Tuesday, 22 July 2014

Anne Frank

NAME Annelies Marie Frank

WHAT FAMOUS FOR Anne Frank is world-renowned for her diary, The Diary of a Young Girl (also known as The Diary of Anne Frank), which she wrote while hiding with her family and four other people in an annex during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands. 

BIRTH Anne Frank was born on June 12, 1929, at the Maingau Red Cross Clinic in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. She was born into a period of economic turmoil in Germany, with unemployment high and poverty severe, during the time when Adolf Hitler and his Nazi Party were gaining increasing support. This timing would prove crucial to her family's future decisions and her ultimate fate.

FAMILY BACKGROUND Anne Frank came from a middle-class German-Jewish family with deep roots in Frankfurt. 

Her father, Otto Heinrich Frank (1889-1980), was born into an assimilated family that had lived in Germany for centuries. The Franks had particular connections to Frankfurt am Main, with evidence showing that part of the family had lived there since the 16th century.

Her mother, Edith Frank (née Holländer), grew up in a practicing Jewish household. Otto and Edith were married in 1925 and initially lived in Otto's hometown of Frankfurt. 

Her elder sister, Margot, was born in 1926. Margot was considered more diligent and reserved than Anne.

The family were Reform Jews who did not practice all the customs and traditions of Judaism, living in an assimilated community of Jewish and non-Jewish citizens.

CHILDHOOD Anne spent the first four years of her life in Frankfurt am Main, where she was described as a cheerful and naughty toddler. The family housekeeper, Kathi, later remembered Anne sitting down in a puddle of rain and making Kathi tell her a story there. 

In 1934, when Anne was four and a half years old, the Frank family moved to Amsterdam in the Netherlands after Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party gained control over Germany.

During her early years in the Netherlands, Anne suffered from health problems, and the family called her 'Zärtlein' (delicate puppet). In November 1937, her mother Edith wrote that Anne stayed home from school to sleep in the afternoon, describing her as "very cheerful, but sensitive and nervous, too". Despite these health challenges, Anne was known for her vibrant personality and love of being the center of attention. (1)

EDUCATION Anne Frank attended the 6th Montessori School in Amsterdam from 1934 until 1941. This school, located just a few blocks from her home, played a crucial role in her formative years, instilling in her a deep love for learning and writing. The Montessori education method, with its interactive and engaging approach, fostered Anne's creativity, independence, and love for learning.

Anne Frank at the 6th Montessori School, 1940

In 1941, after German forces occupied the Netherlands, Anne was compelled to transfer from her public school to a Jewish school due to Nazi regulations. All Jewish children, including Anne, had to attend separate Jewish schools as anti-Jewish laws increased. While in hiding, Anne and her sister Margot continued their studies. Margot took an 'Elementary Latin' course by correspondence and received high marks, while Anne spent most of her time reading and studying.

CAREER RECORD Anne aspired to become a journalist and writer. In her diary entry of April 5, 1944, she wrote: "I finally realized that I must do my schoolwork to keep from being ignorant, to get on in life, to become a journalist, because that's what I want! I know I can write..., but it remains to be seen whether I really have talent". She expressed her desire to achieve more than the traditional women's roles of her time, writing: "I can't imagine living like Mother, Mrs. van Daan and all the women who go about their work and are then forgotten. I need to have something besides a husband and children to devote myself to!"

APPEARANCE Anne Frank indicate she had dark hair and dark eyes. Photographs show her with a bright and often mischievous expression

Anne did not think she was pretty, but she was confident that her personality and other good traits made up for any perceived physical shortcomings. She was described as rather small among her classmates, but when she performed in school plays as a queen or princess, she suddenly seemed much taller than the others. 

Frank in May 1942, two months before she and her family went into hiding

FASHION The historical context of wartime rationing and the family's circumstances while in hiding likely limited opportunities for fashion expression. Her diary does occasionally touch upon her personal feelings about clothing and her desire to look presentable, reflecting a normal teenage girl's interest in self-expression, even in extraordinary circumstances.

