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阅读卡尔·麦 Karl May在小说之家的作品!!! |
1842年出生于德国萨克逊郡一个贫苦工人家庭，出生时什么也看不见，母亲多方求医，直到6岁才得以复明。在失明阶段，他不得不凭借听力和触觉感知周围的世界，想象力由此得到了超常的发展。
他的前半生充满不幸--头六年患弱视几成瞎子、大学时因经济困难辍学、当了小学教员后又遭诬陷失去工作，以后又多次卷入法律纠纷，然生活的坎坷、心灵的痛苦使他发奋读书、立志成才。
1875年他成了当地几家杂志社的编辑，在那里他找到了自己的发展道路。在已具备写作域外风情小说、登上成功小说家之路的扎实基础后，他于1878年毅然辞去编辑工作，开始了专业创作，几年中以其“对奥斯曼帝国的游历回忆”和“温内图的故事”脱颖而出，成了德国文坛一颗耀眼的新星。
1900年前后，他到东方作了一次实地游历，此时他已成为欧洲最畅销、获读者最多的作家之一，并因版税而成了大富翁。他的豪华别墅里摆满了他收集的各类文物和纪念品，其中尤以印第安人文物为多，他的收藏品被人称为是其“伟大探险的纪念品”。
如今，卡尔•麦在德国萨克逊的故居已被改成一座纪念馆，卡尔•麦的半身铜像装点了那座城市的广场；他在德勒斯登附近的别墅一一“老铁手别墅”也已成为一座博物馆，里头陈列了大量珍贵的美洲印第安文物，以及卡尔•麦的全部著作和他收集的大量纪念品；他的许多故事已被改编成电影、戏剧、连环画。根据卡尔•麦的遗愿，那儿的雷迪伯尔大学已成为负责“卡尔•麦慈善基金”的专门机构。
卡尔·麦 - 职业生涯
卡尔·麦
卡尔•麦在美国缺乏知名度，他的许多书籍，似乎让人们感觉是不是自相矛盾。他叙述了印度人和牛仔从来没有看过任何的；事实上，他没有涉足过美国，直到1908年，他走过的只有据西尼亚加拉大瀑布在那个时间。当他访问了阿拉伯世界的数年之前，他经历了令人失望的，它并没有很多相似的世界，他创造了在他的著作。卡尔•麦的作品，反映民意的态度，在德国的文化，他的时间，但除此之外，他们的成功在于证明了纯粹的权力想象。
在利欲熏心的童年
卡尔•麦显示想象力，从很早就年龄，但它花了很多年之前，他学会了直接到社会可以接受的渠道。他出生于德国中部，在小城镇ernstthal附近开姆尼茨。家庭遭受了可怕的贫穷在可能的青年作为德国布贸易的受害者竞争从英语的工厂。人在卡尔•麦的循环，有时没有吃的，但土豆，以及当他一岁时，他开始受到视力问题。他尽快到完全失明，可能是因维生素A缺乏症。数年卡尔•麦的教训，以解释在世界的很大一部分通过童话故事，告诉他的祖母。可能是由于他未来的成功，以他的童年的盲目性。“对我来说，当时只有灵魂，只不过是灵魂”，他引述他的话说：对澳洲的朋友卡尔可能的网站。“因此，留，甚至后，我学到看到，从我的青年，直到现今，这之间的区别是自己和他人的，这是关键，我的书籍”。
卡尔·麦
卡尔•麦的盲目性，治愈后，他的母亲找培训，以成为一个助产士，并询问医生是谁指使她看看她儿子的眼睛是雪亮的。他上过学了好几年，特别是entranced一天由一个木偶剧来到透过城市演出，为家庭的织布协会。反面的想象力为本的教育，这可能期间所接获的他多年的盲目性，来时，他的父亲操练的事实和数字，到他，支持他的教训，与党党鞭，可能所谓的约翰尼该桦木。在他父亲的遗志，可能担任鼓手的男孩，在当地民兵。可能被迫背诵500页的地理书，一演习没有帮助他学习，保留了大量的描述性的景观细节。
西方故事，美国作家库柏流行在德语翻译，并有可能尝试他的手在写作的故事，印度人早在1858年。家庭的计划，他在这个时候，不过，他将参加在一个教师培训学校在城市的waldenburg。他收到了若干警告，有失踪教会服务和被抛出在1859年底后，窃取六蜡烛，给他仍然贫穷的家庭，把他们的圣诞树。之后，干涉他的本堂司铎，他被允许完成班级另一所学校。他得到一份工作在一所学校，但被解雇后，作出了通过在他的妻子业主。另一项教学工作证明不成功时，可能被指控偷了室友奇摩观赏；抗议，虽然他自己的清白，他被判入狱六个星期。监狱有一个大型图书馆，并有可能在广泛的阅读他的监禁。
之间的1862和1864年卡尔•麦似乎已被引诱离城市，以城市与战区组，进行关系与舞者的一部分的时间。他被囚禁的两倍以上，从1865年初通过1868年和1870年通过1874年，这两个时代之后，低品位诈骗，其中他假扮成一名政府官员或其他主管当局的数字。卡尔•麦似乎不太关心，在经济上的获益比在尊严。当他从监狱获释，他告诉官员，他计划移民到美国。他随后通过与这个故事，最终，美化它有这么多的细节，有些人认为他来相信自己。但他并没有离开德国在这个时候，他得到一份工作在一个铁匠的商店和设置工作，作为一个作家。不久，他产生了一个演义，玫瑰ernstthal。
降落的编辑工作
在1875年卡尔•麦，他重新认识与出版社汞münchmeyer，并在考虑出版的玫瑰ernstthal，是提供了就业作为一个编辑器。该公司专门在书籍和杂志，德国的新识字的中下阶层，并有可能的写作击中甜蜜点，为münchmeyer。他是令人难以置信的生产力，写作的故事，连载小说，散文。晚于1875年他还介绍了数字winnetou，Apache的行政，为第一次在很短的故事。münchmeyer，留下深刻的印象，试图建立更密切的关系，专业与可能。他的妻子了，可一首钢琴。家庭租住的房间在德累斯顿附近的新流行的作者，并使它众所周知，他将研究对良性如果他想结婚，他们的女儿明娜。但可能是对他的方式在文学世界，忽略了这些序曲。离开他的编辑工作一年后，嫁给一个女孩从ernstthal，爱玛pollmer，于1880年。
münchmeyer没有让他失望，干涉了一个机会，分享在利润由卡尔•麦的工作，不过，和该公司公布的几个可能的小说在今后十年中。他们中的一些原本出现在串行（或事件）的形式在杂志上所谓的明镜德意志hausschatz在麦汁und图片报（德国首页库务署的字和图片）。卡尔•麦的第一本小说集在美国西部是即时通讯fernen西方（在远东西）1879。在19世纪80年代，他撰写了一系列巨大的冒险小说（约2000页）认为，销售情况很好，永远杜绝他有必要举行一天的工作。最成功的，他们负有令人印象深刻的标题之waldröschen奥得死verfolgungrund这个模具erde：grosserenthüllungsromanüber模具geheimnisse明镜menschlichengesellschaft（小森林玫瑰，或追逐世界各地的：一个伟大启示小说的秘密人类社会）。
卡尔·麦
也可以开始工作，两个大型系列小说，有时引入已经完成短篇小说酌情。该fehsenfeld出版社出版发行的这些工程和约束，他们与可观的说明，包括让一尝的冒险中包含的。一个家庭可能没有自己的大型图书馆的书籍，这些小说有吸引力的家庭财产。卡尔•麦开始，这两个系列，在1892年，根据集体的标题gesammeltereiseromane（收集旅行小说）和补充，他们通过19世纪90年代及以后的;由时间，他的死亡gesammeltereiseromane组成的32卷，和他们继续出售，以及通过20世纪。
其中两个系列弥补了gesammeltereiseromane构成小说的美国西部，往往具有出生在德国的英雄，所谓旧shatterhand。（意义的名称是性格可以摧毁对手在打架，一个单一的力度。）卡尔•麦的最成功的西方小说，和最好的卖方之间的所有他的书，是winnetou，明镜死记硬背君子（winnetou，红君子），其中出现在1893年，但没有翻译成英语，直到1977年。小说精选1岁之间的友谊shatterhand和winnetou，培养印度行政谁抵制剥削白色侵略者。不像在美国西部，坏人在卡尔•麦的书籍，通常是白人;winnetou代表了“高尚的野蛮人”的数字，可以进行自我改善与欧洲的文化。在winnetou，印度行政不肯透露地点一个大型金矿床，并在以后的预订在一系列他转换了基督教。至于旧shatterhand，卡尔•麦，有时隐含在演讲指出，冒险的性质有经验的人，其实他自己。与利润从winnetou书籍，可能建起了大型农村地产，他所谓的别墅shatterhand。他储存的，它包括一个大型的集合西方的文物，他显示了参观者。
