Karl Friedrich May stories and films have a huge group of fans in Europe
The writer Karl F. May belongs to the group of best selling German writers of the 19th and 20th centuries. He was born on February 25, 1842 and perished on March 30, 1912. More than two hundred million units of Karl Friedrich May’s novels were sold all over the globe. The most renowned heroes of Karl Friedrich May’s novels are Winnetou and Old Shatterhand. Winnetou is the wise chief of the Apache Tribe, and Old Shatterhand is his white companion.
From 1912 to 1968 there were published 23 movies following Karl F. May’s volumes. The American performer Lex Barker became very famous for playing the role of Old Shatterhand. Another important Karl May figure is Old Shurehand. The British actor Stewart Granger acted as the character of Old Shurehand in 3 movies. The films became very successful, although partially only inaccurately reflecting the original Karl May novels.
The Karl Friedrich May novels have been translated into at least 40 languages and have been released all over the world. They are well-known even in countries like Indonesia and the Czech Republic. At least eighty-five works are included in the German Karl May collection, all of which may be offered at this online book shop: Karl May Buecher Bestellen.
Stories 1 – 9 have been released to the German public under these titles:
- Band 1: Durch die Wueste
- Band 2: Durchs wilde Kurdistan
- Band 3: Von Bagdad nach Stambul
- Band 4: In den Schluchten des Balkan
- Band 5: Durch das Land der Skipetaren
- Band 6: Der Schut
- Band 7: Winnetou I
- Band 8: Winnetou II
- Band 9: Winnetou III
Karl Friedrich May wrote the the 3 Old Shurehand volumes and the first three Winnetou novels before 1900. They are set in the illustrious Wild West of North America. Surptising is the fact that Karl May’s first journey to America took place not before 1908. That voyage took him to Albany, Buffalo and the Niagara Falls, but not farther west. Consequently his famous books came from creativity, imagination and literature studies such as travel accounts, maps and guide books, as well as anthropological books.