The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank chronicles the life of a Jewish girl hiding from the Nazis during World War II. Written between 1942 and 1944, this poignant diary captures Anne's thoughts, fears, and aspirations while living in the secret annex. Themes of identity, freedom, and the impact of war resonate throughout her reflections. This definitive edition includes insights into her life and the historical context of her experiences. Ideal for readers interested in Holocaust literature, young adult fiction, and personal narratives of resilience.

Key Points

  • Explores Anne Frank's life in hiding during World War II from 1942 to 1944.
  • Highlights themes of identity, freedom, and the struggles of adolescence in wartime.
  • Includes historical context and insights into the impact of the Holocaust.
  • Offers a personal perspective on the human experience during extreme adversity.
newtopiccyclegrowin
Author:Anne Frank
266 pages
Language:English
Type:Book
Literature
newtopiccyclegrowin
Author:Anne Frank
266 pages
Language:English
Type:Book
Literature
388
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FOREWORD
Anne Frank kept a diary from June 12, 1942, to August 1, 1944.
Initially,shewroteitstrictlyforherself.Then,onedayin1944,Gerrit
Bolkestein,amemberoftheDutchgovernmentinexile,announcedin
aradiobroadcastfromLondonthatafterthewarhehopedtocollect
eyewitness accounts of the suffering of the Dutch people under the
Germanoccupation,whichcouldbemadeavailabletothepublic.As
anexample,hespecificallymentionedlettersanddiaries.
Impressed by this speech, Anne Frank decided that when the war
was over she would publish a book based on her diary. She began
rewriting and editing her diary, improving on the text, omitting
passagesshedidn’tthinkwereinterestingenoughandaddingothers
frommemory.Atthesametime,shekeptupheroriginaldiary.Inthe
scholarly work The Diary of Anne Frank: The Critical Edition (1989),
Anne’sfirst,unediteddiaryisreferredtoasversiona,todistinguishit
fromhersecond,editeddiary,whichisknownasversionb.
ThelastentryinAnne’sdiaryisdatedAugust1,1944.OnAugust4,
1944,theeightpeoplehidingintheSecretAnnexwerearrested.Miep
Gies and Bep Voskuijl, the two secretaries working in the building,
foundAnne’sdiariesstrewnalloverthefloor.MiepGiestuckedthem
awayinadeskdrawerforsafekeeping.Afterthewar,whenitbecame
clear that Anne was dead, she gave the diaries, unread, to Anne’s
father,OttoFrank.
Afterlongdeliberation,OttoFrankdecidedtofulfillhisdaughter’s
wishandpublishherdiary.Heselectedmaterialfromversionsaand
b, editing them intoa shorter version later referred to as version c.
ReadersallovertheworldknowthisasTheDiaryofaYoungGirl.
Inmakinghischoice,OttoFrankhadtobearseveralpointsinmind.
Tobeginwith,thebookhadtobekeptshortsothatitwouldfitin
with a series put out by the Dutch publisher. In addition, several
passages dealing with Anne’s sexualitywere omitted; at the time of
thediary’sinitialpublication,in1947,itwasnotcustomarytowrite
openlyaboutsex,andcertainlynotinbooksforyoungadults.Outof
respectforthedead,OttoFrankalsoomittedanumberofunflattering
passagesabouthiswifeandtheotherresidentsoftheSecretAnnex.
AnneFrank,whowasthirteenwhenshebeganherdiaryandfifteen
when she was forced to stop, wrote without reserve about her likes
anddislikes.
WhenOttoFrankdiedin1980,hewilledhisdaughter’smanuscripts
to the Netherlands State Institute for War Documentation in
Amsterdam.Becausetheauthenticityofthediaryhadbeenchallenged
ever since its publication, the Institute for War Documentation
orderedathoroughinvestigation.Oncethediarywasproved,beyond
ashadowofadoubt,tobegenuine,itwaspublishedinitsentirety,
along with the results of an exhaustive study. The Critical Edition
contains not only versions a, b and c, but also articles on the
backgroundoftheFrankfamily,thecircumstancessurroundingtheir
arrestanddeportation,andtheexaminationintoAnne’shandwriting,
thedocumentandthematerialsused.
The Anne Frank—Fonds (Anne Frank Foundation) in Basel
(Switzerland), which as Otto Frank’s legal heir had inherited his
daughter’scopyrights,thendecidedtohaveanew,expandededition
ofthediarypublishedforgeneralreaders.Thisneweditioninnoway
affects the integrity of the old one originally edited by Otto Frank,
which brought the diary and its message to millions of people. The
task of compiling the expanded edition was given to the writer and
translator Mirjam Pressler. Otto Frank’s original selection has now
been supplemented with passages from Anne’s a and b versions.
Mirjam Pressler’s definitive edition, approved by the Anne Frank—
Fonds, contains approximately 30 percent more material and is
intended to give the reader more insight into the world of Anne
Frank.
In1998theexistenceoffivepreviouslyunknownpagesofthediary
cametolight.Now,withthepermissionoftheAnneFrank—Fondsin
Basel,alongpassagedatedFebruary8,1944,hasbeenaddedtothe
endofthe already-existing entry ofthat date. Ashortalternative to
the entry of June 20, 1942, has not been included here because a
moredetailedversionofitisalreadypartofthediary.Furthermore,
inlinewithrecentfindings,theentryofNovember7,1942,hasbeen
moved to October 30, 1943. For more information, the reader is
referredtotherevisedCriticalEdition.
In writing her second version (b), Anne invented pseudonyms for
thepeoplewhowouldappearinherbook.Sheinitiallywantedtocall
herselfAnneAulis,andlaterAnneRobin.OttoFrankoptedtocallhis
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End of Document
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Figures