CHARACTER Anne Frank possessed a vibrant and complex personality. She was described as playful and comical but with a serious side. Otto Frank described her as creating turbulence when she entered a room, often bringing friends home and being very popular because she always had plans for games and activities. Anne loved being the center of attention and was known for her outgoing nature.

She was a sharp observer of other people and demonstrated remarkable introspection for her age. As she matured during her time in hiding, Anne became increasingly thoughtful and reflective, examining her relationships with family members and analyzing her own character development. She was forthright and perceptive, with a clear understanding of her own growth and changes. (1)

SPEAKING VOICE There are no known recordings of Anne Frank's speaking voice. However, her diary gives insight into her "voice" through her writing—it is expressive, articulate, witty, and deeply personal, reflecting her youthful energy and developing maturity.

SENSE OF HUMOUR Anne Frank possessed a typical teenage sense of humor, including an interest in topics that adults might consider inappropriate. Researchers recently discovered that she wrote "dirty jokes" in her diary, using brown paper to hide these pages from prying eyes. On September 28, 1942, when she was 13, Anne wrote: "I'll use this spoiled page to write down 'dirty jokes,'" followed by several jokes about sex education, prostitution, and birth control. These entries reveal that despite her extraordinary circumstances, Anne maintained the curiosity and humor typical of a teenage girl. (2)

RELATIONSHIPS Anne had complex relationships with her family members. She was closest emotionally to her father, Otto, who later said: "I got on better with Anne than with Margot, who was more attached to her mother". Anne frequently wrote about her difficult relationship with her mother, initially expressing contempt and later developing understanding and tolerance.

Anne's relationship with her sister Margot evolved during their time in hiding. Initially, Anne sometimes expressed jealousy towards Margot, particularly when criticized for lacking Margot's gentle nature. However, as Anne matured, the sisters formed a closer relationship, with Anne writing in January 1944: "Margot's much nicer... She's becoming a real friend".

During her time in hiding, Anne developed romantic feelings for Peter van Pels, the teenage son of the family sharing their secret annex. She came to consider him a close friend, confidant, and eventually an object of romantic desire.

Peter van Pels  photo May–July 1942

MONEY AND FAME The Frank family was middle-class before the war. Otto Frank worked hard to establish his pectin business in Amsterdam, later expanding to sell herbs and spices. However, when Jews were no longer allowed to run their own businesses, Otto lost his company.

Anne achieved worldwide fame posthumously when her diary was published in 1947, two years after her death. Her father Otto was the only survivor from the secret annex and made the decision to publish her diary, fulfilling Anne's own dream of becoming a published writer.

FOOD AND DRINK Food was a significant concern during Anne's time in hiding, and she wrote extensively about meals in the secret annex. Initially, the food was of reasonable quality, with helper Miep Gies procuring meat and other rations through connections with butchers and grocers. The family had established a substantial stock of food at the start, including 150 tins of canned vegetables.

As the war progressed, food quality deteriorated significantly. The group often ate the same thing for weeks, experiencing periods devoted to specific vegetables like chicory, spinach, lettuce, or beans. Potatoes were almost always on the menu from breakfast to dinner. Anne wrote about the unpleasant nature of their meals, particularly describing kale and mash on March 14, 1944: "You wouldn't believe the way kale that has probably been in the barrel for a few years can stink".

Through business contacts, powdered milk, wheat starch, and sugar were available for making nutritious puddings. The food situation became critical in 1944 when suppliers were arrested, leading to severe shortages.

MUSIC AND ARTS Anne had interests in various forms of artistic expression. She wrote stories and poems in addition to her diary. There is evidence of musical adaptations of her diary, including compositions by Michael Nyman. 

She participated in school plays at her Montessori school, where she excelled in dramatic performances. Her teacher noted that Anne had no shyness and enjoyed imitating other people, making her a natural performer.

