essay on diary of anne frank

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• Introduction

Life in hiding and capture

Diary: compilation and publication.

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The Diary of a Young Girl

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The Diary of a Young Girl , journal by Anne Frank , a Jewish teenager who chronicled her family’s two years (1942–44) in hiding during the German occupation of the Netherlands during World War II . The book was first published in 1947—two years after Anne’s death in a concentration camp —and later became a classic of war literature.

In 1933 Anne’s family—her father, Otto ; her mother, Edith; and her older sister, Margot—moved to Amsterdam from Germany following the rise of Adolf Hitler . In 1940 the Netherlands was invaded by Germany, which began to enact various anti-Jewish measures, one of which required Anne and her sister to enroll in an all-Jewish school the following year. On June 12, 1942, Anne received a red-and-white plaid diary for her 13th birthday. That day she began writing in the book: “I hope I will be able to confide everything to you, as I have never been able to confide in anyone, and I hope you will be a great source of comfort and support.” The following month Margot received an order to report to a labour camp. Facing arrest if she did not comply, the family went into hiding on July 6, 1942, moving into a “secret annex” at Otto’s business in Amsterdam, the entrance to which was soon hidden behind a moveable bookcase. The Franks were later joined by four other Jews—Hermann and Auguste van Pels and their son, Peter, and Fritz Pfeffer—and were aided by several friends, including Miep Gies, who brought food and other supplies.

Over the next two years, Anne wrote faithfully in the diary, which she came to consider a friend, addressing many of the entries to “Dear Kitty.” In the journal and later notebooks, Anne recounted the day-to-day life within the annex. The close quarters and sparse supplies led to various arguments among the inhabitants, and the outgoing Anne came to find the conditions stifling. Heightening tensions was the ever-present concern that they would be discovered. However, many entries involve typical adolescent issues—jealousy toward her sister; annoyance with others, especially her mother; and an increasing sexual awareness. Anne wrote candidly about her developing body, and she experienced a brief romance with Peter van Pels. She also discussed her hopes for the future, which included becoming a journalist or a writer. In addition to the diary, Anne penned several short stories and compiled a list of “beautiful sentences” from other works.

After learning of plans to collect diaries and other papers to chronicle people’s wartime experiences, Anne began to rework her journal for possible publication as a novel entitled Het Achterhuis (“The Secret Annex”). She notably created pseudonyms for all the inhabitants, eventually adopting Anne Robin as her alias . Pfeffer—whom Anne had come to dislike as the two often argued over the use of a desk—was named Albert Dussel, the surname of which is German for “idiot.”

Anne’s last diary entry was written on August 1, 1944. Three days later the secret annex was discovered by the Gestapo , which had received a tip from Dutch informers. All of the inhabitants were taken into custody. In September the Frank family arrived at Auschwitz , though Anne and Margot were transferred to Bergen-Belsen the following month. In 1945 Anne as well as her mother and sister died.

Of the eight people in the secret annex , only Otto Frank survived the war. He subsequently returned to Amsterdam, where Gies gave him various documents she had saved from the annex. Among the papers was Anne’s diary, though some of the notebooks were missing, notably most of those from 1943. To fulfill Anne’s dream of publication, Otto began sorting through her writings. The original red-and-white checkered journal became known as the “A” version, while her revised entries, written on loose sheets of paper, were known as the “B” version. The diary that Otto ultimately compiled was the “C” version, which omitted approximately 30 percent of her entries. Much of the excluded text was sexual-related or concerned Anne’s difficulties with her mother.

After Otto was unable to find a publisher, the work was given to historian Jan Romein, who was so impressed that he wrote about the diary in a front-page article for the newspaper Het Parool in 1946. The resulting attention led to a publishing deal with Contact, and Het Achterhuis was released on June 25, 1947. An immediate best seller in the Netherlands, the work began to appear elsewhere. In 1952 the first American edition was published under the title Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl ; it included an introduction by Eleanor Roosevelt . The work was eventually translated into more than 65 languages, and it was later adapted for the stage and screen. All proceeds went to a foundation established in Anne’s honour. In 1995, 15 years after Otto’s death, a new English version of the Diary was published. It contained material that had been previously omitted . In an effort to extend the copyright date—which was to begin expiring in various European countries in 2016—Otto was added as a coauthor in 2015.

Written with insight, humour, and intelligence, the Diary became a classic of war literature, personalizing the Holocaust and offering a moving coming-of-age story. To many, the book was also a source of inspiration and hope. In the midst of such adversity, Anne poignantly wrote, “I still believe, in spite of everything, that people are really good at heart.”

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The Diary of Anne Frank

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Welcome to the LitCharts study guide on Anne Frank's The Diary of Anne Frank . Created by the original team behind SparkNotes, LitCharts are the world's best literature guides.

The Diary of Anne Frank: Introduction

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Historical Context of The Diary of Anne Frank

Other books related to the diary of anne frank.

