Manny’s Reviews > Halbblut und andere Erzählungen > Status Update

Adios, El Gitano. Coming up next, An den Ufern der Dwina.

Finished Joe Burkers, Das Einaug. Fascinating, but I think I need another rest from Karl May.

Given that Karl May was Hitler's favourite author, I keep wondering whether May's views were official doctrine among the Third Reich's race scientists. We keep getting told that a pure-blooded Apache or Sioux is greatly superior to a filthy Englishman or Spaniard (obviously not as good as a German). It seems odd, but given that the Nazis never reached the US it wouldn't necessarily have caused practical problems.

Preliminary ordering of races by degree of perfection in Karl May:

Apaches
Saxons
Other Germans
Other Whites
Native Americans other than Apaches and Comanches
Comanches
Chinese
People of mixed race

(Note: no Black characters have yet appeared).

Er hielt mit in der Rede inne, als er den gefesselten Scout erblickte, fuhr dann aber, sichtlich erfreut, schnell fort: »All devils, das ist ja Mr. Yato Inda, der halbgefärbte Gentleman! Und gebunden? Ist er Euer Gefangener, Sir?«

Heliogabalus Morpheus Edeward Franke. Now there's a name to conjure with.

Old Shatterhand aß wenig und nahm nur ein Gläschen Wein; Winnetou verzichtete ganz auf den Trank. Er wußte gar wohl, daß das ›Feuerwasser‹ der größte Feind des roten Mannes ist, und fügen wir hinzu, des weißen Mannes auch!

I thought "firewater" could only be spirits (usually whiskey), but apparently ›Feuerwasser‹ here includes wine as well. Is this general usage in German?

This book takes racism to a new level. It had never even occurred to me before that a Comanche might want to say something inappropriate about a Chinese.

It was a dark and stormy night.