卡尔·麦
穿过伊斯兰世界
卡尔•麦的其他主要系列小说事件都发生在中东和北非。像winnetou的故事，他们精选一个数字，卡拉本nemsi（或卡尔，德国）谁是潜在的立场，在为自己可能;小说，可读性较强的冒险纱线的阴谋，捕捉，逃跑，和欺骗。卡拉本nemsi了一本漫画sidekick，hadschihalef奥马尔。可能基于许多细节在这些小说中对他的教训，从他的大图书馆的书籍约伊斯兰世界，但是，当作者最后走过的一些土地，他写道约他发现的景观几乎没有相似性，他富有想象力的建设。卡尔•麦journeyed通过中和到东据印度尼西亚在1900年;当他返回，他的前景改变。
回到家里，可能会遇到的问题。虽然他是旅行，他的批评者发起一场运动对他在德国报纸，就抓住了部分的幻想，他晋升，并指出他已采取的标题医生没有受惠任何医疗或学术学位。还可以奋斗，为大部分的休息，他的生活，反对盗版的版本，他的书籍。卡尔•麦的最终成功的诽谤诉讼，记者鲁道夫lebius跨距几年来，和他的婚姻破裂。他的妻子站在他的对手在诉讼中和公众的争议。
在1903年卡尔•麦再次结婚，他的妻子klara是遗孀他的一位朋友。他的作品在过去十年，他一生为代表的重大转变，在方向，从他的西式和中东小说。ardistanunddschinnistan（1909）仍精选卡拉本nemsi作为英雄，但描绘了虚构的对东部的境界，一个美丽的而开明的，其他在抓地力的唯物论和暴力。他的新书籍充满了象征和寓言，并在讲课，他开始宣称，他先前的书籍，也有象征意义；作为一个整体，他说，他们所代表的崛起，人类从原始的迷信，以启示。他的民望下滑，但它一直如此巨大，首先，他发现一大型水库的读者谁愿意追随他的新路径。
Karl May(1974)
在1908年卡尔•麦访问美国，为第一次，也是唯一的时间。他讲课，以德美集团，但也许意识到他的失望，在中东，他又只据西水牛和尼亚加拉大瀑布。他的巡回演讲的题目是“三个问题，为人类：我们是谁？哪里，我们从何而来？在哪里，我们将走向何方？”这个时候，可能开始患有各种健康问题，医生劝他取消了晶状体上皮-真在维也纳，奥地利，题为“引起的境界，该名男子的贵族”。他无论如何，和广受观众，其中包括年轻的希特勒（1钦佩可能，尽管卡尔•麦的殷切希望，和平主义）。
1912年3月30日卡尔•麦去世后。他的小说不断发出的新版本的一名官员卡尔•麦出版社出版，以及他们的版权后，终于在1962年届满，一连串的平装书出版商重印工程。一个世纪之后，卡尔•麦的小说仍然是一个启示德国儿童谁用他们的想象力和打扮成牛仔和印第安人。
卡尔·麦 - 主要作品
《老母塔之夜》、《盐沼逃生》、《洞窟幽灵》、《雅库布的珠宝店》、《峡谷追捕》、《老母塔之夜》、《魔鬼峡》、《印第安酋长》、《荒原追踪》、《温内图之死》、《恐怖的大漠》、《埃斯塔的绿洲》、《老铁手》、《沙漠秘井》《智闯蓄奴岛》、《凯曼船长》、《溪谷庄园》、《真假享特》、《护身符》、《藏金潭夺宝》、《银湖宝藏》、《石油王子》、《奴隶商队》等。
卡尔·麦 - 文学成就
卡尔·麦
卡尔·麦故事中最精彩的是北美探险故事和中东、巴尔干探险故事。前者表现了印第安人和白人移民之间的冲 突，后者则生动描绘了正义和邪恶之间的斗争。迭起悬念、生动的情节、迷人的自然景观和风情文化、悠远的历史感，以及揉神话、探险、游记和哲理小说于一体的独特手法，这便是卡尔•麦说的魅力所在。书中处处闪现的智慧、人道精神和正义感、对美好人生的坚定信念，使人在欣喜入迷之余，获得许多教益启迪；而其中勇与罪恶、灾唯和自身弱点搏斗的主人公，会使你觉得这是最生动、最引人注目的文学主人公了。
除了惊人的发行量，卡尔·麦的小说还受到了众多世界名人的赞誉。已被译成，三十六种文字，在一百多个国家行销一亿三千万册，却一直没有中文版。现在已经独家授权中国，并翻译出版这套脍炙人口的小说，实会给中国读者带来难得的享受和收获!在此套丛书的翻译编校过程中，曾得到欧美同学会副会长罗婉华女士、欧美同学会妇女分会副会长张蝶丽女士的大力支持，以及潘海峰、王泰智、李昌柯、杨鉴、李张林等先生在校译、资料收集等方面废寝忘食的努力。
卡尔·麦 - 名人赞誉
卡尔·麦
德国著名诗人说家、1946年诺贝尔文学奖获得者赫曼恩•赫塞(Hermann hesse，1877-1962)说：“他书中鲜明的 色彩和扣人心弦的悬念显示了虚构小说的一种不可或缺的永恒魅力。他是实现愿望类小说的创始人和最伟大的作家。”
曾获1952年诺贝尔和平奖的法国哲学家阿尔伯特•史怀哲(Albert Schweitzer，1875-1965)评论他说：“我最喜欢他书中几乎通篇隐含的为争取和平和共同理解而显示的勇气。”
1921年获诺贝尔物理奖的美国著名物理学家阿尔旧特•爱因斯坦(Albert Einstein，1879～1955)说：“真的，我的整个青：少年时代都受他影响，即使在今天，每当我感到孤寂无望时，他仍是那么的亲近于我。”
美国西巴利(The Seabury Press)出版社评论说：“卡尔•麦书之畅销，证明他是文学史上最伟大的虚构小说家。在他的时代充斥了大量畅销探险小说和人物，但卡尔•麦的小说具有完全不同的特色，他关注的是人类的根本问题，以及现代人失去的灵魂。”
Karl May was born into a family of poor weavers in Ernstthal, Schönburgische Rezessherrschaften (later part of the Kingdom of Saxony). He was the fifth child out of fourteen, nine of them died within several months. According to his autobiography, he suffered from visual impairment shortly after birth and regained his eyesight after treatment at the age of five. Possibly a lack of vitamin A led to night blindness, which got worse.
During his school time he got private music and composition lessons. 1856 he started his teacher training in Waldenburg, but was excluded 1859, because he embezzled six candles. After a petition he was allowed to continue his education in Plauen. His career as a teacher ended 1861 abruptly after few weeks when he was accused by his roommate of stealing a pocket watch. Therefore he had to be in gaol in Chemnitz for six weeks and his license to teach was revoked permanently.
