Karl May

Nina Berman (Arizona State University)

Ed. by Gerhard P. Knapp, University of Utah
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.4.1: German-language Writing and Culture: Germany, 500-present.
Vol. editors: Gerhard P. Knapp (University of Utah), Jennifer Marston William (Purdue University), Herbert Rowland (Purdue University), Jill E. Twark (East Carolina University)

Dates

Born 25 Feb 1842
Died 30 Mar 1912
Activity 1875-1912

Places

Born in Germany
Active in Germany

Activities

Primary

Editor
Essayist
Novelist
Playwright / Dramatist
Poet
Travel writer

Resources

May's Works

Save to Bookshelf

Karl May is the most widely read author of German-language popular fiction. The study of his works and their reception provides unique access to ideas central to nineteenth- and twentieth-century German culture and society. He wrote fictional travel narratives, short stories, novels, satires, poetry, plays, essays, and autobiographical texts. His best-known novels are the

Winnetou

tetralogy (I-III 1893; IV 1909/1910) and the six-volume

Orientzyklus

[

Orient Cycle

, 1881-1888].

May’s fictional world reflects key aspects of his early life. He was born on 25 February 1842 into a family of poor weavers in Ernstthal, Saxony, as the fifth of fourteen children. The dismal situation of the weavers at the time was deplored by Heinrich Heine in his moving poem “The Silesian Weavers” (1844) and

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2169 words

Citation: Berman, Nina. "Karl May". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 25 May 2004 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=5731, accessed 21 November 2024.]