• Full Title: Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl
• When Written: 1942-1944
• Where Written: Amsterdam, Holland
• When Published: The diary was first published in 1947 under the title Het Achterhuis. Dagboekbrieven 14 juni 1942 – 1 augustus 1944 ( The Annex: Diary Notes from 14 June 1942 – 1 August 1944 ). The book first appeared in English in 1952, under the title Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl . 1989's The Diary of Anne Frank: The Revised Critical Edition presented the original English translation alongside Anne's two original drafts.
• Genre: Memoir
• Setting: Amsterdam, Holland
• Climax: The Franks, the van Daans, Mr. Kugler, Mr. Kleiman, and Mr. Dussel are arrested by the SS.
• Antagonist: Hitler and, by extension, the Nazi Party
• Point of View: First Person

Extra Credit for The Diary of Anne Frank

Just a Bit Too Frank: Given the sexually explicit and at times homoerotic nature of the 50th Anniversary "Definitive Edition" of Anne Frank's diary, The Diary of a Young Girl was banned by the Culpepper County, Virginia schools in 2010.

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Anne Frank: Diary

The Diary of Anne Frank is the first, and sometimes only, exposure many people have to the history of the Holocaust. Meticulously handwritten during her two years in hiding, Anne's diary remains one of the most widely read works of nonfiction in the world. Anne has become a symbol for the lost promise of the more than one million Jewish children who died in the Holocaust.

There are several versions of her diary. Anne herself edited one version of the diary, in hopes of it being published as a book after the war.

The Diary of Anne Frank was published posthumously in 1947 and eventually translated into almost 70 languages.

It became popular after it was adapted for the stage in 1955.

• children's diaries
• hidden children

This content is available in the following languages

[caption=eaca7d80-459d-43c2-9eed-80702169ab3d] - [credit=eaca7d80-459d-43c2-9eed-80702169ab3d]

The Diary Begins

I n July 1942, Anne, her sister, Margot, her mother, Edith, and her father went into hiding. They huddled into a secret attic apartment behind the office of the family-owned business at 263 Prinsengracht Street, which would eventually hide four Dutch Jews as well.

While in hiding, Anne kept a diary in which she recorded her fears, hopes, and experiences. She received her first diary on her 13th birthday, June 12, 1942. She wrote:

I hope I shall be able to confide in you completely, as I have never been able to do in anyone before, and I hope that you will be a great support and comfort to me. I expect you will be interested to hear what it feels like to hide; well, all I can say is that I don't know myself yet. I don't think I shall ever feel really at home in this house but that does not mean that I loathe it here, it is more like being on vacation in a very peculiar boardinghouse. Rather a mad way of looking at being in hiding perhaps but that is how it strikes me. [July 11, 1942] The fact that we can never go outside bothers me more than I can say, and then I'm really afraid that we'll be discovered and shot, not a very nice prospect, needless to say. [July 11, 1942]

Anne also wrote short stories, fairy tales, and essays. In her diary, she reflected on her "pen children," as she called her writings. On September 2, 1943, she began to meticulously copy them into a notebook and added a table of contents so that it would resemble a published book. She gave it the title "Stories and Events from the Annex." Occasionally she read a story to the inhabitants of the annex, and she wrote about her intention to send one of her fairy tales to a Dutch magazine. Increasingly, she expressed her desire to be an author or journalist.

On March 28, 1944, a radio broadcast from the Dutch government-in-exile in London urged the Dutch people to keep diaries, letters, and other items that would document life under German occupation.  Prompted by this announcement, Anne began to edit her diary, hoping to publish it after the war under the title "The Secret Annex." From May 20 until her arrest on August 4, 1944, she transferred nearly two-thirds of her diary from her original notebooks to loose pages, making various revisions in the process.

Just imagine how interesting it would be if I were to publish a romance of the "Secret Annex." The title alone would be enough to make people think it was a detective story. But, seriously, it would be quite funny 10 years after the war if we Jews were to tell how we lived and what we ate and talked about here. Although I tell you a lot, still, even so, you only know very little of our lives. [March 29, 1944]

On April 17, 1944, Anne began writing in what turned out to be her final diary notebook. On the first page she wrote about herself: "The owner's maxim: Zest is what man needs!" A few months later, she and the other inhabitants of the annex celebrated the Allied invasion of France, which took place on June 6, 1944. They were certain the war would soon be over.

In one of her last diary entries, dated July 15, 1944, Anne wrote:

I simply can't build up my hopes on a foundation consisting of confusion, misery and death, I see the world gradually being turned into a wilderness, I hear the ever approaching thunder, which will destroy us too, I can feel the sufferings of millions and yet, if I look up into the heavens, I think that it will all come right, that this cruelty too will end, and that peace and tranquility will return again. In the meantime, I must uphold my ideals, for perhaps the time will come when I shall be able to carry them out. yours, Anne M. Frank.

On August 4, 1944, Anne, her family, and the others in hiding were arrested by German and Dutch police officials. Her last entry was written on August 1, 1944.

