24. Nov. 1999:

Questions for an article

1. The number of copies of May's works that have been published. In Greg Langley's article in 1996, he cited 100 million copies. Is there a more recent figure?
2. How does Karl May rank among the most published authors of the 20th century? Does anyone know the rankings or the figures on other popular authors, such as Arthur Conan Doyle or Agatha Christie? Is Karl May the most published author of the century in terms of number of copies of his works printed?
3. What is the status of the copyright? Normally a copyright expires 75 years after an author's death. For Karl May that would be 1987. Did the copyright expire? Are other publishers now publishing Karl May's works? Does anyone have any figures on the printings of other publishers?
4. Karl May's works are now taught at some German Universities according to several sources. Does anyone have more specific information on these courses? Such as: Where they are taught? What is the nature of the courses? And how can I get in touch by email with any professors teaching these courses?
5. How many languages has Karl May been translated into? Does anyone have a list of these languages?
6. Does anyone have information on the popularity of Karl May's works in other countries? How many copies have been sold in the various countries?
7. Some translations of Karl May's works have been published in the US But how about England, Australia, and other English speaking countries? Have any of translations of May's works been published in these countries? And, if not, does anyone have any ideas as to why May's works have not made it to England, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, etc.?
8. Does anyone know of the existence of a complete translation of Winnetou into English, whether published or not? I would love to be able to read the entire novel in English.
9. Thousands of Germans come to the United States to tour the places May wrote about in his Wild West novels. Can anyone help me on: a) the places that are the major attractions for such tours; b) the number of people who annually go on such tours; c) the names of tourist agencies that book such tours so I can interview them; d) the specific names of hotels or tourist services that cater to Karl May fans in the US, so I can interview them.
10. I would also like to interview some people about the annual Karl May festivities and Wild West events in Germany.
11. One article mentioned that Karl may is also very popular in France, and that there are Karl May events there, too. Can anyone help me on getting in touch with some Karl May aficionados in France?
12. I would also like to find out more about the popularity of Karl May in the rest of Central and Eastern Europe: Austria, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovak Republic, Hungary, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Russia, etc. Are there special Karl May inspired events in these countries?

Sincerely,

Ben Novak
533 E. Curtin Street
Bellefonte, PA 16823
USA
(814) 355-1636

Titelseite KMG