Address Unknown

Sixty years later, apologists for the slow American response to the holocaust say that, gee, we just had no idea until the camps were liberated at the end of the war. Not so. In 1938, Katherine Kressman Taylor published the short story ADDRESS UNKNOWN in Story Magazine. Its popularity inspired a stand alone hardcover release the following year. The critics could not say enough. They and those who made it a bestseller knew. It is a perfectly crafted, creatively conceived story and it is a story that delivered an unmistakable message about the Nazi menace. Taylor was inspired by what became of a couple she knew who moved to Germany in the 30's and from a newspaper article. This edition includes an introduction by the author's son who reveals some biographical detail and how the story came to be written. Even with this information and what we know of history, the story packs an unexpected punch. It takes fiction to the living edge of what it can do for society and culture. This is a nicely produced edition, with a sturdy, flapped soft cover and rich vellum pages,worthy of the classic it is.

As a teacher of English Composition, I have used this story for decades in my English 102 course. It always provokes stimulating discussions and satisfying writing, especially comparison-contrast between Max and Martin. Yes, some of the details are not historically accurate, and the title is incorrect (it should be Addressee Unknown), but those are not important matters. This is a fine work.

What did it mean to be Jewish in the late 1930's in Nazi Germany? How powerful was Hitler's fascist brainwashing of the German race? How quickly did he influence the German people ? In an instant this book answers these questions and a great deal more regarding the Jews and Nazi Germany. It is a concise and compelling compilation of letters between a Jew in the States and a German returned from the States to live in Germany.Martin, the German, after voicing initial hesitation, succumbs to the temptation of following Hitler and rejecting his Jewish friend and business partner in the process. What is particularly disturbing is that it is clear from the outset that he is an intelligent, open-minded and well-educated individual. If even he is totally taken in by Hitler and his regime, what chance did those of a lesser education and a lesser quality of life have in the face of Hitler and his positive promises for the future ? They would have been swept along by his current of hope in an instant, even if that hope involved the elimination of minorities in the process. Only much later could the majority of Germans step back and realise the true implications of the Hitler regime. `Address Unknown' captures this and much more in an exchange of but a few letters. The simplicitiy of the work emphasises the horrors of Hitler.

I was so impressed with this book. It's only a few pages, letters between two partners, one a Jew in America and one who becomes a Nazi in Germany. The "addressee unknown" stamp says it all, just like "night and fog"; the disappearance of people into a void. It evokes a chilling horror, but what was even better was the revenge story, in which the Jewish man proved just how wrong his partner was about the "Semitic race." This book can be read in an hour or less, but you'll think about it a lot longer. Brilliant.

I can see why this book caused a sensation when it was first printed. It took me less than a half hour to read it but it will stay with me for years. I was left was many complex points to think about. Was Max completely in the right? Is what he did justified? I am amazed at the deep story that this little book contains and how it hits home as much today as it must have in 1938.