Axel J. Halbach

Axel Jonas Halbach (18 March 1934 – 12 December 2022) was a German economist, development cooperation expert, writer, poet, and painter. He worked for the Ifo Institute for Economic Research in Munich for more than three decades, contributing to development policy and publishing widely in the Afrika-Studien series. In addition to his academic career, Halbach wrote Karl May–inspired adventure novels, composed poetry, and exhibited his paintings in Germany.

Early life and education Halbach was born in Hamburg and pursued secondary education at the Gymnasium Hamburg-Volksdorf, where his artistic talents were nurtured. After completing training in business administration, he joined the Ifo Institute, focusing on developing-country economics. published by Blitz-Verlag in Munich. These works expanded the Karl May universe with new stories featuring familiar characters:

Kara ben Nemsi – Neue Abenteuer series* Die El-Wahabiya-Bande (Vol. 16, 1998). Der Karawanentod (Vol. 17, 1998). Auf dem Weg zu Halef (Vol. 18, 1999). Im Tal der Herba Juvenilis (Vol. 19, 1999). Der Blick des Tetrapylon (Vol. 20, 2000). Schwarzes Elfenbein (Vol. 21, 2001). Von Leptis Magna in den Dschebel Nefusa (Vol. 22, 2002). König Salomons Diamanten (Vol. 23, 2003).

Im Wilden Westen Nordamerikas series* Im Land der Saguaros (Vol. 14, 1998). Der Schatz der Kristallhöhle (Vol. 15, 1999). Das Gold der Apachen (Vol. 16, 2000). Bloody Fox (Vol. 17, 2001). Blutige Schluchten (Vol. 19, 2003). Schamanen (Vol. 20, 2004). Halbach succeeded in bringing Karl May’s adventure world vividly back to life while setting his own accents. Thus Karl May’s heroes returned to the stage not as subordinate companions but as equal partners. Halef, for instance, often took on traits of Halbach’s own son as a “little friend and protector,” while Shatterhand acquired a gentleness and humanity that stood in contrast to Ralf Wolter’s brutal interpretation in the 1960s film adaptations.

In addition, Halbach composed witty and reflective poetry in the tradition of Wilhelm Busch, embracing themes from school life to professional experiences.

Artistic work

An avid painter, Halbach’s work often fused abstract, figurative, and humorous elements.

Apart from Karl May and Africa, Halbach’s other lifelong passion was painting. Already as a schoolboy he created fantastic pictures. His work Conversation Under Four Eyes even entered the annals of his Hamburg-Volksdorf high school when he and two friends replaced works by a local artist on exhibition at the school with their own painting. Painting, too, allowed Halbach’s exuberant imagination to flow freely. Over 68 years he created more than 1,000 “crazy pictures,” often accompanied by humorous short texts. The exhibition was covered by Süddeutsche Zeitung, one of Germany’s leading newspapers, and accompanied by a photograph of the gallery showing Halbach’s paintings on the walls.

“The 83-year-old has been painting since his youth, and the works in the KreativRaum demonstrate the wide range that has developed over 60 years. Colorful fabulous creatures snake through the frames, while, opposite, subtly sketched instruments convey the sound of smooth jazz. Extended stays abroad in Africa and Asia shaped Halbach, who worked for a long time in development aid. Allusions to masks and African patterns can be sensed in his works.”

Reception Halbach’s literary works—particularly his Karl May–inspired novels—have been discussed in scholarship on German popular literature. Günther Wüste**, in KMG-Nachrichten No. 195 (2018), provided an overview of Halbach's literary career. Volker Krischel** examined Halbach’s creative adaptations of Karl May’s universe in Karl May in Leipzig No. 117 (2019), describing them as “the somewhat different world of Karl May” (Die etwas andere Welt des Karl May). Krischel also reviewed Blitz-Verlag’s reissues of Halbach’s novels in Karl May & Co. No. 161 (2020), characterizing them as “Karl May’s heroes on somewhat different trails.

Death He died on 12 December 2022 in Ismaning, where he had lived for many years.