies of anthropology.

The most famous admirors

The most famous admirors of Karl May

Most famous of its admirors is without any doubt Adolf Hitler. (NB: May died in 1912, before the First World War).

Films inspired of novels of Karl May (selection)

1962 the Treasury of the lake of money (Der Schatz im Silbersee) of Harald Reinl with Lex Barker and Karin Dor
1963 Winnetou (Winnetou) of Harald Reinl with Lex Barker and Pierre Brice
1964 the Treasury of the blue mountains (Winnetou, 2. Teil) of Harald Reinl with Lex Barker, Pierre Brice and Karin Dor
1964 With the country of Skipétars (Der Schut) of Robert Siodmak with Lex Barker and Marie Versini
1965 Winnetou III (Winnetou, 3. Teil) of Harald Reinl with Lex Barker and Pierre Brice
1965 Mercenaries of Rio Grande I (Der Schatz der Azteken) of Robert Siodmak with Lex Barker and Gerard Barray
1965 Mercenaries of Rio Grande II (Die Pyramid of Sonnengottes) of Robert Siodmak with Lex Barker and Gerard Barray
1965 red Riders (Old Shatterhand) of Hugo Fregonese, with Pierre Brice and Daliah Lavi
1966 Soft food of the black gold (Winnetou und das Halbblut Apanatschi) of Harald Philipp with Pierre Brice and Uschi Knell

External references to the writer Karl May

Biography of Karl May

Nemsi Books (Publisher off new unabridged English translations off Karl May' S works)
'' My Life and My Efforts '' ('' Mein Leben und Streben '') from Project Gutenberg
Karl May Gesellschaft - English homepage
Australian friends off Karl May
http://indokarlmay.com/economist.htm
http://www.kirjasto.sci.fi/karlmay.htm
Karl May Links

Karl May Gesellschaft (Karl May Society)
Karl May Museum in Radebeul
Karl May & Co - Magazine-pages with diskussion-board
Swiss Karl-May-Freunde

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