DIARY  It is a curious and humbling thing, when you stop to consider it, that one of the most enduring records of the Second World War—a global conflagration involving tens of millions of people, fearsome weaponry, and lots of shouting—is the diary of a teenage girl with a red-and-white checked notebook and nowhere to go.

Anne Frank, whose full name was Annelies Marie Frank (but who probably wouldn’t have appreciated being called that unless she was in trouble), received the now-iconic diary for her 13th birthday on June 12, 1942. It was the sort of gift you give a child who reads a lot and has thoughts too big for her own head, and she took to it like a duck to water—writing with a candour, wit, and insight that would put most adults to shame.

By this point, of course, life for the Frank family was becoming rather grim. The Nazis had been busily occupying the Netherlands, and being Jewish in Amsterdam was becoming an increasingly perilous affair. So the Franks went into hiding—along with another family and a grumpy dentist—in a concealed annex behind Otto Frank’s business premises. Anne promptly began recording the minutiae of their lives: the arguments, the meals, the creaking floorboards, the endless sense of waiting. Her diary runs from June 1942 until August 1944, when someone (no one knows who) betrayed them and the Gestapo showed up, as the Gestapo tended to do.

But what’s truly extraordinary is not just that Anne kept a diary, but that she began revising it. In March 1944, she heard a BBC broadcast urging Dutch citizens to preserve wartime records, and Anne—never one to do things by halves—set about editing and rewriting her entries, preparing for the postwar world she believed she would one day rejoin. She didn’t just keep a diary; she drafted short stories, mused about her future as a journalist, and generally outwrote everyone in the attic.

There are, rather confusingly, three versions of Anne’s diary. There’s Version A, which is what she originally wrote—warts, feelings, and all. Then there’s Version B, which is the edited version she hoped might be published. And finally, there’s Version C, which was assembled by Otto Frank after the war, once Miep Gies (a remarkable woman in her own right, and the sort of person you always hope humanity will produce in times of horror) handed him Anne’s surviving writings.

Version C was a combination of the first two, with certain passages omitted—mostly the ones in which Anne said unflattering things about her mother, or discussed, with rather astonishing frankness, the business of growing up female. It was this version that made it into the first Dutch edition on June 25, 1947, and into English on April 30, 1952 as The Diary of a Young Girl.

Since then, Anne’s diary has become one of the most widely read books in the world, translated into more than 70 languages and read by everyone from schoolchildren to presidents. It is, in a sense, the voice of the Holocaust: not because it tells you everything, but because it tells you one thing—intimately, painfully, beautifully—and reminds you that behind every statistic was a child with dreams, allergies, and a great sense of humour.

Despite the best efforts of conspiracy theorists and assorted grumblers, the diary’s authenticity has been confirmed many times over. The ink, the handwriting, even the glue—all match the materials available in wartime Amsterdam. The Netherlands Institute for War Documentation examined it meticulously, and it is now as thoroughly verified as any document can be.

To read Anne Frank’s diary is to spend time in the company of a remarkably sharp and observant young mind. It is funny, heartbreaking, deeply human. And it contains, quite possibly, one of the most hopeful sentences ever written: “I still believe, in spite of everything, that people are really good at heart.”

Whether she truly believed that at all times is anyone’s guess. But the fact that she wrote it, in a secret annex, while hiding from people who wished her dead, is perhaps the most powerful argument we have for remembering her—not as a symbol, but as a person who refused to stop believing in goodness even in a world gone terrifyingly mad.

Het Achterhuis, the first Dutch edition of Anne Frank's diary, published in 1947

LITERATURE The family had an extensive library, and both parents encouraged their children to read.

Anne Frank was an avid reader who spent most of her time in hiding reading and studying. She read everything she could get her hands on, including books intended for adults, which sometimes created conflict with her parents who thought such books inappropriate for her age. T

Anne's love for writing grew during her time in hiding. She treated her diary as a friend, addressing many entries to "Dear Kitty". She regularly wrote and edited her diary entries, particularly after March 1944, demonstrating her developing skills as a writer. She also wrote short stories and essays, showing her versatility as a young author.

