Winnetou: A Novel (Continuum Impacts, 56) - Softcover

May, Karl

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0826418481 ISBN 13: 9780826418487

Publisher: Continuum, 2006

Synopsis

Karl May's most popular work originally published in 1892 and influenced by Harriet Beecher Stowe, Winnetou is the story of a young Apache chief told by his white friend and blood-brother Old Shatterhand. The action takes place in the U.S. Southwest, in the latter half of the 1800s, where the Indian way of life is threatened by the first transcontinental railroad. Winnetou, the only Native Indian chief who could have united the various rival tribes to reach a settlement with the whites, is murdered. His tragic death foreshadows the death of his people. May's central theme here, as in much of his work, is the relationship between aggression, racism, and religious intolerance.

About this title

From the Back Cover:

"Karl May's German-language novel of the American West has been a perennial favorite in Europe since it first appeared in 1892. The daring adventures of the German-born frontiersman "Old Shatterhand" and his Apache companion "Winnetou" in the western plains and mountains have been reprinted innumerable times, made into films and plays, and have inspired musical compositions. Today in Germany, Old West enthusiasts by the tens of thousands attend an outdoor "Karl May" festival each summer. Yet, despite May's immense popularity in Europe, this prolific author of adventure fiction is virtually unknown in the United States and Canada."--BOOK JACKET. "May's writing shaped a European vision of the post-Civil War American West - one uniquely Teutonized by his prolific pen. Interestingly enough, May did not visit the United States until late in life, long after his most popular western stories were published."--BOOK JACKET. "In this WSU Press edition, David Koblick's translation and abridgment puts the best known novel by Karl May into the hands of an English speaking audience. In addition, an introduction by Koblick and an insightful foreword by Richard H. Cracroft of Brigham Young University provide a cultural and historical perspective on the Karl May phenomenon."--BOOK JACKET.

About the Author:

Karl May (1842-1912) was born in Germany to a family of poor weavers. Blind for the first six years of his life, he overcame self-doubt and despair to become one of the most successful writers of fiction in history. 70 million copies of his books have been sold in more than 20 languages. Albert Einstein remarked, “My whole adolescence stood under May’s sign.” Albert Schweitzer, “What I liked most in May’s writings is the courageous stand for peace and mutual understanding which inspires nearly all his books.”

About this edition

• Publisher: Continuum
• Publication date: 2006
• ISBN 10: 0826418481
• ISBN 13: 9780826418487
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 680