Winnetou: A Novel

Description

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.

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, aEUROoeMy whole adolescence stood under MayaEURO (TM)s sign.aEURO Albert Schweitzer, aEUROoeWhat I liked most in MayaEURO (TM)s writings is the courageous stand for peace and mutual understanding which inspires nearly all his books.aEURO