NATURE Confined to the Annex, Anne yearned for nature. Her diary entries express a deep longing for fresh air, sunshine, and the beauty of the outdoors. She found solace and inspiration in gazing at the sky, the chestnut tree outside their window, and the fleeting glimpses of birds. 

Anne found comfort and spiritual meaning in nature. She wrote about heaven, nature, and God as sources of happiness and inner wealth despite her difficult circumstances. 

PETS Before going into hiding, the Frank family owned a cat named Moortje. On July 6, 1942, when the family left for the secret annex, they left a note for their neighbors, the Kupers, asking them to take care of their cat. This detail illustrates the sudden and dramatic nature of their departure into hiding.

There were two cats in the building where the Franks hid.: one for the warehouse (Boche) and one for the attic (Tommy). The warehouse cat, Boche, was always the aggressor in fights between the two, which led to his name—“the German” or “Boche”—while the attic cat was called “the Englishman” or “Tommy.” The name “Boche” is a derogatory slang for “German,” especially as used by the French during World War I and II

HOBBIES AND SPORTS Anne's primary hobby was writing, particularly her diary, which she kept throughout her time in hiding. She spent time writing short stories and poems beyond her diary entries.

Facsimile of the diary of Anne Frank by Rodrigo Galindez - Flickr:

Anne also engaged in observing the behavior of others in the annex and fantasizing about life after the war. All hobbies and activities had to be quiet to avoid detection by those who might discover their hiding place.

SCIENCE AND MATHS Anne studied mathematics with her father while in hiding, though she reportedly hated the subject. 

PHILOSOPHY & THEOLOGY Anne's relationship with religion evolved significantly during her time in hiding. Initially, the Frank family was not particularly devout, with Otto and Anne showing lukewarm attitudes toward religion. However, in the second half of 1943, Anne came to know God and found Him to be a source of courage.

Anne's diary shows her philosophical development as she wrestled with questions about human nature, her identity, and her place in the world. She wrote about her beliefs, dreams, and ambitions, subjects she felt she could not discuss with anyone else. As her confidence in writing grew and she began to mature, she explored more abstract subjects including her belief in God and how she defined human nature.

Anne also grappled with her Jewish identity and the persecution she experienced because of it.

POLITICS Anne Frank was a victim of Nazi persecution due to her Jewish heritage. Her family fled Germany in 1934 when she was four and a half years old after Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party gained control. In 1941, Anne lost her German citizenship and became stateless. Despite spending most of her life in the Netherlands, she never officially became a Dutch citizen.

The systematic persecution of Jews directly affected Anne's life, forcing her family into hiding in July 1942 when her sister Margot received a call-up notice for deportation to a work camp. Anne documented the various restrictions placed upon Dutch Jews in her diary entry of June 20, 1942.

SCANDAL On the morning of August 4, 1944, after 761 days in hiding, Anne Frank, her family, and the others in the Secret Annex were discovered and arrested by German police. The raid was led by SS Hauptscharführer Karl Josef Silberbauer of the Sicherheitsdienst (SD), accompanied by Dutch police officers. The officers arrived at the building at Prinsengracht 263 in Amsterdam between 10:30 and 11:00 am. They questioned warehouse employees and were directed upstairs, where they found and unmasked the entrance to the Secret Annex hidden behind a bookcase.

The eight people in hiding—Anne, her parents Otto and Edith, her sister Margot, Hermann and Auguste van Pels, their son Peter, and Fritz Pfeffer—were shocked and terrified. They were forced to hand over their valuables. Silberbauer emptied Otto Frank’s briefcase, scattering Anne’s diary papers on the floor to use the case for collecting valuables. The group, along with two of their helpers, Victor Kugler and Johannes Kleiman, were arrested and taken away. The raid lasted over two hours.

After their arrest, the group was first taken to the SD headquarters on Euterpestraat, where they were interrogated. The officers tried to extract information about other Jews in hiding, but the group refused to betray anyone. The helpers and the people in hiding were then separated: Kleiman and Kugler were sent to a detention center at Amstelveenseweg, while the eight from the Annex were sent to the Weteringschans prison.

