The Diary of Anne Frank
Many heartbreaking stories have come from World War II but none more inspiring than the story of Anne Frank. She had begun to keep a journal, shortly before going into hiding with her family in Amsterdam. As Jews, they had been forced to take this measure to escape Nazi persecution. The family, which comprised of Anne, her father Otto, mother Edith and sister Margot, hid in an annexe above the offices of her father's business. The building would later become a tourist landmark, receiving thousands of visitors every year.
After hiding for two years, the family were betrayed and Anne and Margot were sent to the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, where Anne died from typhus in 1945. Margot had died a short time before and Otto would be the only family member to survive. A number of friends had helped the family, bringing them food and essential items to their hiding place. One of their staunchest friends was a woman called Miep Gies. On Otto's return home, she presented him with Anne's diary. She had found it and managed to save it from the soldiers. When the diary was published, the Anne Frank story spread across the world.
The diary, which has entries from June 1942 - August 1944, tells of the daily lives of Anne, her family and the friends who also went into hiding with them. It has been translated into many languages and adapted in the form of movies and a stage play, which have also helped Anne Frank to become a household name.
The play was called The Diary of a Young Girl and opened on Broadway in 1955, starring Susan Strasberg as Anne Frank. The play won a Tony Award and Strasberg received a nomination for Best Actress. The story was told again in the 1959 movie, The Diary of Anne Frank with Millie Perkins as Anne and Shelley Winters in support. A made for TV film was broadcast with Ben Kingsley in the role of Otto.
The diary, which has sold over 25 million copies, shows a remarkable writing talent and readers are moved by the young girl's courage and sense of humor. She describes the claustrophobic conditions in the annexe and the frustration of being cut off from normal life. The family had been joined by the Van Pels family and Anne Frank formed a friendship with the son, Peter. They were becoming romantically involved when everyone was arrested. The Van Pels and another friend in hiding, a dentist called Fritz Pfeffer, also perished in concentration camps.
