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Adult Review: Address Unknown By Kathrine Kressmann Taylor

6/6/2012

19 Comments

 
address unkonwn kathrine kressman taylor cover
Address Unknown
Author: Kathrine Kressmann Taylor
Publication Date: 1939 
Publisher: Simon & Schuster (Washington Square Press reissue 2001)

Blurb (GR): A rediscovered classic, originally published in 1938 and now an international bestseller.When it first appeared in Story magazine in 1938, Address Unknown became an immediate social phenomenon and literary sensation. Published in book form a year later and banned in Nazi Germany, it garnered high praise in the United States and much of Europe.A series of fictional letters between a Jewish art dealer living in San Francisco and his former business partner, who has returned to Germany, Address Unknown is a haunting tale of enormous and enduring impact.

Review:
 
I was browsing Goodreads the other day and a short review came through my feed. I'd never heard of the book before but Elizabeth rarely gives books five stars so I was intrigued. I immediately put it on hold at my library and read it as soon as I got home today. I was skeptical about the claims made about the book, including the front cover quote from the New York Times Review:

"This modern story is perfection itself. It is the most effective indictment of Nazism to appear in fiction."

Address Unknown was first published in 1938 by Kathrine Kressmann Taylor, who wrote as Kressmann Taylor at the suggestion of her publisher, who thought the topic too intense to publish under a female's name. Story magazine's entire printing that contained the 54-page short story sold out quickly. Though several accounts I've read online argue that the book came back into the public light in 1999 when a French publisher put out a French translation which sold 600,000 copies (BBC), I honestly cannot believe that this book isn't used in schools and that I've somehow made it 28 years without ever hearing one word about it. When asked why she wrote this book, Kressmann Taylor tells a firsthand story about German friends of hers who'd lived in the US but were only visiting after moving back to Nazi Germany. They encountered a Jewish man, with whom they'd been intimate friends, and turned their back to his offered embrace and would not speak to him. (foreword) She said that after seeing this she could not help but wonder how seemingly normal people could become so warped and that she "began researching Hitler and reading his speeches and the writings of his advisors. What I discovered was terrifying. What worried me most was that no one in America was aware of what was happening in Germany and they also did not care."  (foreword) Look how short this book is: 
Address Unknown size in comparison to postcard and pen
The version I read is about he size of a postcard.
Address Unknown book size in comparison to DVD-R
The binding is a little smaller than the side of a DVD-R.
Barely bigger than a postcard yet it packs more of a punch than most books three, four, even five times its length. The story, about which I will speak very little because this is a book that would absolutely be ruined by spoilers, is that of two friends, one Jewish, one German. Address Unknown is a series of fictional letters between Max Eisenstein, a San Francisco art gallery owner and his German business partner, Martin Schulse, written after Schulse moves with his family back to Germany in the early 1930s. Epistolary format in this particular case created so much unease for me as I kept wondering what was going on for these people during all of the interim periods between letters. It also reminded me how powerful words can be, though it sounds absolutely cliche to say so, and how frustrating it can be when you are trying to get the full story from someone and your pleas are chained to a format which allows for pondering, revisions, and omissions with basically no guarantee of a satisfactory answer. 

The ending took me by surprise and that's all I'll say about that--the story went somewhere I had no idea it was going to go and I had to sit back and wonder whether what I was feeling was valid or disgusting. How often does that happen? 

I found out after reading about Kathrine Kressmann Taylor online that there was a movie made in 1944 and the ending is changed up a bit. I can't wait to see this film. There was also a dramatization done by the BBC for their Afternoon Drama series. I recommend that everyone read this. It will take you about half an hour. Come back and tell me what you think of it. I hope you can find a copy. I know I'm buying one.

5/5 stars
Readventurer F Signature
19 Comments
Kelly link
6/5/2012 10:39:10 pm

I'm sold. It's not my usual thing, but your review and the review you pointed to both make this sound like a must-read.

Reply
Flannery (The Readventurer) link
6/7/2012 01:34:36 pm

I keep wondering if I could snag any librarians who might pick it up on a break to read it. I'm not sure how many libraries have it but I really hope most do! Let me know if you read it. (and I don't notice. But I'll be on the lookout:))

Reply
Jasprit link
6/6/2012 01:35:11 am

Thanks for bringing this book to my attention Flann, I find the books that are rarely hyped end up being the best hidden gems! And I've just checked my library has a copy too! :)

Reply
Flannery (The Readventurer) link
6/6/2012 08:01:24 am

I hope you've put it on hold, Jasprit! It was such a great book, especially considering how short it is. I can't imagine what it was like to read it at the time it was first published.

