Reading for Holocaust Remembrance Day: Recipient unknown” in Kierspe!

Reading for Holocaust Remembrance Day: Recipient unknown” in Kierspe!

A reading on the occasion of Holocaust Remembrance Day will take place in the Kierspe City Library on Tuesday, January 27th at 6 p.m. The organizer is the Adult Education Center (VHS), which invites you to this important event. The stage version of the epistolary novel “Recipient Unknown” by the American writer Kathrine Kressmann Taylor, which was first published in “Story Magazine” in 1938, will be shown. The novel deals with the correspondence between a Jewish art dealer in the USA and his German business partner during the Nazi seizure of power and is a powerful examination of the political ideology that led to the destruction of friendships and the persecution of Jews.

Literary critic Elke Heidenreich sums it up: The text is a moving description of the effects of National Socialism and its early warnings for society. Kressmann Taylor himself, born in 1903, was an advertising copywriter and became internationally known with “Address Unknown”. The novel, which addresses the dangers and horrors of this time, has been translated into numerous languages ​​and exploited in various media, including film and theater adaptations. However, earlier editions were partly banned in Germany, which makes the urgency of the issue all the more clear.

A captivating work and remarkable author

“Address Unknown” depicts the relationship between Martin, a gentleman, and Max, a Jew. The letters show Martin's initial enthusiasm for the Nazi regime, while Max becomes increasingly concerned about the fate of his relatives living in Germany. The end of the story is particularly dramatic, in which a letter is returned marked “addressee unknown,” reflecting the grim reality of the persecution. This compelling story was seen not only as one of the early warnings about Nazism, but also as a powerful example of epistolary work in the field of historical fiction.

The reading in Kierspe will be conducted by Jutta Niggemann and Martina Schnerr-Bille. Admission is free, but donations for the “Stolpersteine ​​Initiative” are requested. The event not only offers the opportunity to immerse yourself in a dark but important period of history, but also supports an important project to remember the victims of National Socialism.

Keeping a legacy alive

Katherine Kressmann Taylor died in 1996, but her work lives on. “Address Unknown” has been translated into over 20 languages ​​and even became a bestseller in Israel. The Hebrew version in particular achieved great popularity and was performed on stage several times. The story itself is not only a literary masterpiece, but also an appeal to humanity not to repeat the terrible mistakes of the past and to develop an awareness of humanity and tolerance.

The reading in the city library is an opportunity to deal with this important topic and to commemorate it together. We invite everyone who is interested to be there and experience this important part of history.

Reported locally about the event in which the concerns of the “Stolpersteine ​​Initiative” are supported. Further information about the author and her work can be found at Wikipedia as well as about the first edition of the novel and its contents Wikipedia.