Address Unknown
Published on 1. April 2011
Book
Hardback
64 pages
978-0-285-63629-3 (ISBN)
Description
Kressmann Taylor's Address Unknown is a rediscovered classic. Originally published in 1938 - it is now an international bestseller, and reveals the extraordinary power of the pen as a weapon. This is a book that needs to be read.
Thanks to word-of-mouth recommendation from reader to reader, Address Unknown has been reprinted 11 times.
Short but shattering, it will linger in your memory.
Can friendship survive in a divided world? Written on the eve of the Holocaust as a series of letters between a Jew in America and his German friend, Kressmann Taylor's classic novel is a haunting tale of a society poisoned by Nazism.
First published in 1938, Address Unknown met with immediate success in English but was banned in Europe by the Nazis. Tragically prescient about what was to come, it was one of the earliest works of fiction to warn against the growing dangers of fascism and antisemitism in Europe. It became an international bestseller and has been translated into more than twenty languages.
A novel of enduring impact with a memorable sting in its tail, Address Unknown stands as a powerful reminder of the dangers posed by the rhetoric of intolerance.
Thanks to word-of-mouth recommendation from reader to reader, Address Unknown has been reprinted 11 times.
Short but shattering, it will linger in your memory.
Can friendship survive in a divided world? Written on the eve of the Holocaust as a series of letters between a Jew in America and his German friend, Kressmann Taylor's classic novel is a haunting tale of a society poisoned by Nazism.
First published in 1938, Address Unknown met with immediate success in English but was banned in Europe by the Nazis. Tragically prescient about what was to come, it was one of the earliest works of fiction to warn against the growing dangers of fascism and antisemitism in Europe. It became an international bestseller and has been translated into more than twenty languages.
A novel of enduring impact with a memorable sting in its tail, Address Unknown stands as a powerful reminder of the dangers posed by the rhetoric of intolerance.
Reviews / Votes
This modern story is perfection itself. It is the most effective indictment of Nazism to appear in fiction. * The New York Times Book Review * A tale already known and profoundly appreciated by members of my generation. It is to our part in World War II what Uncle Tom's Cabin was to the Civil War. * Kurt Vonnegut * Remarkably, despite the multitude of testimony and first-person accounts of life under Nazism with which we've been deluged since its first publication, this old, slim fiction manages to smuggle us across time and space into one eloquent tale of perfidy. -- Anne Karpf * Guardian * Spend three-quarters of an hour with it and you'll be jabbing all comers with the injunction: "Read!"... Remarkably, despite the multitude of testimony and first-person account of life under Nazism with which we've been deluged since its first publication, this old, slim fiction manages to smuggle us across time and space into one eloquent tale of perfidy. * Guardian * Better just call it a masterpiece... remarkable power and economy...a reminder that important messages can come in small envelopes. * Time * A tiny book that is beyond memorable. Resonates long after the final page. * Dove Grey Reader blog (chosen as a favourite book of 2007) * Address Unknown remains one of the most significant, innovative and genuinely engaged fictions about the Nazi era. * New Statesman * -So simple, so short, and so very profound.-A remarkable and, in its way, unique slant on a grimly fascinating moment in history. This very slim volume may well haunt your days, as it has mine.
-I really enjoyed it. It is a great read. I agree it should be given and shared with Secondary School (and older) students as it makes a great start for any discussion on the subject of Nazism.
-The book is both horrifying... and moving.
-I found this lovely little book whilst researching the Holocaust, as part of a history assignment. I am a trainee teacher. I would certainly recommend it for inclusion in secondary school reading texts, and a must read for anyone, if only to reflect on your own friendships and the personal external influences which mould them.
-It's sad, tragic and evocative. I'd like everyone I know to read this memorable story.
-I bought this book after hearing about it on Radio 4's A Good Read and am amazed that I had never heard of it before. It is a book which should be made essential reading in all secondary schools.
-I found this book breathtaking. I felt like a spy, opening and reading these letters between these two fantastic people.
-Address Unknown is essential reading for all.
-I found it quite heart-breaking in its simplicity and the terrible inevitability. It is deservedly a classic.
-This book can be read in an hour or less, but you'll think about it a lot longer. Brilliant.
-Very simple. Very powerful.
-I wish to recommend it to all those - like me - who still ask: WHY? This book should be read in all schools, and should be translated into German.
-It took me less than a half hour to read but it will stay with me for years. -- . * Amazon Reader Reviews *
More details
Edition
Main
Language
English
Place of publication
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Profile Books Ltd
Product notice
Trade binding
Dimensions
Height: 205 mm
Width: 135 mm
Thickness: 11 mm
Weight
185 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-285-63629-3 (9780285636293)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Kathrine Kressmann Taylor
Address Unknown
E-Book
04/2011
1st Edition
Souvenir Press Ltd
€17.79
Available for download
Person
Kressmann Taylor (1903-1996) won her first writing award at the age of eleven. She went on to write three books and more than a dozen short stories, one of which was included in The Best American Short Stories of 1956. For nineteen years, she was a professor of creative writing and journalism at Gettysburg College in Pennsylvania, where she was the first woman to earn tenure.
Kressmann Taylor was living in New York with her husband and working as a copywriter when Address Unknown was published in Story magazine. She later taught at Gettysburg College and is also known for her novel Until That Day. She died in 1996.
Kressmann Taylor was living in New York with her husband and working as a copywriter when Address Unknown was published in Story magazine. She later taught at Gettysburg College and is also known for her novel Until That Day. She died in 1996.