Excerpts from the diary of Anne M. Frank:

..."will I ever be able to write something great, will I ever become a journalist or writer?"

"I want to go on living even after my death! And that's why I'm so grateful to God for having given me this gift (writing), which I can use to develop myself and to express all that's inside me!"

Thank you, Anne, for pouring your heart out for us. You certainly achieved your life's goal.

Allein der Umstand, dass ich seit dem 4. Dezember bis heute (18. März) gebraucht habe, mich zu einer Niederschrift meines Lese-Eindrucks zu entschließen, zeigt schon, wie schwer mir das fällt. Das Schicksal Anne Franks und der anderen "Hinterhausbewohner" überschattet jedes Nachdenken über das Gelesene. Ist es mir überhaupt möglich, zum Beispiel an formalsprachliche Kriterien oder an die schriftstellerischen Fähigkeiten der Autorin zu denken, wenn mir die besonderen historischen Bedingungen bei der Entstehung des Textes bewusst sind? Kann ich mich unter diesen Umständen objektiv äußern? Kann ich wirklich mit reinem Gewissen schreiben, dass ich den Text erstaunlich gut und stellenweise auch amüsant fand? Vielleicht entspringt die positive Gesamtbewertung einem Mitleids- und Sympathie-Bonus, vielleicht zeigt das Amüsement meine Empathielosigkeit ...

Die geschilderte Hinterhausgemeinschaft ist eine Zwangsgemeinschaft von Menschen. Menschen, die solidarisch sind und intrigieren, die streiten und sich versöhnen, die Großmut beweisen und spießige Engstirnigkeit. Die halt ihre Eigenheiten haben. Niemand wünscht sich, über so lange Zeit auf so kleinem Raum mit mehr oder weniger fremden Menschen zu leben. Alle sind sich der existenziellen Bedrohung bewusst. Und keiner kann ein Ende der Gefahren absehen. Diese Extremsituation hat natürlich massive Einflüsse auf die zwischenmenschlichen Beziehungen, die Moral, die Psyche. Trotz ihrer Jugend nimmt Anne Frank all das sehr genau wahr. Und sie kommt erstaunlich gut damit zurecht. Manchmal hatte ich den Eindruck, dass sie die typischen Probleme einer Heranwachsenden - die Beziehung zu Vater, Mutter, Schwester, Freund - mehr beschäftigen.

Bemerkenswert ist, wie genau sie das alles wahrnimmt und reflektiert. Und wie sie es auch sprachlich verarbeitet. Sie hatte Talent.

Wir können Anne Frank heute für dieses Tagebuch nur danken. Sie hätte allen Grund gehabt, sich bitter zu beklagen, diese Klage ihrem Tagebuch anzuvertrauen. Aber wenn man von den wenigen Reflexionen über die Außenwelt absieht, könnte ihr Tagebuch ein typisches Teenager-Tagebuch sein. Gerade weil sie so ein "Backfisch" war, so ein typischer Backfisch unter all diesen Umständen.

Dann enden die Eintragungen. Wir wissen, was passierte. So entfaltet das Werk seine Wirkung. Wer die Aufzeichnungen Anne Franks liest, wird sie nie vergessen. Und nicht zulassen, dass es eine Fortsetzung gibt.

For her 13th birthday Anne Frank received a diary she dubbed Kitty. Shortly after her birthday with the fear that her older sister, Margo may be taken by the Nazis the Franks disappear into the night and go into hiding. It is through Kitty that Anne records her thoughts and daily life living behind a bookcase in the secret annex.

When I was younger I went through a "holocaust" phase before moving on to Harriet Tubman and slavery. The funny thing is that Anne Frank's Diary was not the first Holocaust book I read, I think that was The Devil's Advocate. Anyway,I soon became fascinated by the Secret Annex and the secluded life she lived for two years. Unfortunately she and the other occupants of the Annex were betrayed and sent to concentration camps with only her father Otto Frank surviving. The tragic thing (not to minimize the inhumanity of it all) is that Anne died mere weeks before liberation. Anne's dream was to have her diary published after the war and after liberation her father saw that happen, making Kitty a time capsule to an unfathomable past.

