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4.29 AVERAGE
4.29 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Hate crime, Xenophobia
Moderate: Death
Poignant and eerily moving — with the plot a knife at the end — Taylor (whose own story as an author is interesting in and of itself) delivers a correspondence between two German business partners and friends. Max, a German Jew living in the United States, and Martin, a German gentile who returns with his family to Germany pulled by the promise of rebuilding the country following the Great War, write letters to each other over the course of sixteen months from 1932 to 1934.
"Who is this Adolf Hitler who seems rising towards power in Germany? I do not like what I read of him."
Taylor managed to build so much backstory and stress as the messages continue and the dates on the letters, and their contents, tick closer to a future we know is inevitable. But Taylor still surprises by the end. Astoundingly, this was first published in 1938 in Story magazine, and that knowledge, coupled with the dates of the letters, add an incredible amount of tension to this impactful novella.
Audiobook, as narrated by [a:George Newbern|3461329|George Newbern|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png] and [a:Rob Shapiro|2887475|Rob Shapiro|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png]: Wonderful performances from Newbern and Shapiro here as they deliver a back-and-forth correspondence. To be able to allow the deeply moving story from Taylor to rise up above a performance through the simple act of reading letters, attests to the skills these two men assuredly possess.
"Who is this Adolf Hitler who seems rising towards power in Germany? I do not like what I read of him."
Taylor managed to build so much backstory and stress as the messages continue and the dates on the letters, and their contents, tick closer to a future we know is inevitable. But Taylor still surprises by the end. Astoundingly, this was first published in 1938 in Story magazine, and that knowledge, coupled with the dates of the letters, add an incredible amount of tension to this impactful novella.
Audiobook, as narrated by [a:George Newbern|3461329|George Newbern|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png] and [a:Rob Shapiro|2887475|Rob Shapiro|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png]: Wonderful performances from Newbern and Shapiro here as they deliver a back-and-forth correspondence. To be able to allow the deeply moving story from Taylor to rise up above a performance through the simple act of reading letters, attests to the skills these two men assuredly possess.
A sensation when it first appeared in 1938, Taylor’s powerful story alerted a complacent, isolationist United States to the rising Nazi menace (alas, too late), all in the guise of a grimly satisfying thriller, easily digested over a lunch hour. Through a sequence of letters starting in 1932 between Max Eisenstein, a Jewish art dealer in San Francisco, and his business partner Martin Schulse, newly repatriated to his native Munich, we witness with alarming immediacy the insidious progress of fascist ideology. Reluctant at first (“Is he quite sane?”), Martin soon falls under the resistless, dehumanizing sway of Germany’s “Glorious Leader,” opening a perilous chasm between the friends. With masterful economy, Taylor (1903–96) uses the silences between letters to disturbing and ultimately devastating effect. At perhaps no time since its initial publication has this stunning evocation of extremism and intolerance felt more chilling. As the foreword to the 1938 edition suggested, this story deserves a permanent place on the country’s bookshelf.
A good book with substance doesn't need to be wordy. This short work by Kathrine Kresmann Taylor is a powerful read. Avoiding spoilers, all I can say is "Address Unknown" is disturbing in many subtle ways. Still relevant to us, ranging from macro to micro aspects in our daily lives, half a century after its publication. Definitely a VERY good read.
I would give this 10 stars if I could. Should be required reading...for EVERYONE! Powerful and timeless! Definitely going on my bookshelf of keepers.
This book shows that size doesn't matter. Barely 40 pages but having a major impact. For those that think "sticks and stones will break my bones but words will never hurt me" this book is a must read. Nothing proved to be more deadly than the written word.
Quote:
A few must suffer for millions to be saved.
This can be perceived as true until you are told it is written by someone who sympathizes with the Nazi cause.
Quote:
A few must suffer for millions to be saved.
This can be perceived as true until you are told it is written by someone who sympathizes with the Nazi cause.
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
letto per laboratorio di scrittura e interpretazione scenica. non so bene come mi possa aiutare per scrivere il monologo, ma ci penserò...
Cette nouvelle est encore plus impressionnante quand on sait qu'elle a été écrite en 1938 et qu'on connaît la suite des événements.
J'ai dû chercher sur internet une explication à la seconde moitié de la nouvelle parce que je ne comprenais pas les lettres que Max envoie à Martin. Alors que ça paraît tellement évident maintenant sur je sais. Bref je suis un boulet
J'ai dû chercher sur internet une explication à la seconde moitié de la nouvelle parce que je ne comprenais pas les lettres que Max envoie à Martin. Alors que ça paraît tellement évident maintenant sur je sais. Bref je suis un boulet
I took a college course last year on the rise of Nazism. Primary document after primary document slowly revealed the mind-shift that took place in the German people as they chose to embrace Hitler, when they embraced fascism. This tiny but powerful book shines a glaring spotlight on just that, and it is chilling. Brilliant use of epistolary form to put the attitudes and actions of the two main characters front and center.
So glad this book is gaining attention after being off the radar for many years. Read it!
So glad this book is gaining attention after being off the radar for many years. Read it!