<\/p>
Originally written in Dutch, the diary was first published in 1947 in the Netherlands as Het Acterhuis: Dagboekbrieven 12 Juni 1942\u20131 Augustus 1944<\/em> (The Secret Annex: Diary-Letters 12 June 1942\u20131 August 1944<\/em>). Anne Frank<\/a> herself had chosen the title for the book, which she planned to publish after the war.<\/p>\n \u201cThe title alone,\u201d she observed, \u201cwould be enough to make people think it was a detective story.\u201d<\/p>\n In 1952, two English language editions were published, in the US and the UK. The title was changed to Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl.<\/em> The emphasis was on the work of a young person whose life had been tragically cut short. The book was successful in the US, as well as in France and Germany, but in the UK there was little interest at first and by 1953 it was out of print. However, it eventually became a bestseller and has now been translated into more than 70 languages.<\/p>\n Frank\u2019s diary stops before her arrest and deportation to Bergen-Belsen concentration camp<\/a>. Readers are drawn to the diary because it allows us supposedly to read about the Holocaust while not actually having to deal with its horrors. It reveals a highly articulate, vivacious young girl who, although suffering the misery and stress of hiding in cramped and difficult conditions, still manages to retain \u2013 at least to some extent \u2013 what Frank herself calls her \u201cillogical gaiety\u201d.<\/p>\n Though Anne\u2019s diary stops before the last appalling months of her life unfold, our interest in the Holocaust<\/a> must not. We are nearing a time when no witness to the Holocaust will remain alive, so it is now left to us \u2013 those born after the events \u2013 to confront the daunting task of retrieving some sort of meaning from the tragedy.<\/p>\n Anne Frank was one of 1.5 million Jewish children murdered during the Holocaust. Her story reminds us not only of the extremity and magnitude of this event, but also of the intensely personal nature of Holocaust experiences. Today it has become more important than ever to treat the experiences of the victims of each and every episode of ethnic cleansing, genocide and war with the respect and cautious humility they deserve.<\/p>\nWhat was the significance of the English translation?\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n
What does the diary tell us about Anne and her life?<\/h2>\n
Why should we remember it today?<\/h2>\n