View all my reviews on my blog She is too fond of books

If only Anne Frank's diary was the figment of someone's imagination. If it meant that this spirited, intelligent and articulate girl hadn't died along with so many others in Belsen concentration camp, and that the holocaust had never happened, that would be a wonderful thing, but it did happen, and that makes the reading of this diary even more heartbreaking.

For a 13 year old girl, Anne was so articulate - the way she expresses her thoughts and feelings about herself and others is remarkable. She's able to analyse herself in a particularly honest way, her abilities, failures, weaknesses.

As Jews in Nazi occupied Holland, Anne and her parents and sister Margot, had to flee their home in Amsterdam to escape capture. From 1942 - 1944 they occupy rooms in an old office building, which they call 'The Secret Annexe'. Anne's diary details daily life within the confines of their safe house. They share the rooms with another couple and their teenage son and also with a former dentist. As can be expected, there were many disagreements, living in such close proximity to others, and even within their own families. Just a few of the office staff knew about The Secret Annexe, and these are the people who kept them supplied with food, but given the fact that everything was rationed due to the war, things became a bit fraught at times. The alternative however, didn't bear thinking about.

In August 1944, Anne's diary suddenly becomes silent. No more words will be written in its pages. Someone had betrayed them to the Nazis and they were arrested and transported to various concentration camps. The diary was left behind and was found by the office cleaner. After being interned in two concentration camps, Anne and her sister Margot were finally sent to Bergen-Belsen where they both died - Anne was just 15 years old. Only Otto Frank (the girls' father) survived, and the diary was returned to him.

This is one of those books where a silence descends on finishing it. How do you write a review? How do you do it justice? I honestly don't know. All I can think is, what a great contribution Anne would have made to an ugly world if she'd lived, her ambition was to be a writer, and yet, even in death, she HAS made a contribution by allowing us to share those two years in hiding with her, and giving us a chance to see what a beautiful soul she was. Feel so sad right now.

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".

come ON, how can anyone give ANNE FRANK a rating other than "it was amazing"??? some of these reviews cracked me up. it's certainly not my favorite book, but i definitely won't say it's a pity vote either. although i'll say this: i was recently at her house and was SHOCKED that it's HUGE. i mean, the diary makes it sound like they're living in a matchbox when even the hideaway part is two stories and far bigger than anywhere i've ever lived--FRANKly (HA!) i don't know how it took anyone that long after the house was seized to realize that some floors were missing when you entered it... stupid nazis... once my good friend told my other good friend's young girlfriend that she looked astonishingly like anne frank. the girl freaked out and made a huge, public scene about how horrifying that was but everyone saw it, the resemblance i mean, a little bit anyway. but on the topic of seizure, the girl was shortly afterwards committed for attempted suicide. which wasn't a surprise and i'm fairly certain was wholly unrelated to the comment. much like the qualitative relationship of half of my reviews to their books...sorry.

کتاب رو صوتی از طاقچه گوش دادم، گوینده عالی بود.

My intention of writing a review for this book is to tell all the negative reviewers to SHUT UP! I am all for everyone's right to express their opinion but I read a few of the '1 star' reviews and I was shocked to read what a few people had to say about this book. Before making an opinion I suggest people to keep a few things in mind:

1. This is someone's DIARY not a book meant to entertain people. If you think it was boring then answer me, how many interesting things can you possibly do locked up in a place for 3 years??

2. For those who comment on the writing-
This is a 14year old's diary!! She didn't write it with the intention of winning the pulitzer.

3.For those who commented on her ideologies or how nazism is portrayed.
Hello!! She was 14!!! And maybe..just maybe its justified to think the way she does considering she LIVED it unlike so many of us who get to sit back on our comfortable sofas and critically analyze every XYZ thing in the world.