The Diary Survives

The Franks and the four others hiding with them were discovered by the German SS and police on August 4, 1944. A German official and two Dutch police collaborators arrested the Franks the same day. They were soon sent to the Westerbork transit camp and then to concentration camps.

Anne's mother Edith Frank died in Auschwitz in January 1945. Anne and her sister Margot both died of typhus at the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in February or March 1945. Their father, Otto, survived the war after Soviet forces liberated Auschwitz on January 27, 1945.

Otto Frank later described what it was like when the Nazis entered the annex in which he had been hiding. He said an SS man picked up a portfolio and asked whether there were any jewels in it. When Otto Frank said it only contained papers, the SS man threw the papers (and Anne Frank’s diary) on the floor, walking away with silverware and a candlestick in his briefcase. “If he had taken the diary with him,” Otto Frank recalled, “no one would ever have heard of my daughter.”

Miep Gies, one of the Dutch citizens who hid the Franks during the Holocaust, kept Anne Frank’s writings, including her diary. She handed the papers to Otto Frank on the day he learned of his daughters’ deaths. He organized the papers and worked doggedly to get the diary published, first in Dutch in 1947. The first American edition appeared in 1952.

The Diary of Anne Frank did not become a best-seller until after it was adapted for the stage, premiering in 1955 and winning a Pulitzer Prize the next year. The book remains immensely popular, having been translated into more than 70 languages and having sold more than 30 million copies.

There are three versions of the diary. The first is the diary as Anne originally wrote it from June 1942 to August 1944. Anne hoped to publish a book based on her entries, especially after a Dutch official announced in 1944 that he planned to collect eyewitness accounts of the German occupation. She then began editing her work, leaving out certain passages. That became the second version. Her father created a third version with his own edits as he sought to get the diary published after the war.

The third version is the most popularly known. Not all of the versions include Anne’s criticism of her mother or the references to her developing curiosity about sex -- the latter of which would have been especially controversial in 1947.

The home where the Franks hid in Amsterdam also continues to attract a large audience. Now known as the Anne Frank House, it drew more than 1.2 million visitors in 2017.

New Educational Resource

Diaries as Historical Sources Lesson

Students study examples of diaries written by young people during the Holocaust, particularly examining the ways in which Anne Frank, the most famous diarist of the Holocaust, thought about her audience while writing. By analyzing these diaries as sources, students are encouraged to think of themselves as historical actors and to consider how they are documenting their experiences for future historians. 

Series: Diaries

Children's Diaries during the Holocaust

Hidden Children: Expressions

“Give Me Your Children”: Voices from the Lodz Ghetto

Diaries and Journals

Series: anne frank.

Anne Frank: Amsterdam and deportation

Children during the holocaust.

Life in Shadows: Hidden Children and the Holocaust

How did the Nazis and their collaborators implement the Holocaust?

The Netherlands

Bergen-Belsen

Switch series, critical thinking questions.

• Find diaries of other children impacted by the Holocaust. Compare and contrast their stories with Anne and Margot’s.
• Learn about the network of individuals who tried to shield the Franks from arrest. What pressures and motivations may have affected them?
• What can be learned from the choices of those who supported the Frank family in hiding?

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By: History.com Editors

Updated: May 3, 2024 | Original: November 9, 2009

Anne Frank (1929-1945), a young Jewish girl, her sister, and her parents moved to the Netherlands from Germany after Adolf Hitler and the Nazis came to power there in 1933 and made life increasingly difficult for Jews. In 1942, Frank and her family went into hiding in a secret apartment behind her father’s business in German-occupied Amsterdam. The Franks were discovered in 1944 and sent to concentration camps; only Anne’s father survived. Anne Frank’s diary of her family’s time in hiding, first published in 1947, has been translated into almost 70 languages and is one of the most widely read accounts of the Holocaust.

Who Was Anne Frank?

Anne Frank was born Annelies Marie Frank in Frankfurt, Germany, on June 12, 1929, to Edith Hollander Frank (1900-45) and Otto Frank (1889-1980), a prosperous businessman. Less than four years later, in January 1933, Adolf Hitler became chancellor of Germany and he and his Nazi government instituted a series of measures aimed at persecuting Germany’s Jewish citizens.

Did you know? In 1960, the building at Prinsengracht 263, home to the Secret Annex, opened to the public as a museum devoted to the life of Anne Frank. Her original diary is on display there.

By the fall of 1933, Otto Frank moved to Amsterdam, where he established a small but successful company that produced a gelling substance used to make jam. After staying behind in Germany with her grandmother in the city of Aachen, Anne joined her parents and sister Margot (1926-45) in the Dutch capital in February 1934. In 1935, Anne started school in Amsterdam and earned a reputation as an energetic, popular girl.