Reply
Leanne link
6/6/2012 08:46:42 am

This classic sounds fascinating. I love when I or fellow readers unearth lesser- known titles that are buried under all the mass market paperbacks covering the shelves of book stores these days... as Jasprit said, finding hidden gems and sharing the wonderful experience with other readers. :)

Reply
Flannery (The Readventurer) link
6/7/2012 01:36:10 pm

Thanks, Leanne, and that is so true, especially with tiny books like this one. Even if it is on the shelf, you would barely notice it. It is the size of those "inspirational/quirky" type books like "Saying about Cats" and "Celebrating Motherhood Quotes" and things...

Reply
Pocketful of Books link
6/6/2012 10:53:10 pm

Oooo thanks for bringing this book to my attention! I love unusual formats and little short books that can say a lot in a tiny amount of space. I will be keeping my eye out for this one x

Reply
Flannery (The Readventurer) link
6/7/2012 01:37:26 pm

I hope you find it! I am going to buy a copy since my library system only has two or three. (which isn't a lot considering how large my library system is!) This book says more in a small space than almost any book I can think of.

Reply
Heidi link
6/7/2012 07:15:21 am

I read Garden of the Beasts last summer and wondered the same thing...how could America sit by? Fear, ignorance, disbelief...too afraid...this sounds like a marvelous, life changing read. I am headed over to see if I can find a copy and then I will come back and tell you about it. Thanks!

Reply
Flannery (The Readventurer) link
6/7/2012 01:38:34 pm

I bet they have one at Powell's! I haven't read Garden of Beasts yet, though I really want to. I hope you DO find it and then come back and tell me about it:)

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Jo [Wear the Old Coat] link
6/9/2012 08:15:55 pm

This looks amazing! I really love short stories, I went through a phase while I was at uni of reading tons of them.

I must check this one out. Thanks for bringing this to my attention, Flann!

Reply
Phil
1/28/2013 07:56:29 am

This book is used in the UK for A-Level students, Brilliant book, leaves a lasting impression.

Reply
Flannery (The Readventurer) link
1/28/2013 09:16:15 am

It makes me very happy to hear that it is used in schools in the UK. I can't believe it isn't more well known in the US.

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Saskia
3/20/2013 09:51:38 pm

I am currently studying this book for my English AS Level, having never heard of it, at first i was a little disappointed as it did not look like something that I would be interested in. However, after reading the book, many times, and carrying out an in depth analysis of it, I can safely say that it is one of the best books I have ever come across! Truly fantastic, thought provoking and very moving, there is so much more to this book than first meets the eye!

Reply
Faith Haywood
2/20/2015 10:12:13 pm

Hi there, I am studying this book for my AS exam and I can not find a study guide (studying "voice"). Saskia, do you know if there is a link or study guide that could be useful?

Reply
Emma
5/6/2015 11:37:34 pm

Hi, I've studied this book for my AS exams. I must point out that you have absolutely nailed it. Thank you for the review, I hope it really invites people to read the novella. It really is one of the best short pieces I have read.

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Liz Payne
3/20/2017 06:51:22 am

One of the best books I have read ... and re-read numerous times ..., chosen for our Book Club and for me it's the book that every school in the world should study! A classic case of: "the pen is mightier than the sword"!!

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Ela Dori
4/18/2018 03:39:44 am

How is it that no one (including you) has commented about the fact that Taylor had to publish the book under the name of a man?

Reply
Carol Wilson
2/14/2022 11:48:44 am

I read this book in less than hour. I am 83 years old and if anyone would have said to me I guarantee this book will stay with you forever, I would have scoffed. One of the comments said something about had I read it when it was published. Because of the year this book was published and without a media like we have today, I truly don’t think many people would have understood what the author was saying. Everyone had their head in the sand at that time. I think the one thing that keeps coming back to me is history repeats itself when we don’t learn from it and apply it to our lives now. Sadly, history is beginning to repeat itself today.

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