I believe no one has the right to 'review' much less criticize a written document of a 14 year old's life who made it through the worst of circumstances and through difficulties we cannot even imagine to live through.
Its a pity some people think the way they do.

EDIT 27th Sep, 2013:

I never imagined I would garner so many likes for this review. This only means that a lot of people are emotional about this book and take negative reviews as a personal insult. I wrote this review in a very emotionally charged mind frame. A year later, now that I am older, wiser and more mature, I realise I could have used fewer exclamation marks. :P

EDIT 24th Sep, 2020:

It's been 8 years since I wrote this! I am definitely, older, wiser and more mature. And so, I would like to point out, that I do regret the explosive "SHUT UP" in my review, no scratch that, in my "rant". I guess such is life when you are young- angry & angsty. It's amazing though that despite the angry tonality, there is so much love pouring in the comments section! Thanks y'all. I shall continue my attempt to grow wiser as I grow older.
PS: Time for a re-read?

Grande, lo spirito dell'uomo
e meschine le sue azioni!

Oh! Carissima Anne,
quello che qui ci hai lasciato, con questo tuo diario, è qualcosa di indescrivibile. La tua intelligenza, la tua capacità di raccontare i cambiamenti esteriori, ma soprattutto quelli interiori di una ragazza nel momento più complesso e allo stesso tempo più emozionante della vita, mi ha commosso e fatto riflettere molto. Son qui che scrivo questo banale commento ed ancora ci penso, così sarà per molto tempo. Perchè queste testimonianze sono preziose!

Partiamo per ordine: Anne Frank ragazzina di appena tredici anni, nel pieno della Seconda Guerra Mondiale, si ritrova, lei e la sua famiglia ebrea (come tutte le famiglie ebree), con molte privazioni, nella sfera sociale, individuale, di pensiero, insomma l'antisemitismo nazista è in pieno fermento. Così nella Amsterdam del 1942 decidono che sia meglio nascondersi e si trasferiscono nell'Alloggio Segreto, dove passeranno, con tutte le conseguenze date da una vita nascosta, per circa due anni, poi...

Non è facile parlare di un libro così, questa ragazzina che pure nelle situazioni più disperate, predicava: felicità, gioia e di un futuro dopo la guerra. Si sentiva fortunata di essere riuscita a nascondersi e si dannava l'anima per quelle povere anime che venivano perseguitate da gente senza scrupoli. Nell'Alloggio Segreto Anne e gli altri ascoltano una radio inglese per tenersi informati, Anne è sempre convinta che ci sarà un dopo.
Ma ci sono anche e soprattutto dei cambiamenti all'interno di Anne, sente di non aver qualcuno/a con cui confidarsi, così nel Giugno del 1942 per il suo compleanno le regalano un diario, dove Anne incomincerà questa splendida testimonianza. Non avendo un'amica a cui scrivere, Anne se ne crea una fittizia, Kitty e qui...

Non pensavo di trovare un libro così emozionante, così istruttivo, così profondo, così eccezionalmente pieno di spunti di riflessione, sia sulla guerra, che sulla crescita interiore, sull'amicizia, sui sentimenti segreti, nascosti, che ognuno di noi ha, ma non che si riesce o non si vuole esporre, sull'amore, sulle relazioni sociali. Un capolavoro!

La ricchezza, la bellezza, tutto si può perdere, ma la gioia che hai nel cuore può essere soltanto offuscata: per tutta la vita tornerà a renderti felice.
Prova, una volta che ti senti solo e infelice o di cattivo umore, a guardare fuori quando il tempo è così bello. Non le case e i tetti, ma il cielo. Finchè potrai guardare il cielo senza timori, saprai di essere puro dentro e che tornerai a essere felice.