In May 1940, the Germans, who had entered World War II in September of the previous year, invaded the Netherlands and quickly made life increasingly restrictive and dangerous for Jewish people there. Between the summer of 1942 and September 1944, the Nazis and their Dutch collaborators deported more than 100,000 Jews in Holland to extermination camps during the Holocaust .

Anne Frank’s Family Goes into Hiding

Margot Frank received a letter ordering her to report to a work camp in Germany in July 1942. Anne Frank’s family went into hiding in an attic apartment behind Otto Frank’s business, located at Prinsengracht 263 in Amsterdam, on July 6, 1942 . In an effort to avoid detection, the family left a false trail suggesting they’d fled to Switzerland.

A week after they had gone into hiding, the Franks were joined by Otto’s business associate Hermann van Pels (1898-1944), along with his wife Auguste (1900-45) and their son Peter (1926-45), who were also Jewish. A small group of Otto Frank’s employees, including his Austrian-born secretary, Miep Gies (1909-2010), risked their own lives to smuggle food, supplies and news of the outside world into the secret apartment, whose entrance was situated behind a movable bookcase. In November 1942, the Franks and Van Pels were joined by Fritz Pfeffer (1889-1944), Miep Gies’ Jewish dentist.

Life for the eight people in the small apartment, which Anne Frank referred to as the Secret Annex, was tense. The group lived in constant fear of being discovered and could never go outside. They had to remain quiet during daytime in order to avoid detection by the people working in the warehouse below. Anne passed the time, in part, by chronicling her observations and feelings in a diary she had received for her 13th birthday, a month before her family went into hiding.

Addressing her diary entries to an imaginary friend she called Kitty, Anne Frank wrote about life in hiding, including her impressions of the other inhabitants of the Secret Annex, her feelings of loneliness and her frustration over the lack of privacy. While she detailed typical teenage issues such as crushes on boys, arguments with her mother and resentments toward her sister, Frank also displayed keen insight and maturity when she wrote about the war, humanity and her own identity. She also penned short stories and essays during her time in hiding.

Anne Frank's Death

On August 4, 1944, after 25 months in hiding, Anne Frank and the seven others in the Secret Annex were discovered by the Gestapo , the German secret state police, who had learned about the hiding place from an anonymous tipster (who has never been definitively identified ).

After their arrest, the Franks, Van Pels and Fritz Pfeffer were sent by the Gestapo to Westerbork, a holding camp in the northern Netherlands. From there, in September 1944, the group was transported by freight train to the Auschwitz-Birkenau extermination and concentration camp complex in German-occupied Poland. Anne and Margot Frank were spared immediate death in the Auschwitz gas chambers and instead were sent to Bergen-Belsen, a concentration camp in northern Germany. In February 1945, the Frank sisters died of typhus at Bergen-Belsen; their bodies were thrown into a mass grave. Several weeks later, on April 15, 1945, British forces liberated the camp.

Edith Frank died of starvation at Auschwitz in January 1945. Hermann van Pels died in the gas chambers at Auschwitz soon after his arrival there in 1944; his wife is believed to have likely died at the Theresienstadt concentration camp in what is now the Czech Republic in the spring of 1945. Peter van Pels died at the Mauthausen concentration camp in Austria in May 1945. Fritz Pfeffer died from illness in late December 1944 at the Neuengamme concentration camp in Germany. Anne Frank’s father, Otto, was the only member of the group to survive; he was liberated from Auschwitz by Soviet troops on January 27, 1945.

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Waitlists, bombings and restrictive U.S. immigration policies thwarted Anne Frank's family's chances of escaping the Holocaust.

How Anne Frank’s Private Diary Became an International Sensation

Publishers were initially reluctant to publish the teenage author’s chronicle of life during the Holocaust. They thought readers were not ready to confront the horrors of World War II.

Did a Jewish Collaborator Betray Anne Frank to the Nazis?

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Anne Frank’s Diary

When Otto Frank returned to Amsterdam following his release from Auschwitz, Miep Gies gave him five notebooks and some 300 loose papers containing Anne’s writings. Gies had recovered the materials from the Secret Annex shortly after the Franks’ arrest by the Nazis and had hidden them in her desk. (Margot Frank also kept a diary, but it was never found.) Otto Frank knew that Anne wanted to become an author or journalist, and had hoped her wartime writings would one day be published. Anne had even been inspired to edit her diary for posterity after hearing a March 1944 radio broadcast from an exiled Dutch government official who urged the Dutch people to keep journals and letters that would help provide a record of what life was like under the Nazis.

After his daughter’s writings were returned to him, Otto Frank helped compile them into a manuscript that was published in the Netherlands in 1947 under the title “Het Achterhuis” (“Rear Annex”). Although U.S. publishers initially rejected the work as too depressing and dull, it was eventually published in America in 1952 as “The Diary of a Young Girl.” The book, which went on to sell tens of millions of copies worldwide , has been labeled a testament to the indestructible nature of the human spirit. It is required reading at schools around the globe and has been adapted for the stage and screen. The annex where she wrote it, known as the “ Anne Frank House ,” has a museum dedicated to her life and is open to the public.

