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When"AddressUnknown"wasfirstpublishedintheUnitedStates，inStorymagazineinSeptemberI938，itcausedanimmediatesensation。WrittenasaseriesoflettersbetweenaJewishAmericanlivinginSanFranciscoandhisformerbusinesspartnerwhohadreturnedtoGermany，thestory，earlyon，exposedthepoisonofNazismtotheAmericanpublic。

Withintendaysofpublication，theentireprintingofthatissueofStorywassoldout，andenthusiasticreadersweremimeographingcopiesofthestorytosendtofriends。NationalradiocommentatorWalterWinchellheartilyrecommendedthestoryas"thebestpieceofthemonth，somethingyoushouldn'tmiss，"andReadersDigestputasideitslong-standingno-fictionruletoreprintthepieceforitsmorethanthreemillionreaders。

In1939，Simon&SchusterpublishedAddressUnknownasabookandsoldfiftythousandcopies-ahugenumberinthoseyears。HamishHamiltonfollowedsuitinEnglandwithaBritishedition，andforeigntranslationswerebegun。But1939wasalsotheyearofBlitzkrieg;withinmonthsmostofEuropewasunderthedominationofAdolfHitler，theDutchtranslationdisappeared，andtheonlyotherEuropeanappearanceofAddressUnknownwasontheReichskommisar'slistofbannedbooks。SothestoryremainedunknownontheContinentforthenextsixtyyears，despiteitsgreatimpactandsuccessintheUnitedStatesandEngland。

AuthorKressmannTaylor，"thewomanwhojoltedAmerica，"wasbornKathrineKressmanninPortland，Oregon，in1903。AftergraduatingfromtheUniversityofOregonin1924，shemovedtoSanFranciscoandworkedasanadvertisingcopywriter，writingforsomesmallliteraryjournalsinhersparetime。In1928theeditorsoftheSanFranciscoReview，amagazinesheparticularlyliked，invitedhertoaparty，whereshemetElliottTaylor，theownerofhisownadvertisingagency，andtheyweremarriedwithintwoweeks。WhentheGreatDepressionhittheadvertisingindustry，thecoupleboughtasmallfarminsouthernOregon。Takingtheirtwosmallchildrenandaddingathirdin1935，theyliterally"livedofftheland，"growingtheirownfoodandpanningforgold。

In1938theymovedtoNewYork，whereElliottworkedasaneditorandKathrinefinishedwriting"AddressUnknown。"ElliottshowedittoStorymagazineeditorWhitBurnett，whoimmediatelywishedtopublishit。HeandElliottdecidedthatthestorywas"toostrongtoappearunderthenameofawoman，"andassignedKathrinetheliterarypseudonymKressmannTayloraprofessionalnamesheacceptedandkeptfortherestofherlife，largelybecauseofthesuccessofAddressUnknown。Thisishowshedescribestheoriginalmotivationforthestory：

Ashorttimebeforethewar，somecultivated，intellectual，warmheartedGermanfriendsofminereturnedtoGermanyafterlivingintheUrutedStates。InaveryshorttimetheyturnedintoswornNazis。TheyrefusedtolistentotheslightestcriticismaboutHitler。DuringareturnvisittoCalifornia，theymetanold，dearfriendoftheirsonthestreetwhohadbeenveryclosetothemandwhowasaJew。Theydidnotspeaktohim。Theyturnedtheirbacksonhimwhenheheldhishandsouttoembracethem。Howcansuchathinghappen?Iwondered。Whatchangedtheirheartsso?Whatstepsbroughtthemtosuchcruelty?

ThesequestionshauntedmeverymuchandIcouldnotforgetthem。ItwashardtobelievethatthesepeoplewhomIknewandrespectedhadfallenvictimtotheNazipoison。IbeganresearchingHitlerandreadinghisspeechesandthewritingsofhisadvisors。WhatIdiscoveredwasterrifying，WhatworriedmemostwasthatnooneinAmericawasawareofwhatwashappeninginGermanyandtheyalsodidnotcare。In1938，theisolationistmovementinAmericawasstrong;thepoliticianssaidthataffairsinEuropewerenoneofourbusinessandthatGermanywasfine。EvenCharlesLindberghcamebackfromGermanysayinghowwonderfulthepeoplewere。ButsomestudentswhohadreturnedfromstudyinginGermanytoldthetruthabouttheNaziatrocities。

