"Durch die Wüste" ist eine Reiseerzählung von Karl May, publiziert 1892. Karl Friedrich May (\* 25. Februar 1842 in Ernstthal; † 30. März 1912 in Radebeul; eigentlich Carl Friedrich May) war ein deutscher Schriftsteller. Karl May war einer der produktivsten Autoren von Abenteuerromanen. Er ist einer der meistgelesenen Schriftsteller deutscher Sprache und laut UNESCO einer der am häufigsten übersetzten deutschen Schriftsteller. Die weltweite Auflage seiner Werke wird auf 200 Millionen geschätzt, davon 100 Millionen in Deutschland. Bekannt wurde er vor allem durch seine sogenannten Reiseerzählungen, die vorwiegend im Orient, in den Vereinigten Staaten und im Mexiko des 19. Jahrhunderts angesiedelt sind. Besondere Berühmtheit erlangten die in drei Bänden zusammengefassten Geschichten um den Indianer Winnetou. Viele seiner Werke wurden verfilmt, für die Bühne adaptiert, zu Hörspielen verarbeitet oder als Comics umgesetzt.

Durchs wilde Kurdistan setzt Kara Ben Nemsi zusammen mit Halef und dem spleenigen Sir David Lindsay seine Orientreise fort. Bei den allseits verachteten "Teufelsanbetern" gibt es weitere Abenteuer: Amad el Ghandur, der Sohn von Scheik Mohammed Emin, ihrem Gastfreund, soll aus der Festung in Amadije befreit werden...

Those of you dear readers who have enjoyed this ongoing narrative that took us through the Sahara, Egypt, Iraq, Kurdistan, Iran and back to Iraq can now enjoy the two shorter adventures that take place in Damascus, Baalbek and Stambul. Although these narratives are short, they are packed with excitement. This brief novel is the culmination of so many actions begun in earlier episodes of this epic story. Here we rediscover the protagonist Abrahim Mamur, the vengeance seeking Omar Ben Sadek, the Greek Kolettis, Nasir Agassi of the Jesidi tale, Isla Ben Maflei and his bride Senitza. We even stumble upon the Barber from Jüterbogk and finally get to hear the saga of Galingré whose corpse was first discovered in the sands of the world’s greatest desert. It almost seems that this novel is about to lead us to the culmination of an epic journey. Kara Ben Nemsi is preparing to return home to his Fatherland so that he may write about the adventures he experienced. Yet as past events are resolved, a new thread is spun and our quest for justice continues. This novel is thus the gateway to a mystery that will not be resolved until the end of the greater tale that is called the ‘Oriental Odyssey’. It must be remembered that at the time these narratives were written, Karl May was writing many other manuscripts and no longer wrote exclusively for the ‘Deutscher Hausschatz’. Upon the completion of this volume, a long time passed before the remainder of this gigantic novel was published. One must note that the next volume contains a note that excuses the long gap in publication by mentioning that the author had gone to Egypt shortly after his return to Germany. I hope that you, the reader, will not have to wait long for the next part of this gripping adventure, involving the characters Kara Ben Nemsi and Hajji Halef Omar. Yet I too have many manuscripts piled upon my desk that require my urgent attention. Indeed we will continue to publish the translated work of Karl May and true to his style I invite you, dear readers, to follow me further on our epic journey through the Turkish Empire and beyond. I thank you for your past patronage and ask you to patiently await the completion of the sixth book of this series; ‘Oriental Odyssey VI’ – ‘In the Balkan Gorges’.

Von Edirne aus reitet Kara Ben Nemsi mit Halef, Osko und Omar Ben Sadek neuen Gefahren entgegen. Abenteuer mit Schmugglern und Halefs groteskes Erlebnis in einem Taubenschlag stehen im Mittelpunkt des Geschehens. In Ostromdscha aber treffen die Freunde auf den "heiligen" Mübarek...

The Black Persian belongs to a series of novels in which Karl May explores the Islamic world of the late 19th century. The German scholar Kara Ben Nemsi and his Arab friend Hadji Halef Omar continue to try to solve the mystery of the murdered Frenchman whose body they discovered in the first novel of this series In the Desert. This volume ends in the death struggle between Kara Ben Nemsi and his archenemy whose identity holds the key to the entire Islamic cycle. The dramatic action of this series takes the reader through many countries and offers an excellent introduction to Islamic culture, customs, and religious beliefs. Of all popular writers on the subject, May presents perhaps the most fascinating view of the Near East as it was at the height of Western imperialism. Karl May"s interest as a storyteller was always in the symbolic meaning of time and place, and he was almost obsessed with the cradle of the three great monotheistic religions. Many of May"s most distinguished admirers, such as Franz Werfel and Albert Einstein, have considered his Islamic novels, like The Black Persian, to be his best. They are unique in their combination of fairy tale, detective story, heroic myth, and historical reportage. The author, a German who specialized in adventure stories (think about a German G.A. Henty), wrote in the late 19th century for the most part. He was prolific and extraordinarily popular in his day, and was a favorite of a broad range of readers including Einstein, Hesse, Schweitzer, and, of all people, Hitler. The book is part of a series placed in the decaying Ottoman Empire.

Nach Abenteuern in der Teufelsschlucht und bei der Juwelenhöhle treffen Kara Ben Nemsi und seine Begleiter auf das Oberhaupt der Verbrecher, den Schut. Manche gefährliche Situation wird heraufbeschworen, ehe die Jagd, die in der tunesischen Wüste begann, in Albanien zu Ende geht. Der Schut gehört zu einer sechsteiligen Reihe. Weitere Bände: Durch die Wüste (Band 1), Durchs wilde Kurdistan (Band 2), Von Bagdad nach Stambul (Band 3), In den Schluchten des Balkan (Band 4), Durch das Land der Skipetaren (Band 5).