After our, currently missed, friend Pinguin published some venturesome articles about Adolf Hitler and the influence the German Author Karl May have had over the Fhrer.
Outside the German literature, i think Karl May is not very popular.
May (1842- 1912) was and still is one of the best selling German Writers ever. (for more details use this
link )
Many of his books were about Old Shatterhand, the alter ego of May, and his bloodbrother Winnetou, an Apache chief.
Both were fighting against sneaky settlers, treacherous traders, brutal soldiers and of course indians.
Though the Indians mostly were heroic and noble, while many of the whitemen were discribed as cowardly and dishonest.
Adolf Hitler, in any case, didn't gave his orders to exterminate the Jews or other dissenters, cause he had read Karl May noveles.
And let me clarify, for the most German boys, and there were mostly boys, who played Cowboys and Indians, it was more preferable to be the heroic Indian chief, than to be the underhanded white man.
Karl May, who never had been in America and spend a time in prison, might be a literary smatterer, but as an example for Adolf Hitler, he is not good for.
Karl May as Old Shatterhand
The movies of the adventures of Old Shatterhand and Winnetou were made in the 1960s in former Yugoslavia. The Indian was played by the french Pierre Brice and the German Old Shatterhand was played by the american actor Lex Barker.
Today there are still some Karl May clubs, who are celebrating anniversaries and festivals. Very popular in Germany are the Karl May Festivals in Bad Segeberg and Elspe, were at an open air theater, many actors let revive the fights of the two heroes.
Edited by ulrich von hutten - 05-Jan-2008 at 07:12