The Diary of Anne Frank: The Revised Critical Edition

Possibly the best personal diary ever.

Nazi occupation of Netherlands, 1942. Hidden in the secret upper annex of an office building with several other jewish people, Annelies Marie Frank was thirteen years old when she started writing Kitty, her personal diary. In it, she poured all her thoughts about life, love, and the daily life with her family and other refugees. The diary coming abruptly to an end in 1944, when everyone was discovered and sent to concentration camps, where she died of typhoid fever in 1945 at the tender age of fifteen.

I don't think this is a literary masterpiece by itselft, but it can very rightfully be considered one of the most historically relevant of its time. Through the simple and loving words of Anne Frank we get to know how she and her sister Margot, her parents Otto and Edith, Mr. Pfeffer and neighbors Hermann, Petronella and Peter Van Daan survived years of hunger, hardships and strained relationships hidden in precariously small living quarters with the constant threat of discovery and subsequent arrest or death. Vivid, thoughtful, tearing and touching words of a promising young lady that had much to say and live for and whose life was tragically cut short.

Anne can come off as a bit childish, and even bratty sometimes. But considering the circumstances, who wouldn’t feel a bit emotionally edgy after a few years of forceful confinement? (I’m looking at you Lockdown!). I remember Miep Gies very fondly, and my heart also goes strongly for Margot, who didn’t get to be as lucky as Anne, circumstances considering.

By all accounts, one of those visits one must make at least once in a lifetime. A powerful message on the resilience of the unbreakable human spirit, despite a world of cruelties and horrors happening all around it. Extremely Recommendable.

*** The Diary of Anne Frank (1959) is a fantastic adaptation. The plot more than reasonably faithful to the book. Aesthetic, acting and pacing very good. A little bit too long on the length for my taste, but the extra time is more than worth it. Millie Perkins playing possibly the most memorable version of Anne. Shelley Winters also gaining some very well deserved praise. And the ending! Gosh! That. Effing. Ending. Better have a pair of tissues ready. Highly Recommendable.

*** Anne Frank: The Whole Story (2001) is a great adaptation, with adequate pacing and decent acting. A very memorable performance by Ben Kingsley as Otto Frank and Lili Taylor as Miep Gies. This two-episode miniseries goes beyond the scope of the original book and adds some very powerful and heart wrenching scenes of the days of Anne and Margot at the concentration camp. Maybe not the most accurate or faithful to the book, but very interesting nonetheless, and terribly heartbreaking.

*** The Diary of Anne Frank (2009). I know I watched this adaptation but for some reason I don’t remember anything specific about it. I rated it 7/10 on my IMDB account so I’m assuming it must be good. Not very memorable though, apparently. I guess after watching more than three thousand movies sometimes memory gaps start to appear and this is clearly one of them. I’m not looking forward to rewatch it, pick at own risk.



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n  PERSONAL NOTEn:
[1947] [283p] [Non Fiction] [Historical] [Extremely Recommendable]
["In spite of everything, I still believe that people are really good at heart."]
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Posiblemente el mejor diario personal jamás.

Ocupación nazi de Países Bajos, 1942. Escondida en el secreto anexo superior de un edificio de oficinas con varias otras personas judías, Annelies Marie Frank tenía trece años cuando empezó a escribir Gatito, su diario personal. En él, volcó todos sus pensamientos sobre la vida, el amor, y su vida diaria con su familia y otros refugiados. El diario llegando a un abrupto final en 1944, cuando todos fueron descubiertos y enviados a campos de concentración, donde murió en 1945 por fiebre tifoidea a la tierna edad de quince.