I hope I will be able to confide everything to you, as I have never been able
RIDAY
The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank — Margot had trouble getting the part about food to rhyme, so I’m
Margot had trouble getting the part about food to rhyme, so I’m
Once I’ve reached the big bed, the worst is over, except when the
As each person took their own shoe out of the basket, there was a
(I wrote this a few weeks ago and it no longer holds true, but I
The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank — justice than Mother. I know what I want, I have a goal, I have
Brothers Robert and Otto Frank in the German Army, 1916
Wedding of Edith and Otto Frank, Aachen, Germany, 1925
Margot and Anne with their father, Frankfurt, Germany, 1930
Anne (right) and her friend Sanne Ledermann, Amsterdam, 1935
Anne, Aachen, Germany, 1934
Edith Frank, May 1935
The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank — Anne (right) and her friend Sanne Ledermann, Amsterdam, 1935
Anne’s tenth birthday, Amsterdam, June 12, 1939 (left to right: Lucie van Dijk, Anne, Sanne
Margot, Anne and Grandma Holländer, Zandvoort, Holland, 1939
Anne, Amsterdam, 1941
Mrs. van Daan, Mr. van Daan and Victor Kugler, Amsterdam, 1941
Otto, Anne and Margot Frank walking along with other guests to the wedding of Jan and Miep Gies,
The Frank family, Amsterdam, 1941
Anne, Amsterdam, 1935-42 (left to right: May 1935, December 1935, May 1936, May 1937, May
263 Prinsengracht, Amsterdam, front view
263 Prinsengracht, Amsterdam, rear view. The Secret Annex (top two floors and attic) as seen from
Johannes Kleiman next to the bookcase, after the war
Peter van Daan (date and place unknown)
Albert Dussel (date and place unknown)
Miep Gies and Bep Voskuijl, Amsterdam, 1945
Johannes Kleiman and Victor Kugler, Amsterdam, 1945

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FAQs

What prompted Anne Frank to start rewriting her diary?
Anne Frank began rewriting her diary after hearing a radio broadcast in 1944 by Gerrit Bolkestein, a member of the Dutch government in exile. He announced plans to collect eyewitness accounts of the suffering of the Dutch people under German occupation for publication after the war. Inspired by this, Anne decided to edit her diary with the intention of publishing it as a book once the war was over.
What are the different versions of Anne Frank's diary?
Anne Frank's diary exists in several versions, primarily referred to as version a and version b. Version a is her first, unedited diary, while version b is the edited version that Anne worked on after deciding to publish her story. Otto Frank, her father, later published a shorter version known as version c, which combined material from both versions a and b, omitting certain passages deemed inappropriate for young readers at the time.
Who were the other residents of the secret annex with Anne Frank?
In the secret annex with Anne Frank were the van Pels family, consisting of Hermann, Auguste, and their son Peter, as well as Fritz Pfeffer, who was referred to by Anne as Albert Dussel. These individuals shared the confined space during their time in hiding from the Nazis.
What happened to Anne Frank's diary after her arrest?
After Anne Frank and the others in the secret annex were arrested on August 4, 1944, Miep Gies and Bep Voskuijl, the secretaries working in the building, found Anne's diaries scattered on the floor. Miep saved the diaries by tucking them away in a desk drawer for safekeeping. After the war, when it was confirmed that Anne had died, Miep gave the diaries to Otto Frank, Anne's father.
What was omitted from the first publication of Anne Frank's diary?
The first publication of Anne Frank's diary in 1947 omitted several passages that dealt with Anne's sexuality and other unflattering remarks about her family and the residents of the secret annex. Otto Frank, in his editing process, aimed to make the book suitable for young adults, as it was not customary at that time to address such topics openly in literature.
How did the authenticity of Anne Frank's diary come into question?
The authenticity of Anne Frank's diary was challenged ever since its publication. In response, the Netherlands State Institute for War Documentation ordered a thorough investigation to verify its genuineness. Once the diary was proven to be authentic beyond a shadow of a doubt, it was published in its entirety, along with the results of the exhaustive study conducted.
What significant changes were made in the expanded edition of Anne Frank's diary?
The expanded edition of Anne Frank's diary, compiled by writer and translator Mirjam Pressler, includes approximately 30 percent more material than the original version edited by Otto Frank. This new edition aims to provide readers with greater insight into Anne's life and experiences, supplementing the original selections with additional passages from versions a and b of her diary.

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