Anne Frank Quotes

“How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.”

“I know what I want, I have a goal, an opinion, I have a religion and love. Let me be myself and then I am satisfied. I know that I’m a woman, a woman with inward strength and plenty of courage.”

“Everyone has inside of him a piece of good news. The good news is that you don’t know how great you can be! How much you can love! What you can accomplish! And what your potential is!”

“What is done cannot be undone, but one can prevent it happening again.”

“I don’t think of all the misery but of the beauty that still remains.”

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Home — Essay Samples — Literature — Books — The Diary of Anne Frank

Essays on The Diary of Anne Frank

Prompt examples for "the diary of anne frank" essays, anne frank's diary as a literary work.

Examine Anne Frank's diary as a literary work. Analyze its writing style, structure, and narrative voice. Discuss how Anne's writing reflects her experiences, emotions, and growth during her time in hiding.

The Impact of the Holocaust on Anne's Life

Discuss how the Holocaust profoundly affected Anne Frank's life and her perspective. Analyze how her diary reflects the fear, hope, and resilience of Jewish people living in hiding during World War II.

Anne's Personal Growth and Coming of Age

Explore Anne Frank's personal growth and coming of age throughout the diary. Discuss the challenges she faced in confinement and how these experiences shaped her as a person. Analyze the lessons she learned and the wisdom she gained.

The Significance of Anne's Relationship with Others

Examine Anne's relationships with the other inhabitants of the hiding place, including her family and the van Daans. Analyze how these relationships evolved over time and how they contributed to Anne's emotional well-being.

The Universal Themes in Anne's Diary

Discuss the universal themes addressed in Anne Frank's diary, such as the importance of hope, the resilience of the human spirit, and the consequences of discrimination. Analyze how these themes continue to resonate with readers today.

The Diary's Impact on Holocaust Education

Examine the diary's role in Holocaust education and remembrance. Discuss how Anne's story has influenced awareness of the Holocaust and the importance of preserving history. Analyze the diary's enduring legacy.

Hook Examples for "The Diary of Anne Frank" Essays

"a voice amidst darkness" hook.

"Anne Frank's diary is a poignant testament to the resilience of the human spirit in the face of unspeakable adversity. Journey into Anne's world and explore her enduring legacy."

"The Power of Words" Hook

"Anne Frank's diary was more than a journal; it was a lifeline, a confidant, and an act of defiance against oppression. Delve into the power of Anne's words and their impact on the world."

"The Unseen Heroine" Hook

"Anne Frank's story is one of courage, hope, and the indomitable strength of youth. Uncover the untold stories of individuals who risked their lives to protect Anne and her family during the Holocaust."

"Resonating Themes: Prejudice and Perseverance" Hook

"Anne's diary continues to resonate because of its exploration of universal themes. Analyze the themes of prejudice, isolation, and resilience within 'The Diary of Anne Frank' and their relevance today."

"From Diary to Stage and Screen" Hook

"Anne's diary has been adapted into various forms of media, from stage plays to films. Explore the impact of these adaptations and how they've kept Anne's story alive for new generations."

"The Anne Frank House: A Place of Remembrance" Hook

"The Anne Frank House in Amsterdam stands as a solemn memorial to Anne and her family. Discover the history of this iconic museum and its role in preserving Anne's legacy."

"Teaching Tolerance through Anne's Story" Hook

"Anne's diary is a vital educational tool for teaching tolerance and human rights. Explore how educators use Anne's story to foster understanding, empathy, and a commitment to social justice."

Anne Frank: Reflecting Historical Events in "The Diary of Anne Frank"

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The Constant Feeling of Fear in The Diary of Anne Frank

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Growing Up in a Wartime Environment: The Diary of Anne Frank, Night, and Farewell

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The Diary of Anne Frank and Its Influence on The World

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June 25, 1947, Anne Frank

Autobiography

World War II, Nazi Occupation: of the Netherlands

In her final entry, Frank wrote of how others perceive her, describing herself as “a bundle of contradictions.” She wrote: “As I've told you many times, I'm split in two. One side contains my exuberant cheerfulness, my flippancy, my joy in life and, above all, my ability to appreciate the lighter side of things.

