Customer Reviews

The Diary of Anne Frank: The Revised Critical Edition

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The revised critical edidion was released from the Netherlands Institute for War and is the most comprehensive study of the diary. The first 195 pages, before the Diaries of Anne Frank (which is three editions of the diary. Her original journal, her manuscript as she edited it, and the popular story with her father's revisions)is a complete history of Anne Frank, starting with the pictures of young Anne and family. Then the horrifying arrest. Miep reported the final moments with the Franks. After "betrayal" the book tackles the question of how they were finally discovered after so long in hidding in the annex. So close to German defeat. Then the sadening story of "imprisonment and deportation". Included in this edition are the Tales "From the Secret Annex and Cady's Life." I found the work impressive, The extents to prove the legitemacy of the pages, the story and pictures, that completed the picture started by Anne from her diaries.

Many readers are familiar with Anne Frank: The diary of a young girl which is an edited version of the diary Anne wrote while in hiding. What the revised critical edition is three versions of Anne's diary: The version which was edited by her father and first published, the version that Anne herself edited while in hiding, and Anne's complete diary. These three versions run side by side in the book allowing the reader to see the differences between them. Also before the diary itself there is a lengthy introduction with information about the Frank family, how the diary came to be published and different editions of the diary.

After reading many versions of the Diary of Anne Frank, it was great to finally see the original version Anne herself wrote, with no edits. The first part of this book details the verification process when the authenticity of Anne's diary was challenged. The second part takes Anne's original diary, her own edited version that she began just before discovery, and the published version that Otto edited and compares them in small sections together. Its very well documented and if this is an area of interest to you, I highly recommend it.

This is all together a strange book. It contains what survives Anne's original diary (minus just over 100 words removed on request) as well as her short stories and other writings, her own rewrites and the 1951 Barbara Mooyaart-Doubleday English translation. This in itself is a failing of a scholarly endeavour as Mrs. Mooyaart-Doubleday did not work from the original documents.

The vocabulary used throughout is British English and the spelling American English; this is somewhat confusing. The book is also riddled with many typographical errors.

However, this book is stunning in the depth of its analysis and the breadth of its research. It covers the history of the Frank and Höllander families; the arrest, betrayal and deportation; the play and attacks on the authenticity of the diary. It covers the document examination and handwriting identification analysis.

The original diary writings give a better idea of the development of Anne as a writer, of the hopes and disappointments of being in hiding and the blossoming of sexuality. The other articles give context to Anne's situation.

In all, it's a fascinating work for people interested in the Anne Frank story although probably too technical and detailed to be of interest to the general reader.

I regard this book as an important addition to my collection of books written by and about Anne Frank. It is for study, rather than for casual reading. The front section of the book contains lots of information about the diary and how it was determined to be authentic. The back section compares three different versions/translations of the diary, page by page. The book contains all of the writings of Anne Frank in one volume.

This book has everything you could need or want to know about Anne Frank. Unlike other versions of The Diary of Anne Frank, this book has three different versions of how the diary was translated. The first 150 pages or so are actual pictures of the diary, pictures of her family,a detail story of the Heinrich family's life and analyzation of her handwriting. The book is extremely detailed there for, it is not a book to read if you want to do easy reading and can get boring if you are not really interested in the life of Anne Frank.

I bought this book because I didn't want the Anne Frank I had come to know in a previous, far shorter book - to stop talking to me. I hoped that she had more to say.

It really is strange how someone can capture your imagination, so many years after they are gone. In these pages, Anne Frank still lives. And despite having THREE different versions - right next to each other - it becomes obvious that the same person is clearly the author of all three.

I have become aware of those who think that the entire Anne Frank story is a forgery. While there is absolutely no way of being 100 percent sure of ANYTHING nowadays - with neither the Press or, mainstream media having any moral compunction about manufacturing stories for propaganda and profit - it is hard to imagine why anyone would want to do so for this document.

If anything, it is a stark reminder of how badly, propaganda can be used to lie to the populace, and of how twisted the truth can become. And it takes a 13 year-old girl to see through the lies with which grown-ups become accustomed to. And as she grows older, with each page written - you see her slowly shying away from what would otherwise have been fair game for commentary. No piece of fiction, no matter how well written has ever been able to capture this transition. Anne Frank, seems incapable of hiding her growing maturity. And that frustration shows in her later writing.

I have never stopped wondering about the person she would have grown into - had she lived. But then, if she had any say - she may well have decided against publishing, what became - clearly - a private document - into which she poured her soul.

Forgery allegations made against Anne Frank's diary are thoroughly demolished in the Revised Critical Edition. Certain people either haven't read this book or are (more likely) knowingly spreading debunked allegations to further their political agendas.

Regarding Anne Frank herself, she is an excellent writer and all the idolatry that surrounds her today can often make us forget that. This book is pretty much the definitive presentation of her writings, including not only her diary, but her short stories as well. This is the one to get.

I loved the original Anne Frank I read well in High School. I thought this one would be really good now that I'm older. It was extremely hard to follow so I have had to put it down. I will try again later. It does have some very good parts in it and some pictures you haven't seen.

(...)

Anne Frank is an excellent writer and all the idolatry that surrounds her today can often make us forget that. This book is pretty much the definitive presentation of her writings, including not only her diary, but her short stories as well. This is the one to get.