Fantasies of Native Americans: Karl May’s continuing impact on the German imagination

More than any other German writer, Karl May (1842–1912) shaped, and continues to shape, German views of Native Americans. He wrote more than 30 adventure books about the American West; his works were translated into over 20 languages, and sold some 200 million copies worldwide. Generations of Germans read his books, and his impact continues today. In the 1960s popular films based on his works were made in the Federal Republic; films inspired by May appeared in the German Democratic Republic (GDR); the well-attended May festivals feature theatrical performances of his works; and a mini-series appeared on television in the Federal Republic in the 1980s and in 1998 and reached large audiences. Such famous Germans as Albert Einstein and Hermann Hesse were May fans. Unfortunately, Hitler also liked May’s stories, which temporarily damaged the strongly pacifist May’s reputation in the immediate post-Hitler years. This essay turns to May’s continued popularity in Germany, analysing films that were directly or (in the GDR) indirectly inspired by May’s image of the Native American, before discussing reasons for his popularity today, as demonstrated by the Karl May festivals and television series, all of which in different ways continue to perpetuate colonial stereotypes.