1. Gilman, S. L. (1988). The Dead Child Speaks: Reading" The Diary of Anne Frank". Studies in American Jewish Literature (1981-), 7(1), 9-25. (https://www.jstor.org/stable/41205671) 2. Busby, G., & Devereux, H. (2015). Dark tourism in context: The diary of Anne Frank. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/274890410_Busby_G_Devereux_H_2015_Dark_tourism_in_context_The_Diary_of_Anne_Frank_European_Journal_of_Tourism_Hospitality_and_Recreation_6_1_27-38  European Journal of Tourism, Hospitality and Recreation, 6(1), 27-38. 3. Dalsimer, K. (1982). Female adolescent development: A study of The Diary of Anne Frank. The psychoanalytic study of the child, 37(1), 487-522. (https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00797308.1982.11823377?journalCode=upsc20) 4. Waaldijk, B. (1993, July). Reading Anne Frank as a woman. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/0277539593900222 In Women's Studies International Forum (Vol. 16, No. 4, pp. 327-335). Pergamon. 5. Doneson, J. E. (1987). The American history of Anne Frank's diary. Holocaust and Genocide Studies, 2(1), 149-160. (https://academic.oup.com/hgs/article-abstract/2/1/149/759903) 6. Haviland, J. M., & Kramer, D. A. (1991). Affect-cognition relationships in adolescent diaries: The case of Anne Frank. Human Development, 34(3), 143-159. (https://www.karger.com/Article/Abstract/277044) 7. Caplan, N. A. (2004). Revisiting the Diary: Rereading Anne Frank's Rewriting. The Lion and the Unicorn, 28(1), 77-95. (https://muse.jhu.edu/pub/1/article/51357/summary) 8. Scarlett, G. (1971). Adolescent thinking and the diary of Anne Frank. Psychoanalytic review, 58(2), 265. (https://www.proquest.com/docview/1310158953?pq-origsite=gscholar&fromopenview=true)

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Does It Matter If We Know Who Betrayed Anne Frank?

F irst published in 1947 and since translated into 70 languages, The Diary of Anne Frank remains one of the most widely-read books in the world. For many readers, the diary serves as their introduction to the Holocaust, particularly events in the Netherlands. This interest shows no sign of slowing. In 2023, the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam welcomed over a million visitors who were eager to see the space in which the eight Jewish residents of the “Secret Annex” spent two years hiding from the Nazis under the threat of deportation to concentration camps.

After over two years of writing, editing, and revising the diaries that relayed her wartime experiences, Anne Frank’s work came to an end on Aug. 4, 1944, when German police raided the Annex and arrested, detained, and sent its Jewish residents to Auschwitz. Only Otto Frank, Anne’s father, survived and returned to the Netherlands. Miep Gies, one of the Annex’s trusted helpers, soon presented Otto with his daughter’s writings. She had collected and stored them since the Aug. 4 arrest, hoping to deliver them to Anne upon her return. With official confirmation that neither his wife nor his daughters had survived, Otto began to assemble and edit Anne’s body of writing for potential publication. In June 1947, her work debuted, in Dutch, as Het Achterhuis.

Since then, historians, journalists, biographers, and even criminal investigators have put forth any number of “suspects” alleged to have tipped off the German occupiers to the presence of Jews in hiding at the Annex located above Otto Frank’s business. Experts continue to investigate and frequently debunk the various theories as they arise, including the long-standing assumption that a phone call must have sealed the fate of Anne Frank and her family.

But does this even matter? Yes and no. A definitive answer might satisfy those who view history as a mystery to be unraveled and solved, but it does not reflect actual conditions or lived realities at the time. Nor does it change the final outcome, or the fact that, as in other German-occupied countries, Jews in the Netherlands remained subjected to forces well beyond their control. Going into hiding increased the odds of survival, but it hardly guaranteed it.

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All told, the Holocaust resulted in the deaths of approximately 73% of the Netherlands’ pre-war Jewish population, the highest death rate in Nazi-occupied Western Europe. During the course of the war, approximately 107,000 Jewish men, women, and children were deported from the Netherlands; Otto Frank was one of only 5,000 who would return. By some estimates, as many as 25,000 Jewish citizens had gone into hiding to evade arrest and deportation, much like the Frank family had done. Many of them would survive in this manner, but a third of those in hiding would share the Frank family’s fate.

Going into hiding posed numerous logistical obstacles: ration cards and coupons would need to be procured or forged, foodstuffs and vital supplies obtained. The risk of betrayal remained significant and ever-present. Beginning in 1943, groups of Dutch “bounty hunters” made it their mission to locate and apprehend Jewish citizens who had gone into hiding. For each person they delivered to the German authorities, these bounty hunters received a small sum. This “head price” significantly increased in the final year of the war. Historical records reveal that one particularly notorious group of approximately 50 bounty hunters were responsible for the deportation of 8,000-9,000 individuals, ranging from newborn infants to the elderly and disabled. The vast majority of those they delivered to the authorities were killed in camps such as Auschwitz and Sobibor.

Although only a small handful of these wartime bounty hunters were prosecuted and punished after the war, they constituted an integral part of the occupiers’ attempts to make the Netherlands “free of all Jews.” They were hardly the only willing collaborators in this occupied country. Dutch men volunteered to serve with the German army and police forces, for instance, while members of the Dutch Nazi Party assumed new administrative positions under German occupation. Some served as “executors” for properties and businesses confiscated from their Jewish owners, thereby directly profiting from the persecution of their fellow citizens.