During the following years he tried to earn a living by giving private education, writing tales, composing and declaiming. But these did not secure his livelihood. As consequence he started thefts and frauds. He was sentenced to four years in a workhouse. From 1865 to 1869 he was in gaol in the workhouse Osterstein Castle (Zwickau). Because of good behaviour he became administrator of the prison’s library and had the chance to read much including travel literature. He planned to become an author and made a list of titles named Repertorium C. May. After his release he failed starting a good existence and continued with thefts and frauds. Compared to the effort the loot was meagre. He got caught, but during judicial investigation, when he was transported to the crime scenes, he freed himself. May fled beyond Saxon boundaries to Bohemia, where he was detained for vagabondage. He was in gaol again in Waldheim from 1870 to 1874. There he met the catholic prison’s catechist Johannes Kochta, who’s influence helped May to find to himself.
After May’s release in May 1874 he went back to his parents in Ernstthal and started writing. The first known publish of a Karl May tale (Die Rose von Ernstthal) was in November 1874. It was a time when the German press was on the move. Industrialisation, increasing literacy and economic freedom lead to many startups of presses (especially in the field of light fiction). Already in the time between his both long imprisonments he had contact with the publisher Heinrich Gotthold Münchmeyer in Dresden. Now he engaged May as editor in his press. For the first time his livelihood was secure. He stewarded several entertainment papers (e. g. Schacht und Hütte) and wrote and edited with or without naming the name numerous articles (e. g. Geographische Predigten, 1875/76). May quit in 1876, because his employer tried to bond him on his company by marriage with Münchmeyer’s sister-in-law and the firm had a bad reputation. After a second engagement as editor in the press of Bruno Radelli, Dresden, in 1878 he became freelance writer and moved to Dresden together with his girlfriend Emma Pollmer, whom he married 1880. But his publications did not result in a regular income yet; there were rent and other arrears.
In 1879 Deutscher Hausschatz, a catholic weekly journal from the press of Friedrich Pustet in Regensburg, published the tale Three carde monte. After some more stories, they made the offer May should present them all of his tales first: In 1880 he started the Orient Cycle, which ran with interruptions until 1888. But at the same time he also wrote for other journals, used pseudonyms and different titles to get multiple payment for his texts. Until his death more than one hundred tales were published in instalments in diverse journals. Another important journal was Der Gute Kamerad of Wilhelm Spemann, Stuttgart, resp. later on Union Deutsche Verlagsgesellschaft, which was a magazine for boys in secondary school. There his first tale was published in 1887 (Der Sohn des Bärenjägers) and it printed one of his most famous stories: Der Schatz im Silbersee (1890/91). In 1882 there was new contact with H. G. Münchmeyer and May started the first of five very large colportage novels for his former employer. Das Waldröschen (1882–1884) was many hundred thousandfold reprinted until 1907. But May made just a verbal agreement with his friend Münchmeyer and later on this should become a problem.