On August 8, 1944, the group was transferred to Westerbork transit camp in the Netherlands. Because they had been caught in hiding, they were classified as criminals and sent to the camp’s Punishment Barracks for hard labor.

On September 3, 1944, Anne, her family, and the others were put on the last train from Westerbork to Auschwitz concentration camp in German-occupied Poland. The journey took three days. Upon arrival, the men and women were separated; Otto Frank was parted from his family. Of the 1,019 people on the transport, 549 were sent directly to the gas chambers. Anne, who had just turned 15, was among the youngest spared for forced labor.

On November 1, 1944, Anne and her sister Margot were transferred from Auschwitz to Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in Germany. Conditions there were appalling, with overcrowding, disease, and starvation rampant. Both Anne and Margot died of typhus in early 1945, just weeks before the camp was liberated by British troops.

View of the Bergen-Belsen ncamp after liberation

Otto Frank was the only member of the Secret Annex to survive the Holocaust. After the war, he returned to Amsterdam, where Miep Gies, one of the helpers, gave him Anne’s preserved diary papers

MILITARY RECORD Anne Frank had no military record. She was a civilian, a child, and a victim of military aggression and persecution. However, her father Otto Frank had served as a lieutenant in the German army during World War I before becoming a businessman.

HEALTH AND PHYSICAL FITNESS During her early years in the Netherlands, Anne suffered from various health problems, earning her the family nickname 'Zärtlein' (delicate puppet). Her mother noted that Anne needed afternoon naps and was described as sensitive and nervous.

During her two years in the Secret Annex, her physical health was relatively stable, though the lack of fresh air, sunlight, and proper nutrition would have taken a toll. Her diary occasionally mentions minor ailments. After their arrest and deportation to concentration camps, her health rapidly deteriorated due to extreme malnutrition, forced labor, and disease. She and her sister Margot contracted typhus in Bergen-Belsen.

HOMES Anne Frank lived in several homes during her short life. She was born and spent her first four years in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, first at Marbachweg 307 in Frankfurt-Eckenheim, then moving in 1931 to Ganghoferstraße 24 in Frankfurt-Ginnheim. In 1934, the family moved to Amsterdam, where they lived in an apartment on Merwedeplein in the Rivierenbuurt neighborhood, where many Jewish-German refugees settled.

From July 6, 1942, until August 4, 1944, Anne lived in the secret annex behind her father's business at 263 Prinsengracht Street in Amsterdam. This hiding place, concealed behind a moveable bookcase, consisted of several small rooms where eight people lived in cramped conditions.

Anne Frank's birthplace at Marbachweg 307 in Frankfurt-Eckenheim, by Karsten Ratzke

TRAVEL Anne Frank's travel was limited due to her young age and the circumstances of her time. Her most significant journey was the family's move from Frankfurt, Germany, to Amsterdam, Netherlands, in 1934 when she was four and a half years old. This move was motivated by the family's need to escape Nazi persecution in Germany.

After their arrest, she was forcibly transported by train from Westerbork transit camp in the Netherlands to Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp in Poland, and then from Auschwitz to Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in Germany.

DEATH Anne Frank died in February or early March 1945 in the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, Germany. She succumbed to typhus, an epidemic that swept through the camp due to inhumane conditions, starvation, and lack of sanitation. Her sister Margot also died of typhus just days before Anne. Their deaths occurred only a few weeks before the camp was liberated by British forces.

APPEARANCES IN MEDIA Anne Frank has appeared in the media in many powerful and wide-ranging forms—books, plays, films, documentaries, and even virtual experiences. While the Diary itself remains the most important artifact, her story has inspired countless adaptations and portrayals that continue to shape public memory of the Holocaust. 

Here's a look at the major ones:

1. Stage Adaptations

The Diary of Anne Frank (1955 Broadway Play)  Written by Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett, this adaptation was the first major dramatization of Anne’s diary. It premiered on Broadway in 1955, won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the Tony Award for Best Play, and played a huge role in bringing her story to global attention.