Immediately following the publication of Anne Frank’s diary, suspicions emerged about who alerted the German police that Jews might be hiding in the Secret Annex. Numerous government and private investigations, theories, and personal hunches have focused upon individuals connected to Otto Frank’s company, such as the head warehouse worker, the cleaning lady, and the sister of one of the Annex resident’s loyal “helpers,” all of whom had access to the building space located beneath the Secret Annex. Other recently offered theories point to Dutch Nazis and members of the local Jewish Council.

Yet, surviving documentation does not indicate who, if anyone, offered such information in the summer of 1944. And we may never know what events led to the arrest and subsequent deportation of the eight residents of the Secret Annex 80 years ago. But this unknown historical fact reflects the conditions, and perils, of life under German occupation.

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Those arrested while trying to escape deportation did not receive detailed reportage about who, if anyone, had alerted the authorities to their presence. Chance or coincidence could play a key role, as police authorities occasionally apprehended Jews in hiding while searching for other individuals wanted for resistance activities. For the Frank family, as was the case for so many others throughout Europe, going into hiding constituted an all-too-brief reprieve from persecution and, ultimately, death at the hands of a murderous regime and ideology.

Perhaps a Dutch Nazi, acting on ideology or a simple desire for financial profit, relayed critical information to German authorities in Amsterdam; perhaps an anonymous caller phoned the police out of a misguided sense of obligation to obey the law and report wrongdoing. These and countless other possibilities remind us that, all throughout Europe, no shortage of individuals, industries, and institutions supported and indeed profited from the Nazis’ anti-Jewish campaign.

Regardless of the particular chain of events that transpired in August 1944, one thing is certain: in the end, Anne Frank and the other residents of the Secret Annex suffered the same horrors experienced by millions of others during the course of the Holocaust.

Jennifer L. Foray is associate professor of history at Indiana University and author of Visions of Empire in the Nazi Occupied Netherlands .

Made by History takes readers beyond the headlines with articles written and edited by professional historians. Learn more about Made by History at TIME here . Opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of TIME editors .

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Write to Jennifer L. Foray / Made by History at [email protected]

The complete works of Anne Frank

When reading about The diary of Anne Frank , most people assume that a single diary is all there is. But in reality, Anne's work comprises much more. Here you can read what Anne wrote and how it all merged into the book you can now find in the bookstore.

When does Anne get her diary?

On 12 June 1942, Anne was given a diary for her thirteenth birthday. It was something she really wanted. Her parents let her to pick one out herself in a bookshop.

When does Anne start writing?

On her birthday, Anne only wrote that she hoped that she would be able to entrust everything to her diary and that it would be a great support. The actual writing started two days after her birthday, on 14 June 1942.

In which language does Anne write?

Anne wrote in Dutch. On occasion, she used German or English words.

‘The brightest spot of all is that at least I can write down my thoughts and feelings, otherwise I would absolutely suffocate.’ Anne Frank, 16 March 1944

Anne addresses her diary letters to Kitty. Who was Kitty?

Kitty was the fictional character Anne eventually addressed all her diary letters to. The name Kitty came from a series of books Anne had read, by Dutch author Cissy van Marxveldt. These books were about Joop, a girl who had all kinds of adventures with her group of friends.

One of the books from this series was partly written in the form of letters. This inspired Anne to do the same: from 21 September 1942 onwards, she pretended to send letters to Joop’s circle of friends.

Kitty Francken was one of the characters from that group. Anne preferred to write to 'her'. The Kitty character in the Cissy van Marxveldt books was ‘bright', cheerful, and funny. And so, Kitty became the imaginary friend Anne confided in.

What happens when Anne has filled up the diary she had been given?

Anne took her diary with her when she went into hiding. It was one of the first items she packed.

• The last entry is dated 5 December 1942. By then, she had been in hiding in the Secret Annex for five months. The diary was not completely filled, there still were several empty pages.
• Anne added some texts at later dates, for instance on 2 May 1943 and on 22 January 1944.
• Anne apparently considered the diary to be full and continued to write in notebooks. She would receive these notebooks from her sister Margot and the helpers.
• The 1943 notebooks have not survived (see below). The two notebooks from 1944 have: one covers the period from 22 December 1943 - 17 April 1944 and the other from 18 April 1944 - 1 August 1944.

What is the date of Anne’s last entry?

Anne's last diary letter is dated 1 August 1944, three days before the arrest.

Does Anne only write in her diary?

No, Anne wrote much more:

• Tales. Anne wrote 34 tales. About her schooldays, things that happened in the Secret Annex, or fairytales she invented herself.
• The Book of Beautiful Sentences . These were not her own texts, but sentences and passages she copied from books she read in the hiding place. Her father inspired her to do so.
• Cady’s Life . This is the title of the novel Anne attempted to write. She quit after a few chapters.
• Het Achterhuis ( The Secret Annex ). This was the title Anne had in mind for a book about her time in the Secret Annex. She used the texts of her diary as a basis. We therefore have two versions of some of the diary letters: Anne’s original diary letter and her rewritten version.