Karl May as Old Shatterhand, 1896
In October 1888 May moved to Kötzschenbroda (a part of Radebeul) and 1891 into Villa Agnes in Oberlößnitz (another part of Radebeul). The key breakthrough came in 1891 by contact with Friedrich Ernst Fehsenfeld, who offered to print the Deutsche Hausschatz-stories as books. With the start of the new book series Carl May’s Gesammelte Reiseromane in 1892 (since 1896 Karl May's Gesammelte Reiseerzählungen) for the first time May experienced financial security and glory. But after a short time he had problems to differ between reality and fiction and went as far as to say he had experienced himself as Old Shatterhand resp. Kara Ben Nemsi what he had written. This was the so called "Old-Shatterhand-Legend". A gunsmith in Kötzschenbroda manufactured the legendary guns of the heroes in his novels for him, first the "Bärentöter" (Bear Killer) and the „Silberbüchse“ (The Silver Gun), later on the "Henrystutzen" (Henry rifle). The readers followed the equalisation of author and protagonist and sent numerous letters to him. In the following years he took talk tours in Germany and Austria, let print autograph cards and let take costume photos. In December 1895 he moved into the Villa "Shatterhand" in Alt-Radebeul, which he bought from the Ziller Brothers.
1899/1900 May travelled to the Orient. In the first part he was for nearly three-quarter year alone just accompanied by his servant Sejd Hassan and came from Egypt to Sumatra. In 1900 he met his wife and his friends, the couple Klara and Richard Plöhn. Together they continued the journey and got back to Radebeul in July 1900. During the year and a half May wrote a travel diary, which is extent in fragments and transcription parts. According to his second wife Klara (widowed Plöhn, see below) May had two times a nervous breakdown during the journey, which lasted both times over a week. Hans Wollschläger and Ekkehard Bartsch belief that this was due to an irruption of the reality into May’s dream world. He overcame the crisis without medical benefit.
While May was on his Orient journey, attacks in the press set in, especially pursued by Hermann Cardauns and Rudolf Lebius. They criticised – with different motivations – May’s self promotion and the associated Old-Shatterhand-Legend. Simultaneously they reproached him religious sham (he wrote as protestant for the catholic Deutscher Hausschatz and several Marian calendars), immorality and later on his criminal history. These polemics and several trials about unauthorized book publications lasted until his death. His broken matrimony was dissolved 1903 by May’s endeavour. According to May, Emma, who was a friend of adversary Pauline Münchmeyer (widow of H. G. Münchmeyer), embezzled documents, which could have verified the verbal agreement with Münchmeyer. In the same year he married the widow Klara Plöhn.
Since his first employment as editor May added illegally a doctoral degree to his name. 1902 he got an Doctor honoris causa by the Universitas Germana-Americana in Chicago for his work Im Reiche des Silbernen Löwen. Christian Heermann assumes, this happened on endeavour of May or Klara Plöhn to give the false doctoral degree a legal basis. This university was a known diploma mill, where degrees could be bought for money.
Karl May and Sascha Schneider, 1904
In 1908 Karl and Klara May travelled for six weeks to North America. They visited among others Albany, Buffalo, the Niagara Falls and some friends in Lawrence. But he did not reach the Wild West. May used the journey as inspiration for his book Winnetou IV.
Tomb of Karl and Klara May
Since his Orient journey May wrote in another way. He called his former works "preparation" and started then writing complex, allegoric texts. He was convinced to solve or at least to discuss the "question of mankind". He turned deliberately to pacifism and wrote several books about the raising of humans from "evil" to "good". The friendship to the artist Sascha Schneider lead to new symbolistic covers for the Fehsenfeld edition. An exultant approval May experienced on the March 22, 1912; he was invited by the Academic Society for Literature and Music in Vienna to hold the talk Empor ins Reich der Edelmenschen ("Upward to the realm of noble men"). Thereby he met his friend the Nobel Peace Prize laureate Bertha von Suttner. Karl May died one week later on March 30, 1912. According to the register of deaths, the cause was "cardiac arrest, acute bronchitis, asthma". Today an (unrecognised) lung cancer is not excluded. May was buried on the graveyard Radebeul-East. The tomb was inspired by the Temple of Athena Nike Klara had seen on the Orient travel.
[edit]Works
[edit]Introduction
May used many different pseudonyms, including Capitan Ramon Diaz de la Escosura, D. Jam, Emma Pollmer (name of his first wife), Ernst von Linden, Hobble-Frank (figure of his work), Karl Hohenthal, M. Gisela, P. van der Löwen, Prinz Muhamel Lautréamont and Richard Plöhn (name of his friend). Today most pseudonymously or anonymously published works are identified.
Karl May as Kara Ben Nemsi, 1896
For the novels set in America, May created the characters of Winnetou, the wise chief of the Apache Tribe, and Old Shatterhand, the author's alter ego and Winnetou's white blood brother. Another successful series of novels is set in the Ottoman Empire. Here the narrator-protagonist calls himself Kara Ben Nemsi, i.e. Karl, son of Germans, and travels with his local guide and servant Hadschi Halef Omar through the Sahara desert and the Near East, experiencing many exciting adventures.
There is a development from an anonymous first-person narrator, who is just observer and reporter (e. g. Der Gitano, 1875), over addition of heroic skills and equipment (e. g. Old Firehand, 1875, later within Winnetou II) to the full formed first-person-narrator-heroes Old Shatterhand (Deadly dust, 1880, later within Winnetou III) and Kara Ben Nemsi (”Giölgeda padiśhanün”, 1881, later within Durch Wüste und Harem). Some first-person-narrator-heroes are called “Charley” (English for Karl) by friends and fellows. For a long time equipment (e. g. Henry rifle and Bear Killer) and skills (e. g. dash struck) were the same for all first-person-narrator-heroes. Then in Die Felsenburg / Krüger Bei (1893/94, later Satan und Ischariot I/II) May let occur the first-person narrator in the American Old West, in the Orient and in Germany. Therefore he identified Old Shatterhand, Kara Ben Nemsi and Charley with Dr. Karl May in Dresden.
With some exceptions later on (Und Friede auf Erden!, 1904, and Winnetou IV, 1910), May had not visited the places he described. He compensated successfully for his lack of direct experience with these places by a combination of creativity, imagination, and factual sources including maps, travel accounts and guide books, as well as anthropological and linguistic studies. Also the work of writers such as James Fenimore Cooper, Gabriel Ferry, Friedrich Gerstäcker, Balduin Möllhausen and Mayne Reid served as models.
Non-dogmatic Christian feelings and values play an important role, and May's heroes are often described as being of German ancestry. In addition, following the Romantic ideal of the "noble savage" and inspired by the writings of writers like James Fenimore Cooper or George Catlin, his Native Americans are usually portrayed as innocent victims of white law-breakers, and many are presented as heroic characters. He also wrote about the fate of other suppressed peoples. Karl May and his works are deeply rooted in the belief that all mankind should live together peacefully; all of his main characters try to avoid killing anyone, except when necessary to save other lives.
