Influence May had a substantial influence on a number of well-known German-speaking people and on the German population itself."Ich bin ein Cowboy" The Economist, 24 May 2001. The popularity of his writing, and his (generally German) protagonists, are seen as having filled a lack in the German psyche, which had few popular heroes until the 19th century. His readers longed to escape from an industrialised, capitalist society, an escape which May offered.Camurat D. The American Indian in the Great War, Real and Imagined May "helped shape the collective German dream of feats far beyond middle-class bounds."Tales Of The Grand Teutons: Karl May Among The Indians. The New York Times, 4 January 1987 and contributed to the popular image of Native Americans in German-speaking countries, which has been described by many as racist and harmful.
Influence May had a substantial influence on a number of well-known German-speaking people and on the German population itself."Ich bin ein Cowboy" The Economist, 24 May 2001. The popularity of his writing, and his (generally German) protagonists, are seen as having filled a lack in the German psyche, which had few popular heroes until the 19th century. His readers longed to escape from an industrialised, capitalist society, an escape which May offer:ed.Camurat D. The American Indian in the Great War, Real and Imagined May "helped shape the collective German dream of feats far beyond middle-class bounds."Tales Of The Grand Teutons Karl May Among The Indians. The New York Times, 4 January 1987 and contributed to the popular image of Native Americans in German-speaking countries, which has been described by many as racist and harmful.