Author. He was the author of travel and adventure stories, dealing with desert Arabs or American Indians in the Old West. Karl May was the son of a weaver. There were 14 children in the family but nine died at an early age. May was blind for the first five years of his life. May become a schoolteacher at an elementary school. He had graduated at the age of 19 from Plauen. He had also studied in Waldenburg but he was fired from the school when he stole six candles to take them home. His career was ruined when he was convicted of the theft of a watch, which, he claimed, was lent to him, and he lost his teacher's license. This experience started a psychological crisis. He was twice arrested for fraud - he masqueraded among others as a medical doctor - and spent several years in prison, where he found the joy of books and good stories. After his release in 1874, he started to send his own writings to various magazines. He wrote sentimental village stories and for an unscrupulous publisher a large number of novelettes anonymously. This period developed his skills as a writer. He worked in Dresden as a journalist In 1883, May moved to Blasewitz. With the appearance of his short story collections and novels, he gained fame in the 1890, becoming one of the world's all-time best-selling fiction writers. In the last quarter of the 19th century, May was perhaps the most popular author of boys books in Germany. May wrote from 1875 over 70 books. Among his best-known works is "Winnetou", published in three volumes between 1876 and 1893. In 1895, he bought a house in Radebeul, which he named "Villa Shatterhand". It became his home for the rest of his life. From 1899 to 1900, May traveled in the Orient and Asia and in 1908 in America. He had suffered from a severe case of pneumonia in 1911, and against his doctor's orders he had made a trip to Vienna, where he had spoken before the academy for literature and music. His autobiography, "My Life and My Efforts" was published posthumously in 1917. May died in Radebeul in 1912.