May deliberately made himself stand out of ethnological prejudices and also wrote against the public opinion (e. g. Winnetou, Durchs wilde Kurdistan, Und Friede auf Erden!). Nevertheless in his work are some phrasings, which today are seen as “racialistic”. These phrasings underlay the paradigms of his time. For example there are broad-brush pejorative statements about Armenians, black people, Chinese people, Irish people, jews and mestizos. Therefore May was not uninfluenced by the nationalism and racism, which were characteristics of Wilhelmine Germany at that time. But in his novels there are also positive depicted Chinese people and mestizos, who contradict the common clichés. In a letter to a young jew, who planned becoming a Christ after he had read May’s books, he advised him first to understand his own religion, which is holy and exalted, until he is experienced enough to choose.
In his late work (since 1900) May turned away from the adventurous style and wrote symbolic novels with religious and pacifistic content. The break is best shown in Im Reiche des silbernen Löwen. Herein the first two parts are adventurous and the last both parts belong to the late work. In the context of this literarily developmental stage the friendship with art nouveau painter and sculptor Sascha Schneider is important, who painted symbolic covers for May’s books. Karl May himself repeatedly enhanced the importance of his late work.
For a long time, literary critics tended to regard May's literature as trivial, but recent research has reversed this assessment, at least partially.
[edit]Early work
In his early work Karl May tried several genres until he show his proficiency with travel stories. During his time as editor he published many of this works within the periodicals, for which he was responsible. The time of the early work lasted until about 1880.
Das Buch der Liebe (1875/76, educational work)
Geographische Predigten (1875/76, educational work)
Der beiden Quitzows letzte Fahrten (1876/77, not finished by Karl May)
Auf hoher See gefangen (1877/78, also entitled as Auf der See gefangen, parts later revised for Old Surehand II)
Scepter und Hammer (1879/80)
Im fernen Westen (1879, revision of Old Firehand (1875), later revised for Winnetou II)
Der Waldläufer (1879, revision for the youth of "Le Coureur de Bois", a novel by Gabriel Ferry)
Die Juweleninsel (1880–82)
Im fernen Westen and Der Waldläufer are the first book editions of Karl May texts known.
Beside these texts there are many shorter stories, which can be divided into categories. There are village stories from the Erzgebirge (e. g. Die Rose von Ernstthal, 1874), novellas (e. g. Wanda, 1875), humoresques (e. g. Die Fastnachtsnarren, 1875) and historical stories such as the series about „the Old Dessauer“ Leopold I, Prince of Anhalt-Dessau (e. g. Ein Stücklein vom alten Dessauer, 1875), as well as the first travel stories. Especially in his early work May used home settings, but there are also exotic scenes. His first non-European tale Inn-nu-woh, der Indianerhäuptling (1875) contains a rough draft of Winnetou. Later some of these tales were published in anthologies, e. g. in Der Karawanenwürger und andere Erzählungen (1894), Humoresken und Erzählungen (1902) and Erzgebirgische Dorfgeschichten (1903).
Also to the early work belong articles such as natural philosophic tractates or popular scientific works about history and technology (e. g. Schätze und Schatzgräber, 1875), published answers to letters send to him as editor as well as poems (e. g. Meine einstige Grabinschrift, 1872).
[edit]Colportage novels
There are five large (many thousands of pages) colportage novels May wrote mostly under the pseudonym Capitan Ramon Diaz de la Escosura for the press of H. G. Münchmeyer from 1882 to 1888. When May's authorship of these works emerged, he was publicly confronted, because contemporaneously the novels were seen as indecent, especially as they were written parallel to the commendable works in Deutscher Hausschatz.
Das Waldröschen (1882–84, a part was later revised for Old Surehand II)
Die Liebe des Ulanen (1883–85)
Der verlorne Sohn (1884–86)
Deutsche Herzen – Deutsche Helden (1885–88, also entitled as Deutsche Herzen, deutsche Helden)
Der Weg zum Glück (1886–88)
From 1900 to 1906 Münchmeyer’s successor Adalbert Fischer published the first book editions. These were revised by third hand and published under May’s real name instead of using the pseudonym. This edition was not authorised by May.
[edit]Travel stories
In the book series Carl May's Gesammelte Reiseromane, later entiteld Karl May’s Gesammelte Reiseerzählungen, 33 volumes were published from 1892 to 1910 in the press of Friedrich Ernst Fehsenfeld. Most of them were published before in Deutscher Hausschatz, but some of them were directly written for this series. The most famous titles are the Orient Cycle (volume 1–6) and the Winnetou-Trilogy (7–9). Generally there is no reading order, because May himself produced unintentionally chronological inconsistencies. Most of them arose, when he revised earlier texts for the book edition (e. g. within the Winnetou-Trilogy).
1. Durch Wüste und Harem (1892, since 1895 entitled as Durch die Wüste)
2. Durchs wilde Kurdistan (1892)
3. Von Bagdad nach Stambul (1892)
4. In den Schluchten des Balkan (1892)
5. Durch das Land der Skipetaren (1892)
6. Der Schut (1892)
7. Winnetou I (1893, temporarily also entitled as Winnetou der Rote Gentleman I)
8. Winnetou II (1893, temporarily also entitled as Winnetou der Rote Gentleman II)
9. Winnetou III (1893, temporarily also entitled as Winnetou der Rote Gentleman III)
10. Orangen und Datteln (1893, an anthology)
11. Am Stillen Ocean (1894, an anthology)
12. Am Rio de la Plata (1894)
13. In den Cordilleren (1894)
14. Old Surehand I (1894)
15. Old Surehand II (1895)
16. Im Lande des Mahdi I (1896)
17. Im Lande des Mahdi II (1896)
18. Im Lande des Mahdi III (1896)
19. Old Surehand III (1897)
20. Satan und Ischariot I (1896)
21. Satan und Ischariot II (1897)
22. Satan und Ischariot III (1897)
23. Auf fremden Pfaden (1897, an anthology)
24. „Weihnacht!“ (1897)
26. Im Reiche des silbernen Löwen I (1898)
27. Im Reiche des silbernen Löwen II (1898)
25. Am Jenseits (1899)
28–33 are travel stories, which belong to the late work
There are some shorter travel stories, which were not published within this series. On this edition (so called “green volumes”) bases the series Karl May’s Illustrierte Reiseerzählungen (illustrated “blue volumes”, since 1907). This edition was revised by May himself and is the definitive edition. It contains just the first thirty volumes which have partly another numbering.