WhentheirfraternitybrothersthoughtitwouldbefuntosendthemlettersmakingfunofHitler;theywrotebackandsaid，"Stopit。We'reindanger:Thesepeopledon'tfoolaround，YoucouldmurderoneoftheseNazisbywritingletterstohim。"

Whenthatincidentoccurred，itratedonlyasmallarticleinthenews，butitcaughtEUiott'seye;hebroughtithometoKathrine，anditgaverisetotheirjointideaofusingaletterasaweapon。Shetookthatideaandwenttoworkonthestoryshewantedtowrite。

IwantedtowriteaboutwhattheNazisweredoingandshowtheAmericanpublicwhathappenstoreal，livingpeoplesweptupinawarpedideology。

Theresultwas"AddressUnknown，"agreatsuccessaboutwhichTheNewYorkTimesBookReviewstatedin1939，"Thismodernstoryisperfectionitself。ItisthemosteffectiveindictmentofNazismtoappearinfiction。"ThatindictmentcontinuedinKathrine'snextbook，

UntilthatDay，publishedin1942。

Followingthewar，whenfurtherindictmentoftheNazisnolongerseemednecessary，AddressUnknownslippedfrompublicnoticeandwasJargelyforgotten，otherthanitsinclusioninanoccasionalanthologyElliottTaylordiedin1953，andKathrinelivedasawidowforthenextfifteenyears，continuingtowriteandtoteachwriting，journalism，andhumanitiesatGettysburgCollege，inPennsylvania。Retiringin1966，shemovedtoFlorence，Italy，wheresheexperiencedthegreatfloodoftheArnoriverinNovemberofthatyear-whichinspiredherthirdbook，DiaryofFlorenceinFlood，publishedtocriticalacclaiminEnglandandAmericathefollowingspring。

EnroutetoItalyin19660ntheItalianLine'sMichclangelo，KathrinemettheAmericansculptorJohnRood。Thetwofeltanimmediateattraction，hadashipboardromance，andweremarriedthefollowingyearinMinneapolis，wherehemadehishome。ThereaRer，theylivedpartofeachyearinMinneapolisandpartintheValdePea，outsideFlorence。EvenafterRood'sdeathin1974，Kathrinekeptbothhomesfornearlytwentyyears，livingquietlyineachsixmonthsayear，simplyasMrs。JohnRood。

Then，in1995，whenKathrinewasninety-oneyearsold，StoryPressreissuedAddressUnknown"tocommemoratethe50thanniversaryoftheliberationoftheconcentrationcamps"andbecause，asStoryeditorLoisRosenthalwrote，its"significantandtimelessmessage"hadearnedit"apermanentplaceonthebookshelves"ofAmerica。Thebookwaswellreceived，andKathrine，happilysigningcopiesandgrantingtelevisionandpressinterviews，wasgratifiedatitsre-emergence，thistimewiththestatusofanAmericanliteraryclassic。

KathrineKressmannTaylorRooddiedinJuly1996，lateinherninety-thirdyear，sharp-witted，perceptive，andenthusiastic，evenabouttheendoflife。"Dying，"shesaidinherlastweek，"isnormal。It'sasnormalasbeingborn。"Andshewasready。Shehadlivedseveralsuccessfullives:asawifeandmother，asapopularprofessor，andastheauthorofthreebooksandadozenshortstories，oneofwhich，AddressUnknown，wasrecognizedasaclassicwhileshelived。

Shortlyafterherdeath，acopyofthe1995reissuecameintothehandsofFrenchpublisherHenriDougierofEditionsAutrement，Paris。HesawatonceitsrelevancetotheentireEuropeancommunity，boththosememberswhohadlivedunderNazidominationandthosewhoneededtoknowwhatithadbeenlike。HedeterminedthataFrenchtranslationmustbeundertaken，andthattranslation，byMicheleLevy-Bram，hittheFrenchbestseUerlistinlate1999。Fiftythousandcopiessoldthatfirstyear，andanotherfiftythousandintheearlymonthsof2000;thebookwassellingfarmorethaniteverhadintheUnitedStates。AndotherEuropeanswerereadingit，callingforitstranslationandpublicationintheirownlanguages:Spanish，Catalan，Italian，Hebrew，German，Greek，Norw'egian，Swedish，Danish，Portuguese。ThishandsomeneweditionbyWashingtonSquarePressisyetanotherchapterinitsongoingsuccessstoryIammostgratifiedthatmymotherlivedlongenoughtoseethislittlebookrecognizedastheclassicit'sbecome。

CHARLESDOUGLASTAYIOR，

SONOFKATHRINEKRESSMANNTAYLOR