No creo que esta sea una obra literaria maestra en sí misma, pero puede ser muy justamente considerada como una de las más históricamente relevantes de su tiempo. A través de las simples y amorosas palabras de Anne Frank llegamos a conocer cómo ella y su hermana Margot, sus padres Otto y Edith, Sr. Pfeffer y vecinos Hermann, Petronella y Peter Van Daan sobrevivieron años de hambruna, dificultades y relaciones tensas escondidos en precariamente pequeños cuartos de vivienda con el constante peligro de ser descubiertos y el subsiguiente arresto o muerte. Vívido, profundo, desgarradoras y conmovedoras palabras de una prometedora jovencita que tenía mucho por decir y vivir y cuya vida fue trágicamente terminada antes de tiempo.

Anne puede parecer un poco infantil, ¡y a veces incluso malcriada. Pero considerando las circunstancias, ¿quién no se sentiría emocionalmente tenso después de años de confinamiento forzado? (¡Te estoy viendo a vos Cuarentena!). Recuerdo a Miep Gies muy afectuosamente, y mi corazón va fuertemente hacia Margot, que no pudo ser tan afortunada como Anne, considerando las circunstancias.

A todas cuentas, uno de esas visitas que uno debe hacer al menos una vez en la vida. Un poderoso mensaje sobre la resiliencia del inquebrantable espíritu humano, a pesar de un mundo de crueldades y horrores sucediendo alrededor. Extremadamente Recomendable.

*** El Diario de Anne Frank (1959) es una fantástica adaptación. La trama más que razonablemente fiel al libro. Estética, actuación y ritmo muy buenos. Un poco demasiado extensa en su duración para mi gusto, pero el tiempo extra más que lo vale. Millie Perkins haciendo tal vez la más memorable versión de Anne. Shelley Winters también ganadora de muy merecida alabanza. ¡Y ese final! ¡Dios! Ese. Maldito. Final. Mejor tener un par de pañuelos a mano. Altamente Recomendable.

*** Anne Frank: Toda la Historia (2001) es una gran adaptación, con adecuado ritmo y decente elenco. Una muy memorable actuación de Ben Kingsley como Otto Frank y Lili Taylor como Miep Gies. Esta miniserie de dos episodios va más allá del alcance del libro original y añade algunas poderosas y conmovedoras escenas de los días de Anne y Margot en el campo de concentración. Tal vez no la más precisa o fiel al libro, pero sin embargo muy interesante, y terriblemente desgarradora.

*** El Diario de Anne Frank (2009). Sé que vi esta adaptación pero por alguna razón no recuerdo nada específico de ella. La califiqué 7/10 en mi cuenta de IMDB así que asumo que debe ser buena. Aunque no muy memorable, aparentemente. Supongo que después de ver más de tres mil películas a veces aparecen lagunas de memoria y esta claramente es una de esas. No estoy interesado en volver a verla. Elegir a riesgo propio.



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n  NOTA PERSONALn:
[1947] [283p] [No Ficción] [Histórica] [Extremadamente Recomendable]
["A pesar de todo, todavía creo que la gente es realmente buena en el corazón."]
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I first read this book, many, many years ago as just a very young adult. And even though it was emotionally impactful then at the time. I truly don't think my brain was fully formed in order to really take in just how horrific and truly painful this story is.

But, yet again, I was overwhelmed after finishing this book. Anne's writing had so much depth and feeling that it almost felt as if I had travelled to the Secret Annex and spent time with her.

After finishing the book, I considered myself genuinely lucky because I didn't have to live in a cramped little house with eight people; I didn't have to listen to the marching army boots,; I didn't have to hear the army planes soaring high above; and I did not have to listen to the pounding of my heart in terror.

"