After foundation of the Karl May Press in 1913 in the new series "Karl May's Gesammelte Werke" many volumes were revised (partly radically) and many got new titles. Texts from others than Fehsenfeld Press were added to the new series.
[edit]Stories for the youth
These stories were written from 1887 to 1897 for the magazine Der Gute Kamerad. He intentionally wrote for young readers. Most of the stories are set in the Wild West, but here Old Shatterhand is just a figure and not the first-person narrator as he is in the travel stories. The most famous volume is Der Schatz im Silbersee. In the broadest sense the early works Im fernen Westen and Der Waldläufer belong to these category.
Der Sohn des Bärenjägers (1887, since 1890 within Die Helden des Westens)
Der Geist des Llano estakata (1888, since 1890 correctly entitled as Der Geist des Llano estakado within Die Helden des Westens)
Kong-Kheou, das Ehrenwort (1888/89, since 1892 entitled as Der blaurote Methusalem)
Die Sklavenkarawane (1889/90)
Der Schatz im Silbersee (1890/91)
Das Vermächtnis des Inka (1891/92)
Der Oelprinz (1893/94, since 1905 entitled as Der Ölprinz)
Der schwarze Mustang (1896/97)
Between 1890 and 1899 Union Deutsche Verlagsgesellschaft published them as illustrated book edition.
Parallel to this major work May also published shorter stories and some puzzles anonymously or pseudonymously from 1887 to 1891. These were written mostly to given illustrations. One of the pseudonyms was “Hobble-Frank”, which was a popular character in his stories for the youth with Wild West setting. Also his answers to letters by the readers were published within Der Gute Kamerad.
[edit]Late work
Ardistan und Dschinnistan, 1909, cover by Sascha Schneider showing Marah Durimeh
To the late work belong the publications after May’s Orient travel from 1900 on. Many of them were published in the press of Fehsenfeld. Within the series Karl May’s Gesammelte Reiseerzählungen the volumes 28-33 belong to the late work.
Himmelsgedanken (1900, poem collection)
28. Im Reiche des silbernen Löwen III (1902)
29. Im Reiche des silbernen Löwen IV (1903)
30. Und Friede auf Erden! (1904)
Babel und Bibel (1906, drama)
Drei Menschheitsfragen: Wer sind wir? Woher kommen wir? Wohin gehen wir? (1908, talk)
31. Ardistan und Dschinnistan I (1909)
32. Ardistan und Dschinnistan II (1909)
Sitara, das Land der Menschheitsseele (1909, talk)
33. Winnetou IV (1910)
Mein Leben und Streben (1910, autobiography)
Empor ins Reich der Edelmenschen (1912, talk)
To the late work belong also shorter stories (e. g. Sonnenscheinchen, 1903), essays and articles (e. g. Briefe über Kunst, 1906/07) as well as texts for trials and defence (e. g ”Karl May als Erzieher” und “Die Wahrheit über Karl May” oder Die Gegner Karl Mays in ihrem eigenen Lichte, 1902).
[edit]Other works
Karl May wrote also musical compositions, especially when he was member of the singing society “Lyra” about 1864. Well known is his version of Ave Maria (together with Vergiss mich nicht collected within Ernste Klänge, 1899).
After May’s death there were publishings of his residue: Fragments of stories and dramas, lyrics, musical compositions, his self made library catalogue and mostly letters.
[edit]Reception
[edit]Influence
Karl May had a substantial influence on a number of well-known German-speaking people - and on the German population itself. The popularity of his writing, and indeed, his (practically always German) protagonists, are considered by some as having filled a lack in the German psyche which had few popular heroes until the 19th Century. His readers longed to escape from an industrialised, capitalist society, an escape which May offered them. He was noted as having "helped shape the collective German dream of feats far beyond middle-class bounds" – and criticised as having offered those dreams for later exploitation by the Nazis.
Adolf Hitler was an admirer, who noted that the novels "overwhelmed" him as a boy, going as far as to ensure "a noticeable decline" in his school grades. According to an anonymous friend, Hitler attended the lecture given by May in Vienna in March 1912 and was enthusiastic about the event. Ironically, the lecture was an appeal for peace, also heard by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Bertha von Suttner. Claus Roxin doubts the anonymous description, because Hitler had told much about May, but not that he had seen him. Hitler defended May against critics in the men's hostel where he lived in Vienna, as the evidence of May's earlier time in jail had come to light; although it was true, Hitler confessed, that May had never visited the sites of his American adventure stories, this made him a greater writer in Hitler's view since it showed the author's powers of imagination. May died suddenly only ten days after the lecture, leaving the young Hitler deeply upset. Hitler later recommended the books to his generals and had special editions distributed to soldiers at the front, praising Winnetou as an example of "tactical finesse and circumspection", though some note that the latter claims of using the books as military guidance are not substantiated. However, as told by Albert Speer, "when faced by seemingly hopeless situations, he [Hitler] would still reach for these stories," because "they gave him courage like works of philosophy for others or the Bible for elderly people." This influence on the German 'Fuehrer' was later castigated by Klaus Mann, a German writer who accused May of having been a form of 'mentor' for Hitler. In his admiration Hitler ignored May's Christian and humanitarian approach and views completely, not mentioning his – in some novels – relatively sympathetic description of Jews and persons of non-white race. Several novels of Karl May were re-edited in an antisemitic style during the years of Nazism and led to serious misunderstandings about May's original intentions.
The wider influence on the populace also surprised post-WWII occupation troops from the US, who realised that thanks to Karl May, "Cowboys and Indians" were familiar concepts to local children (though fantastic and removed from reality). The new Eastern Germany was less favouring of his work, and officially considered him a "chauvinist" - though this could not break his popularity, and eventually, even the communist state allowed free publication of his books and created its own Karl May museum.
Famous physicist Albert Einstein was a great fan of Karl May's books and is quoted as having said My whole adolescence stood under his sign. Indeed, even today, he has been dear to me in many a desperate hour….
[edit]Number of copies and translations
It is stated that Karl May is the “most read writer of German tongue”. The total number of copies published is about 200 millions, half of this are German copies.
The first translation of May’s work was the first half of the Orient Cycle into French 1881 (just ten years after the French-German War), which was published in Le Monde. Since that time May’s work has been translated into more than thirty languages including Latin, Esperanto and Volapük. In the 1960s the UNESCO stated May being the most translated German writer. Outside the German-speaking area he is most popular in the Czech language area, Hungary and the Netherlands. In France, Great Britain and the USA he is nearly unknown.
