Karl (Carl) Friedrich May (/maɪ/ MY; German: [maɪ]; 25 February 1842 – 30 March 1912) was a German writer best known for his adventure novels set in the American Old West. His main protagonists are Winnetou and Old Shatterhand. May set similar books in the Orient and Middle East in which the main protagonists were Kara Ben Nemsi and Hadschi Halef Omar, Latin America and Germany. May also wrote poetry, a play, and composed music; he was a proficient player of several musical instruments.