A cosa serve mai la guerra, perchè la gente non può vivere insieme tranquilla, perchè tutto deve essere devastato?
E' una domanda comprensibile, ma finora nessuno è riuscito a trovare una risposta soddisfacente. Perchè in Inghilterra continuano a produrre aerei sempre più grandi, bombe sempre più pesanti, e al contempo case prefabbricate per la ricostruzione? Perchè ogni giorno si spendono milioni per la guerra e non c'è un centesimo per l'assistenza medica, gli artisti e la povera gente? Perchè la gente deve soffrire la fame quando in altre zone della terra c'è cibo in sovrappiù che va a male? Oh, perchè gli uomini sono così folli?
Non credo che la guerra sia causata solo dagli uomini grandi, dai governanti e dai capitalisti. No, il piccolo uomo la fa altrettanto volentieri, altrimenti i popoli si sarebbero ribellati già da molto tempo! Nell'uomo c'è proprio l'impulso di distruggere, di uccidere, di assassinare e infierire, e finchè tutta l'umanità, senza eccezioni, non avrà subito una grande metamorfosi, la guerra continuerà a infuriare, e tutto quello che è stato costruito, coltivato e cresciuto, sarà di nuovo distrutto e disintegrato, per poi cominciare da capo!

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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The thing that amazes me the most about this book is what an amazingly talented writer Anne was. Seriously, she started her diary when she was thirteen, and her writing is better than some famous modern authors I could name. *coughStephanie Meyercough*
Anne was already writing like a sensitive, intelligent adult by the time she was fifteen. If she had lived, and continued writing, there is no doubt in my mind that she would now be considered one of the best authors of her time.

Anne Frank- The diary of a young girl! (SPOILERS)

Amazing! This was one of the few times I felt so close to a book hero.. There's definitey a spot in my top-50 for this one!

I always get sentimental when I read about all these sinister things Nazis did to inmates at concentration camps, but this was something completely different. There are no scenes describing the tortures those people suffered. In this book we a get a taste of the life of those who were the fortunate ones and they were clever enough to go into hiding and continue their lives, seemingly safe until the end of the war. Yet, page after page, entry after entry we become aware of the fear, the terror those people experienced even when they managed to evade the enemy. I could almost hear my hear pounding every time I read about the bangs and noises they heard thinking they had eventually been caught. I clenched my teeth whenever Anne described the nightmarish hours they spent silent in the dark listening to bombs destroying the last drops of hope they had left.

So this book doesn't describe the Nazi atrocities. What you actually gain is a deep insight into a young girl's psyche through the pages of a poorly-written (albeit fascinating) diary, which was kept while Anne and her family remained hidden in a house for 2 years, in their effort to escape Nazis. After reading the first 20 entries the reader immediately begins to realize that Anne has an extraordinary personality. During her first year in the annex, we see her struggling with the adults, as she is constantly being criticized for her insolent behavior. She experiences extreme loneliness and a desperate need for love and affection. I was pleased to find that she remained remarkably forthright throughout the whole narrative. As her story unfolds we see a child growing, gradually becoming a woman, which was another pleasant surprise. Towards the end of the book her entries become more lucid, more introspective and full of self-criticism which shows that Anne has changed, she is more mature and far more self-aware. Unfortunately, this is where you begin to realize the end is close.

Addressing fellow readers: I understand and agree with most of your comments. Yes, Anne was too young, too frivolous, her writing was deeply flawed, but please remember that this is a child we are talking about. A child who spent the most fruitful stage of her life confined to the walls of a house in order to survive. A child who had to relinquish her dreams of freedom, of feeling the sun on her skin, of completing her studies, of becoming a journalist...in order to stay ALIVE. This was not a novel written for recreational reasons. It was a person's diary...Their private thoughts. Enjoy it because sadly we were not given the chance to read any more of her stories. I just wish she had been given the chances we are given. She would have become an excellent writer.

Her optimism taught me a life lesson and I think this is the main reason why this book will stay forever in my heart. An excellent read!