"A short time before the war, some cultivated, intellectual, warmhearted German friends of mine returned to Germany after living in the United States. In a very short time they turned into sworn Nazis. They refused to listen to the slightest criticism about Hitler. During a return visit to California, they met an old, dear friend of theirs on the street who had been very close to them and who was a Jew. They did not speak to him. They turned their backs on him when he held his hands out to embrace them. How can such a thing happen? I wondered. What changed their hearts so? What steps brought them to such cruelty?
        These questions haunted me very much and I could not forget them. It was hard to believe that these people whom I knew and respected had fallen victim to the Nazi poison. I 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. In 1938, the isolationist movement in America was strong; the politicians said that affairs in Europe were none of our business and that Germany was fine. Even Charles Lindbergh came back from Germany saying how wonderful the people were. But some students who had returned from studying in Germany told the truth about the Nazi atrocities. When their fraternity brothers thought it would be fun to send them letters making fun of Hitler, they wrote back and said, “Stop it. We’re in danger. These people don’t fool around. You could murder one of these Nazis by writing letters to him.”"

That is how Kathrine Kressmann Taylor explained the inspiration behind Address Unknown, now regarded as one of the seminal works of anti-Nazi literature. Originally published in 1938, the short story is written in the form of an exchange of letters at the height of the rise of Nazism in Germany, between two business partners and friends. Martin is a gentile who has recently returned to Germany and becomes indoctrinated into Nazi ideology. Max is a Jew who stayed back in America to continue the business.

The story explores themes of bigotry and fascism and how the tables could be so easily turned on people who live by fear-mongering by vilifying others. The story uses the most amazing concept: using a letter as a weapon of vengeance. I believe this book is surprisingly relevant in this era of liberalism when fascist ideals are again on the rise and being easily circulated and accepted by the masses. It is unfortunate that over 80 years after its publication, the underlying premise still holds true and relevant.