List of languages: Afrikaans, Brazilian, Bulgarian, Chinese, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English (British), English (American), Esperanto, Finnish, French, Greek, Hungarian, Icelandic, Italian, Japanese, Latin, Latvian, Lithuanian, Malay, Modern Hebrew, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Serbo-Croatian, Slovakian, Slovene, Spanish, Swedish, Ukrainian, Vietnamese, Volapük, Yiddish
There are also braille editions and editions read for visually impaired or blind people.
[edit]Adaptations
After Karl May published the whole poem Ave Maria in 1896 at least 19 other persons wrote musical versions. Other poems, especially from the collection Himmelsgedanken were set into music. As present for May Carl Ball wrote “harp clangs” for the drama Babel und Bibel. The Swiss composer Othmar Schoeck made an opera from Der Schatz im Silbersee in the age of eleven. Others wrote music inspired by May’s works (e. g. around Winnetou’s death).
The first stage adaptation was Winnetou by Hermann Dimmler in 1919. Revisions by him and Ludwig Körner were played in the following years. After the Second World War first adaptations were conducted in Austria. In East Germany they started not before 1984. Different novel revisions are played on outdoor stages since the 1940s. The most famous “Karl May Festivals” are held every summer in Bad Segeberg (since 1952) and in Lennestadt-Elspe (since 1958). At both places movie actor Pierre Brice played Winnetou. Another festival is on the rock stage in Rathen, in the Saxon Switzerland near Radebeul (1940, then since 1984). Many other stages in Austria and Germany show or showed plays after Karl May. In 2006 these were 14 stages. May’s own drama Babel und Bibel has not been played on a bigger stage yet.
Main article: Karl May movies
Karl May’s friends Marie Luise Fritsch and her husband Adolf Droop among others founded in cooperation with the Karl May Press the production company “Ustad-Film” (the name refers to May himself in Im Reiche des silbernen Löwen III/IV) in 1920. They produced three silent movies (Auf den Trümmern des Paradieses, Die Todeskarawane and Die Teufelsanbeter) after the Orientcycle in 1920, which are lost. Due to the low success “Ustad-Film” went bankrupt in the following year. The first sound movie Durch die Wüste was shown in 1936. “Die Sklavenkarawane” (1958) and its sequel “Der Löwe von Babylon” (1959) were the first colour movies. Famous is the Karl May movie wave from 1962–1968, which was the one of the most successful German movie series. While most of the 17 movies were Wild West movies (beginning with “Der Schatz im Silbersee”), three were based on the Orientcycle and two on Das Waldröschen. Most of these movies were made separately by the two competitors Horst Wendlandt and Artur Brauner. Following actors played main characters in several movies of the series: Lex Barker (Old Shatterhand, Kara Ben Nemsi, Karl Sternau), Pierre Brice (Winnetou), Stewart Granger (Old Surehand), Milan Sdorč (Old Wabble) and Ralf Wolter (Sam Hawkens, Hadschi Halef Omar, André Hasenpfeffer). The film score by Martin Böttcher has also become famous and together with the landscape of Yugoslavia, where most movies were shot, it participate to the great success of the series. After the series more movies for cinema (“Die Spur führt zum Silbersee”, 1990) or TV (e. g. “Das Buschgespenst”, 1986) and TV-series (e. g. “Kara Ben Nemsi Effendi”, 1973) were produced. Most Karl May movies are far from the original, some even contain nothing more than May’s main figures.
No other German writer has more audio dramas than Karl May, which have a number of about 300. Günther Bibo wrote the first one (Der Schatz im Silbersee) in 1929. A greater wave was during the 1960s. There are also Czech and Danish audio dramas.
After the ending of the term of copyright and with the success of the Karl May movie series of the 1960s the first German comic wave occurred. A second comic wave came during the 1970s. The first and qualitative best German comic was Winnetou (# 1-8) / Karl May (# 9-52) (1963–1965). It was drawn by Helmut Nickel and Harry Ehrt and published by Walter Lehning Verlag. The most comprehensive comic was published by the press Standaard Uitgeverij. This Flemish comic Karl May was drawn by the studio of Williy Vandersteen in 87 issues from 1862–1987. Also in other countries comics were produced: e. g. Czechoslovakia (often reduced to the wild west plot), Denmark, France, Mexico, Spain and Sweden.
In 1988 Der Schatz im Silbersee was read by Gert Westphal and published as audiobook. “Wann sehe ich dich wieder, du lieber, lieber Winnetou?“ (1995) is a compendium of Karl May texts read by Hermann Wiedenroth. Since 1998 different presses (e. g. Karl May Press) have released an increasing number of about 50 audiobooks. Another famous reader is movie actor Peter Sodann.
Karl May and his life were basis for screen adaptations: Freispruch für Old Shatterhand (1965, dir. Hans Heinrich) and Karl May (1974, dir. Hans-Jürgen Syberberg) as well as a 6-episode TV series Karl May (1992, dir. Klaus Überall). There are also novels with or about Karl May, e. g. “Swallow, mein wackerer Mustang” (1980) by Erich Loest, “Vom Wunsch, Indianer zu werden. Wie Franz Kafka Karl May traf und trotzdem nicht in Amerika landete“ (1994) by Peter Henisch, “Old Shatterhand in Moabit” (1994) by Walter Püschel and “Karl May und der Wettermacher” (2001) by Jürgen Heinzerling. A stage adaptation is “Die Taschenuhr des Anderen“ by Willi Olbrich.
[edit]Copies, parodies, and sequels
Already during May’s lifetime he has been copied or parodied. While some just wrote similar wild west stories to participate on his literarily success (e. g. Franz Treller), others even used May’s name to publish their works. Also today novels with May figures are published. In “Hadschi Halef Omar” (2010) Jörg Kastner describes the first contact of the titular character with Kara Ben Nemsi. Franz Kandolf wrote “In Mekka” (1923) a sequel to Am Jenseits, which is official part of Karl May’s Gesammelte Werke as vol. 50. An alternative to Im Reiche des silbernen Löwen III/IV by Heinz Grill (“Die Schatten des Schah-in-Schah”, 2006) has been written in the adventurous style of the first parts. As sequel to Winnetou IV May had planned Winnetous Testament. A series of eight volumes with this title has been written by Jutta Laroche and Reinhard Marheinecke. Other famous writers of sequels are Friederike Chudoba, Otto Emersleben, Thomas Jeier, Edmund Theil and Iris Wörner (Her pseudonym Nscho-tschi refers to Winnetou’s sister).