Otto Frank approved the script, although some critics felt it softened or universalized the story by minimizing Jewish themes and Anne’s darker thoughts.

In the 1990s, Wendy Kesselman revised the play to include more of Anne’s writing—especially material related to her Jewish identity and growing self-awareness—that had been previously edited out. This version is now more widely used in schools and theaters.

2. Film and TV Adaptations

The Diary of Anne Frank (1959 film) Directed by George Stevens, this Hollywood film was based on the Broadway play and starred Millie Perkins as Anne. It won three Academy Awards and helped cement Anne’s image in postwar popular culture. Like the play, it was heavily dramatized and leaned toward sentimentality, often glossing over more complex aspects of her personality. Shelley Winters, who won best supporting actress for her role as Petronella van Daanin the movie, donated her Oscar to the Anne Frank museum in Amsterdam.

Anne Frank: The Whole Story (2001 miniseries) A more detailed and harrowing retelling, this Emmy-winning TV miniseries starred Hannah Taylor-Gordon as Anne and Ben Kingsley as Otto Frank. Unlike earlier versions, it covered not only the hiding period but also the family's capture, deportation, and eventual deaths in the camps. It was praised for its historical depth and emotional realism.

My Best Friend Anne Frank (2021) A Dutch-language Netflix film told from the perspective of Anne’s childhood friend Hannah Goslar. This fresh angle focuses on female friendship and their tragic reunion at Bergen-Belsen. The film adds emotional resonance by showing Anne through the eyes of someone who loved her.

3. Documentaries

Anne Frank Remembered (1995) This Oscar-winning documentary, narrated by Kenneth Branagh and Glenn Close, includes interviews with people who knew Anne, including Miep Gies. It’s often cited as one of the most moving and well-researched explorations of her life.

Auschwitz: The Nazis and the Final Solution (BBC, 2005) Though not solely about Anne, this landmark series includes her story as part of its broader Holocaust narrative, contextualizing her fate within the Nazi system.

Anne Frank Parallel Stories (2019) Narrated by Helen Mirren, this documentary weaves Anne’s story with that of five Holocaust survivors, creating a modern conversation about memory and resilience.Mirren reads excerpts from the diary in a recreated version of Anne’s room.

4. Museums, Exhibits & Virtual Media

Anne Frank House (Amsterdam) Opened in 1960, the museum preserves the Secret Annex and serves as a powerful educational space. Its website includes virtual tours, educational resources, and digitized diary pages.

5. Cultural References and Influence

Anne Frank has been referenced in countless novels, poems, speeches, songs, and even political debates—sometimes controversially. Her quote, “I still believe, in spite of everything, that people are really good at heart,” is frequently cited, sometimes detached from its historical context.

In rare cases, her image has been misused or commercialized in ways that sparked backlash and calls for respectful remembrance.

6. Footage of Anne Frank

The Anne Frank House museum has posted the only known footage of Anne Frank herself on YouTube, showing her appearance in a neighbor's wedding video from July 22, 1941, where she appears for nine seconds. This brief film clip represents the only moving image of Anne Frank that exists.

ACHIEVEMENTS Anne Frank's primary achievement, though posthumous, is profound:

Immortalizing the Holocaust Experience: Her diary provides one of the most intimate, human, and widely accessible accounts of the Holocaust, giving voice to the millions who perished.

Symbol of Hope and Resilience: Despite the horror she faced, her writings maintain a remarkable spirit of hope, intellectual curiosity, and belief in the good of humanity, making her a symbol of resilience in the face of unspeakable evil.

Literary Impact: The Diary of a Young Girl is a literary classic, studied in schools worldwide, and continues to resonate with readers of all ages, fostering understanding and empathy.

Advocacy for Human Rights: Her story has inspired countless initiatives and organizations dedicated to human rights, tolerance, and combating prejudice and discrimination.

Sources (1) Anne Frank House (2) Bustle 

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