Who Was Anne Frank
Anne Frank was a Jewish diarist born in Frankfurt, Germany, in 1929, who gained posthumous fame for the diary she kept while hiding from Nazi persecution in Amsterdam during World War II. Her writings provide a detailed account of daily life in the Secret Annex, a concealed space behind a bookcase in the building that housed her father's business at Prinsengracht 263. The diary documents her experiences from June 12, 1942, until her arrest on August 4, 1944, by the Sicherheitsdienst on a tip from an informant. Her father, Otto Frank, was the only member of the family to survive the Holocaust and later published the diary, which has since become one of the most widely read books in the world and a foundational text in Holocaust education. The Anne Frank House museum, located at the original hiding place, attracts millions of visitors annually and serves as a center for research and exhibitions on human rights and discrimination. The diary has been translated into over 70 languages and adapted into a play and a film that continue to shape public understanding of the Holocaust. Learn more about Anne Frank and the museum.
Early Life and Family Background
Anne Frank was born Annelies Marie Frank on June 12, 1929, in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, to Otto Frank and Edith Frank-Holländer. The family moved to Amsterdam in 1933 after the Nazis gained power in Germany, where Otto Frank established a business exporting pectin, a substance used in the production of jam. Anne attended the 6th Montessori School in Amsterdam and later the Jewish Lyceum after Nazi restrictions barred Jewish children from attending public schools. She had an older sister, Margot Frank, who was three years her senior and also kept a diary during their time in hiding. The family's life changed dramatically in May 1940 when Nazi Germany invaded and occupied the Netherlands, leading to escalating anti-Jewish measures including registration, segregation, and deportation. Otto Frank attempted to secure visas for the family to emigrate to the United States or Cuba, but the bureaucratic obstacles and the onset of war made escape impossible. Read the Britannica entry on Anne Frank.
The Diary and the Secret Annex
Anne Frank received her diary as a gift on her 13th birthday, and it became her primary outlet for recording her thoughts, fears, and aspirations during the two years she spent in hiding. The Secret Annex was a concealed rear section of the Prinsengracht building, accessible through a hidden door behind a movable bookcase, and it housed eight people in total: the Frank family, the van Pels family, and Fritz Pfeffer. Anne's writing evolved from a personal record into a sophisticated reflection on human nature, morality, and her own identity, demonstrating a remarkable intellectual and emotional maturity for a teenager. She addressed her entries to a fictional friend named "Kitty," and these letters became the most prominent feature of the published diary. The diary was preserved by Miep Gies, one of the office workers who helped the families in hiding, after the residents were arrested and the annex was emptied by the Gestapo. Otto Frank returned to Amsterdam after the war, retrieved the diary from Gies, and worked to fulfill his daughter's dream of becoming a writer. The diary was first published in 1947 under the title "Het Achterhuis" (The Secret Annex) and quickly gained international recognition. Read a recent New York Times review of the diary's legacy.
Content and Themes
The diary