“I'm seething with rage, yet I can't show it. l'd like to scream, stamp my foot, give Mother a good shaking, try and I don't know what else because of the nasty words, mocking looks and accusations that she hurls at me day after day, piercing me like arrows from a tightly strung bow, which are nearly impossible to pull from my body. I'd like to scream at Mother, Margot, the van Daans, Dussel and Father too: ‘Leave me alone, let me have at least one night when I don't cry myself to sleep with my eyes burning and my head pounding. Let me get away, away from everything, away from this world!’ But I can't do that. I can't let them see my doubts, or the wounds they've inflicted on me. I couldn't bear their sympathy or their good-humored derision. It would only make me want to scream even more.
Everyone thinks I'm showing off when I talk, ridiculous when I'm silent, insolent when I answer, cunning when I have a good idea, lazy when I'm tired, selfish when I eat one bite more than I should, stupid, cowardly, calculating, etc., etc. All day long I hear nothing but what an exasperating child I am, and although I laugh it off and pretend not to mind, I do mind. I wish I could ask God to give me another personality, one that doesn't antagonize everyone.
But that's impossible. I'm stuck with the character I was born with, and yet I'm sure I'm not a bad person.”

MY ANNE ☹️☹️☹️
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pre read: how have i not read this yet? anyway, it’s due soon along with 2 other books so i need to start

(La calificación antes era 5, pero pensándolo mucho tiempo no es de mis favoritos, si me encantó, pero no es el mejor que leí, entonces 4 estrellas me parece bien).
“No quiero haber vivido en vano como la mayoría de la gente. Quiero ser útil o llevar alegría a la gente, incluso a las que nunca conocí. Quiero seguir viviendo incluso después de mi muerte”

No siento que pueda armar una reseña de este libro para juzgarlo, cuando creo que ninguno tiene el derecho a hacer eso.
Pero en pocas palabras (si es posible) me encantó. Fue una lectura rara, Porque al terminarla me dejó una sensación extraña, y mal, por el final. Que creo que ya todos conocemos.
Desde que empecé el libro hace unos días, durante dos noches soñe que yo estaba en mitad de la Guerra, que yo era una persona que estaba encerrada como esa familia. Y fue muy extraño.
Amé la escritura, Ana Frank tenía una madurez que no muchos niños tienen a los trece años y me costó creer que todo el libro fue escrito realmente por ella, pero al final si lo creo.
Merecía más de lo que se creía merecer, es tan duro y me da tanta bronca como fue el final de todos, nadie lo merecía, ninguna persona judía merecía esa humillación, ese maltrato y esos finales.
Me gustó mucho como Ana va madurando mes tras mes, carta tras carta, y se nota, me llevo muchas enseñanzas de este libro. Me reía con varias descripciones de ella hacia la familia Van Daan. El diario era su amigo personal e íntimo, ella descargaba todo lo que no podía expresar con palabras en su diario. Incluso sería muy interesante analizar bien cada carta hasta llegar a la última. En un punto Ana guardaba todas sus emociones y sentimientos para no expresarlos. Y me sentí identificada con ella en muchas situaciones que tenía con sus padres.
Me gustó mucho también la relación con Peter, eran muy tiernos, y también duele el final.
Siento que quedaron muchos cabos sueltos, nunca se va a saber realmente si alguien los delató o si por accidente los descubrieron.
Solo se puede asegurar que Ana termino siendo esa escritora que soñaba con ser de grande. Con una obra literaria muy importante.

Like most of us, I learned who Anne Frank was back in grade school. However, until now, I never read her diary. I sometimes got so lost in the pages, that I forgot I was reading a memoir from history. Reading this diary is like opening up a floodgate of emotions. It's hard reading this, knowing it's not a work of fiction, but something many people had to go through. I find it important for anyone to read this, to educate ourselves about what has happened in the past.

Anne Frank went into hiding , in 1942, with her parents and sister and four other people , in the sealed off back rooms of an Amsterdam office building , when the Nazi invaders of the Netherlands , intensified their persecution of Jews.

They were all discovered in 1944 , by the Nazis, and of the group , only Anne's father Otto Frank survived the war. Anne died in the hideous death camp at Belsen.

In this remarkably intimate and beautifully written classic , Anne documents the two years in hiding - how they survived , amusing observances about the different residents of the house , as well as her own remarkable development , such topics as her sexuality and the development of her relationship with Peter Van Daam , as well as her sparkling brilliant intellect.

She reveals the peculiarities and personalities of the people who live with her in the annexe , in a series of accounts and amusing anecdotes.

