Diarist · 1929 – 1945
Anne Frank
Key Takeaways
- Anne Frank hid with her family from the Nazis in an Amsterdam annex for over two years.
- She recorded her thoughts and daily life in a now-famous diary.
- She died in the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in early 1945.
- Her diary, published by her father, became one of the most read books in the world.
Anne Frank was an ordinary teenager who left an extraordinary record. Hidden from the Nazis in a cramped Amsterdam annex, she wrote a diary that would become the human face of the Holocaust.
Two years in the Secret Annex
In 1942, as Nazi persecution of Jews intensified, the Frank family went into hiding in a concealed set of rooms behind her father’s business. For more than two years, Anne confided to her diary her fears, hopes, frustrations and dreams of becoming a writer, capturing both the terror of the time and the inner life of a gifted young girl.
A voice that outlived the darkness
In 1944 the annex was betrayed and discovered; Anne was deported and died at Bergen-Belsen in early 1945, weeks before liberation. Her father, the family’s sole survivor, published her diary in 1947. Read in more than seventy languages, The Diary of a Young Girl made this young writer of the modern era an enduring symbol — like Nelson Mandela and Mahatma Gandhi in their own struggles — of human dignity in the face of cruelty.
Influence
Anne Frank's diary gave a single, unforgettable human voice to the millions killed in the Holocaust, making an unimaginable atrocity personal for readers everywhere.
Legacy
Translated into more than seventy languages, her diary is read worldwide as a warning against hatred and a testament to hope.
Controversies
- Holocaust deniers have falsely questioned the diary's authenticity; forensic study has confirmed it is genuine.
Connections
Frequently Asked Questions
Who was Anne Frank?
Anne Frank (1929–1945) was a German-Dutch Jewish girl whose diary, written while hiding from the Nazis, became a famous account of the Holocaust.
Why is Anne Frank's diary important?
Her diary gives a deeply personal, human voice to the Holocaust, helping millions of readers understand the cost of persecution and hatred.
Citations & Sources
People Like Anne
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