Mai - Mai (English spelling) Karl May

German novelist. Germany's most widely read writer of popular and children's novels. His works have sold 30 million copies since the end of World War II (the so-called My Renaissance), and a total of 60 million copies (as of 1980). Born into an extremely poor family, he spent the first ten years of his life in prison as a criminal. After his release, he began writing at the age of 33, and thereafter wrote a huge body of work totaling 74 volumes. About one-third of these works are aimed at young people. He wrote adventure novels set in roughly three regions: the Middle East, the American West, and elsewhere. His main work is Winnetu, a three-volume set (1893) in which the author, in the "I" role, tells of his friendship with the Apache chief Winnetu and his adventures in the Great West.

[Yamaguchi Shiro]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

ドイツの小説家。ドイツでもっとも多く読まれた大衆小説、少年小説作家。その発行部数は第二次世界大戦後だけでも3000万部（いわゆるマイ・ルネサンス）、累計では6000万部に達する（1980現在）。極貧の家庭に生まれ、犯罪者として前半生の十数年を獄舎で送り、出獄後33歳で初めて筆をとり、以後全集74巻に及ぶ膨大な作品を残した。このうち約3分の1は青少年向き。舞台を中近東、アメリカ西部、その他とほぼ三つに分けて冒険小説を書いた。主著は、作者が「私」の形で、アパッチの首長(しゅちょう)ウィネトゥとの友情と大西部における冒険を語った『ウィネトゥ』全三巻（1893）。

［山口四郎］

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