One could ask why the Nazis brought about the death of this good , intelligent and charming child. One should ask what moves man to commit such horrors. What moved the Nazis to kill over a million Jewish children. What moves people to justify the murder of Jewish children in Israel today by Arab terrorists , or to justify the monstrous tyrannies in North Korea, Red China, Zimbabwe or Iran?

The book can equip young people to answer the questions that will be thrown at them today: Why did the Nazis do what they did? Why did the people of Europe allow it to happen? Why do we need the State of Israel?

We are living in time when values are distorted , moral relativity and the inversion of the truth are the order of the day. Anti-semitism is on the march again , in the shape of genocidal hatred of Israel. It is today that it becomes so relevant , Anne Frank's word in her diary: " It's twice as hard for us young ones to hold our ground and maintain our opinions , at a time when all all ideals are being shattered and destroyed , when people are showing their worst side , and do not know whether to believe in truth and right and God'.

This is a powerful must read. It makes me wonder how many other diaries like this were written during the war that were lost during the holocaust, destruction of cities, purging of Jewish living spaces, etc. It is amazing that this narrative on life in hiding made it through and can represent all those who were in hiding and whose voices were never heard.

I knew the story of Anne Frank before reading this book. In fact, I may have read some or all of it back in high school, but I cannot remember for sure. Back around 2006 or 2007 I took a trip to Europe and had a chance to visit the Anne Frank House. Unless you get a chance to visit in person, it is hard to understand exactly what the conditions were like and the size of the space. Anne Frank did a good job describing, but seeing is believing!

Another interesting thing about reading this now is that we are in the middle of the Coronavirus quarantine. While many of us get a bit of cabin fever being asked to stay home, reading Anne Frank’s words about being trapped in a small space for two years because of fear of death if found really puts it into perspective. But, at the same time, this might be a good time to revisit or read it for the first time because her frustrations with her family and situation may be a bit more understandable for those who have barely left the house in months.

When the book first started, I wondered how accurate Anne’s descriptions were. She was an angsty and outspoken teenager which made me wonder what was true and what was just her perspective. For example, the first few chapters are mainly her complaining about her parents, other adults, and people she did not like from school. However, I think this part of the diary is important because it shows her growth throughout the story as the situation becomes more dire and she is forced to mature before her time.

I cannot say that this book will be enjoyed by everyone – especially if biographies are not your thing. Also, the subject matter and the situation the Frank’s are in may be difficult for some to handle. But, it is an important document from World War II history and is worth reading no matter who you are.

En mi humilde opinión, es un poco extraño calificar este libro como literatura. Mientras lo leía, era como leer un diario, nada más. Lo que vivió ella fue terrible, a pesar de que siempre dentro de todo lo malo -la guerra- siempre hubo una pequeña luz de alegría en su vida -Peter-. Lo peor de todo, es que estoy casi convencido que lo que escribió Ana fue algo común en muchas niñas y niños, adultos y adultas de la época, aunque suene frío, este es sólo un caso más de los muchos que hubo.
La historia conmueve, por cierto, y es muy fácil entrar en el mundo de Ana mirado desde su perspectiva infantil/pre-adolescente. Era una niña muy inteligente, estaba al tanto de todo lo que pasaba con respecto a la guerra a pesar de su edad, y también se daba cuenta de las conversaciones de adultos que se llevaban a cabo en "El Anexo".
Respecto a la veracidad de éste, hay unos que dicen que es un invento, yo no lo creo así, y si así fuera, quizás inventaron que una tal Ana Frank escribió un diario, pero de seguro esta misma historia le pasó a más de alguno.
Hay un museo de Ana Frank en Amsterdam el cual tuve la oportunidad de visitar, así que creo y quiero creer que este diario efectivamente existió, quizás sólo le cambiaron unas que otras oraciones.
¿Vale la pena leerlo? Absolutamente, es un libro/diario muy fácil de entender y seguir. Libro "liviano".