May 11, 1948 – Anne Frank

The Diary of Anne Frank

Anne Frank begins revising her diary in hopes that it would be published after the war. In early 1944 the family, in hiding, heard on the radio that the Dutch government in exile intended to collect diaries of ordinary citizens after the war in order to write the history of those days. Anne realized that her diary could also perhaps be of interest to other people. She resolved to revise her diary, which she began writing almost two years earlier, in order to make a real book out of it.

“You’ve known for a long time that my greatest wish is to be a journalist, and later on, a famous writer.”

On May 11, 1944 she wrote, “You’ve known for a long time that my greatest wish is to be a journalist, and later on, a famous writer. We’ll have to wait and see if these grand illusions (or delusions!) will ever come true, but till now I’ve had no lack of topics. In any case, after the war I’d like to publish a book called ‘The Secret Annexe.’ It remains to be seen whether I’ll succeed, but my diary can serve as the basis.” 

Holocaust diaries, particularly ones written by teenageers, help us understand the thoughts and emotions of people living in that time. Learn more about these personal stories.