The 2001 film Der Schuh des Manitu by Michael Herbig is a parody on the Karl May Films of the 1960s and spoof extensively the characters and motives of May's Winnetou trilogy.
[edit]Karl May institutions
[edit]Karl May Foundation
By will May made his second wife Klara to his sole heiress. He conditioned that after her death all of his property and the following earnings of his work should go to a foundation. This foundation should support poor gifted people for their education and help writers, journalists and editors, who had got into straits through no fault of their own. Klara May established the "Karl May Foundation" ("Karl-May-Stiftung") already one year after May’s death on March 5, 1913. Contributions are made since 1917. With contracts of inheritance and wills of Klara May the whole property of both went to the Karl May Foundation. After her conditions the foundation had to establish a Karl May Museum with the Villa “Shatterhand“, the real estates and the collections (foundation of the museum already took place during Klara May’s lifetime) as well as to maintain the tomb. In 1960 the Karl May Foundation leaved the Karl May Press, which belonged to her by two-thirds. Thereby the press got parts of May’s properties.
[edit]Karl May Press
July 1, 1913 Klara May, Friedrich Ernst Fehsenfeld (May’s main publisher) and the jurist Euchar Albrecht Schmid established the “Foundation Press Fehsenfeld & Co.” (“Stiftungs-Verlag Fehsenfeld & Co.“) in Radebeul. In 1915 the name changed into “Karl May Press“ (”Karl-May-Verlag“ = KMV). They ended the civil disputes (e. g. about the colportage novels) and got the rights of works from others presses (e. g the colportage novels and the stories for the youth). Third hand revisions of these texts were added to the series Karl May’s Gesammelte Reiseerzählungen, which was renamed to Karl May’s Gesammelte Werke (und Briefe). The existing 33 volumes of the original series also were (partly radically) revised. Until 1945 there were 65 volumes. The press nearly only publishes works of Karl May and secondary literature. Beside the Gesammelte Werke (the classical “green volumes”), which have 91 volumes today, the press has a huge reprint programme. Other targets of the young press were rehabilitation of May against literary criticism and support of the Karl May Foundation. Since the contractual quitting of Fehsenfeld in 1921 and the separation from the Karl May Foundation (as Klara May’s heir) in 1960 the press lies in hands of the Schmid family. Due to the attitudes of the authorities of the Soviet occupation zone and East Germany towards May (his works should not be printed) the press moved to Bamberg (West Germany) in 1959. After the German reunification the press has a second place of residence in Radebeul since 1996. When in 1963 the term of copyright ended the press lost its monopoly. The press started a commercialisation of May. The name “Karl May” is registered trade mark of the “Karl May Verwaltungs- und Vertriebs-GmbH”, which belongs to the Karl May Press.
[edit]Museums
[edit]Radebeul
Villa Bärenfett
The “Karl May Museum” in Radebeul started December 1, 1828 in “Villa Bear Fat” (Villa Bärenfett) as museum about history and life of Native Americans. This villa was build as log house in the garden of Villa “Shatterhand” after ideas of the widely travelled artist Patty Frank (Ernst Tobis). Karl May’s collection about Native Americans, which was added by Klara May, and the whole collection of Patty Frank were joined, therefore Frank became the first curator and got life estate in “Villa Bear Fat”. During the time of the GDR the museum was renamed “Native Americans Museum of the Karl May Foundation” in 1956 and Karl May related exhibits were removed in 1962.
After rethinking of the GDR authorities the museum got its former name back and the street even was renamed “Karl May Street” in 1984. While “Villa Bear Fat” further on contains the exhibition about Native Americans, where the fireplace room today is used for events, Villa “Shatterhand” shows an exhibition about Karl May since 1985. Beside the library, which can be used for research, the work room and parlour (so called “Sascha Schneider Room”) are originally arranged. Among others the replicas of the “famous guns” and a bust of Winnetou are shown. Opposite to Villa “Shatterhand” May’s fruit garden has become the “Karl May Grove” (“Karl-May-Hain”).
[edit]Hohenstein-Ernstthal
The “Karl May House” (“Karl-May-Haus”) is the about 300 year old weaver house, where May was born. During the May renaissance in the GDR it has become a memorial and museum since March 12, 1985. Beside the permanent exhibition about May’s life rebuild rooms like a weaver chamber and non-German book editions are shown. The garden has been arranged according to May’s description in his biography. Opposite the house lays the “International Karl May Heritage Center” (“Karl-May-Begegnungsstätte”), which is used for events and special exhibitions. In Hohenstein-Ernstthal, which is called “Karl May Home Town” since 1992, every May related place has a commemorative plaque. These places are connected by a “Karl May Path” (“Karl-May-Wanderweg”). Outside the city lays the “Karl May Cave” (“Karl-May-Höhle”), where May found shelter during his criminal time.
[edit]Societies
Some associations have been founded during Karl May’s lifetime, e. g. “Karl May Clubs” in the 1890s. Today, various work groups, societies, and clubs are devoting their activities to Karl May's life and work, and organize related events. While early associations often understood their role as rendering homage to the writer or defending him against critics, they focus today more on research. Most societies are in German-speaking areas (e. g. booster clubs of the museums), but some can also be found in the Netherlands, Australia and Indonesia. While the societies are responsible for the release of most Karl May-related periodicals (e. g Der Beobachter an der Elbe, Karl-May-Haus Information, Wiener Karl-May-Brief, Karl May in Leipzig), the magazine Karl May & Co. is published independently.
The “Karl May Society” (“Karl May Gesellschaft e.V.” = KMG) is the largest society with approximately 1800 members. The KMG was founded on March 22, 1969. One of its main objectives is to conduct research on Karl May’s life and work and to promote his recognition in the official history of literature and the general public. Among the various publications of the society are the Jahrbuch, the Mitteilungen, the Sonderhefte der Karl-May-Gesellschaft, and the KMG-Nachrichten as well as a huge reprint programmme. Since 2008 and in cooperation with the Karl May Foundation and the Karl May Press, the KMG publishes the critical edition of “Karl Mays Werke”. This project had been initiated by Hans Wollschläger and Hermann Wiedenroth in 1987. After initial disruptions and changes also regarding the printing the project is now conceptualized to more than 99 volumes.