Read more about the stories Anne Frank wrote

What inspires anne to write a book about her time in the secret annex.

On 28 March 1944, the people in hiding in the Secret Annex heard an appeal on the radio from Dutch minister Bolkestein, who had fled to London because of the war. He asked the Dutch to hang on to important documents, so that it would be clear after the war what they all had experienced during the German occupation.

He inspired Anne: she planned after the war to publish a book about her time in hiding. She also came up with a title: Het Achterhuis , or The Secret Annex . She started working on this project on 20 May 1944. Anne rewrote a large part of her diary, omitted some texts and added many new ones. She wrote the new texts on separate sheets of paper. She describes the period from 12 June 1942 to 29 March 1944. Anne worked hard: in a those few months, she wrote around 50,000 words, filling more than 215 sheets of paper.

What are the main differences between Anne's diary and The Secret Annex?

15-year-old Anne looked very critically at the texts written by 13-year-old Anne. She gave to the texts written during the first six months in hiding an especially thorough going-over. There, the differences between the original diary and Anne's rewritten version are the greatest. Since the original diary letters from 1943 have not survived, we do not know anything about them. It is noteworthy that in The Secret Annex , Anne left out her notes about her love for Peter and her vicious remarks about her mother, such as 'my mother is in most things an example to me, but then an example of precisely how I shouldn’t do things.'

What does writing mean to Anne?

Writing meant a great deal to Anne. It was her way to vent.

The nicest part is being able to write down all my thoughts and feelings; otherwise, I'd absolutely suffocate. (Anne Frank, 16 March 1944.)

She hoped one day to become a famous writer or journalist. Although she doubted from time to time whether she was talented enough, Anne wanted to write anyway.

Why have Anne's writings from 1943 (from 6 December 1942 - 21 December 1943) not survived?

We do not know, nor do we have any clue how many notebooks there were for this period. So far, they have not resurfaced. Luckily, Anne’s rewritten version for that period has survived.

How was the diary preserved?

After the arrest of the eight people in hiding, helpers Miep Gies and Bep Voskuijl found Anne's writings in the Secret Annex. Miep held on to Anne's diaries and papers and kept them in a drawer of her desk. She hoped that she would one day be able to return them to Anne. When she learned that Anne had died in the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, she gave all the notebooks and papers to Anne's father, Otto Frank.

After the war, Otto Frank published the diary. Were any changes made to the texts at that time?

Otto did not just publish Anne's rewritten version, The Secret Annex . From 29 March 1944 onwards, he added Anne's original diary texts. He also reinserted some of the passages that Anne had left out when rewriting her diary. In 2000, it turned out that Otto had withheld a diary letter in which Anne was very critical of his marriage to Edith.

The Secret Annex was published on 25 June 1947. Otto compiled the book from Anne's rewritten version, her original diary texts and some of her short stories. He also corrected the language errors in Anne's texts.

In 1986, a scientific edition of Anne's texts was published. This edition presents Anne's diary text, her rewritten version, and Otto Frank’s version on the same page This shows clearly how Anne changed the original texts, which choices Otto Frank made, and what he adapted, omitted, or changed.

New texts from diary of Anne Frank revealed

The Anne Frank House, together with the Huygens Institute for the History of the Netherlands and the NIOD Institute for War, Holocaust and Genocide Studies, presented on 15 May 2018 the hidden text on two pages covered up with gummed paper in the first diary of Anne Frank, with its red checked cover.

Anne Frank House commemorates Anne Frank's last diary entry

On Thursday, the Anne Frank House commemorates that it was exactly 80 years ago that the young woman in hiding wrote in her diary for the last time. On Sunday, it will be 80 years since the Frank family and the other people hiding in the Secret Annex fell into the hands of the Nazis and were deported to concentration camps.

"I know exactly how I would like to be, how I am... inside, but unfortunately, I am only that for myself," was the last sentence Anne wrote down. She died in February 1945 in the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp.

On June 12 it would have been Anne Frank's 95th birthday. Anne received her first diary for her 13th birthday. The young girl from Germany took her diary with her when she went into hiding in the Amsterdam Secret Annex. It was one of the first items she packed, according to the Anne Frank House.

Tomorrow would have been Anne Frank's 95th birthday. On June 12, 1942, Anne received her first diary for her 13th birthday. Anne took her diary with her when she went into hiding. It was one of the first items she packed. #annefrank #annefrank95 #annefrankhouse #birthday pic.twitter.com/Z32IK7uSG8 — Anne Frank House (@annefrankhouse) June 11, 2024

The Anne Frank House commemorates the historic day on its social media channels. The foundation also reports on the arrest and its possible betrayal on its website. "We know that on August 4, 1944, a 15-year-old Jewish girl was arrested after hiding for 25 months and leaving her diary entries in her hiding place. A girl whose life story and words continue to inspire people all over the world to this day."

Reporting by ANP