Anne Frank the Writer An Unfinished Story Original Writings

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An Unfinished Story: 'I know that I can write, a couple of my stories are good, my descriptions of the 'Secret Annex' are humorous, there's a lot in my diary that speaks, but--whether I have real talent remains to be seen.'  [April 5, 1944]


Image: Anne Frank's Stories and Events from the Annex
Introduction Complete Transcript

The Diary of Anne Frank, posthumously published in 1947 and eventually translated into almost 70 languages, is one of the most widely read works of non-fiction in the world. For many, especially younger readers, Anne's diary is their first encounter with the history of Nazi Germany's attempt to murder all the Jews of Europe during World War II.

Anne's legacy, however, extends beyond her diary. Between the ages of 13 and 15, Anne wrote short stories, fairy tales, essays, and the beginnings of a novel. Five notebooks and more than 300 loose pages, meticulously handwritten during her two years in hiding, survived the war. They reveal a young woman who had great ambition to be a writer and was exploring her craft. Her works combine adolescent imagination and playfulness with mature insight and self-awareness.


United States Holocaust Memorial Museum