Anne Frank: The Book, The Life, The Afterlife, by Francine Prose

Like most of us, I read Anne Frank's diary while in school, either 7th or 8th grade. It wasn't assigned, but was recommended by a fellow student (thank you Lauren Murphy!). While I haven't picked it up since, the book made a strong impression that has lasted many years. When I visited Amsterdam in 2009 I was able to visit the Anne Frank Museum, and it brought the diary to life for me in a way that just reading it could not.

With this book, author Francine Prose has described the history of the diary's publication as well as the plays and film based on it. I learned that Anne began to revise her diary herself in response to a news broadcast that said that such records of events would be worthy of publication after the war. In less than four months' time, she rewrote much of the diary. When her father returned to the annex after the war, he was given both of these versions. He edited them, sometimes keeping the original, sometimes keeping the revised version, for publication.

Originally, Otto Frank found it difficult to find a publisher for the diary and enjoyed lackluster sales. He was helped in the U.S. by a positive review by Meyer Levin in the New York Times. Levin also came to an informal agreement with Otto Frank to be allowed to write a play based on the diary. However, producers didn't like Levin's approach, leading to years of strife and lawsuits. Eventually other writers were identified and the play became a success, followed by the film.

I wasn't aware that there were different versions of the diary. They include Anne's original, Anne's revised version, and Otto's edited version. A later edition presents all three of these versions together in columns so that readers can compare them with each other. Prose includes excerpts from both the original and the revised to show how Anne's writing matured in the two years that she was in the annex. I was also not aware of the controversies surrounding the play and film (and have seen neither). Prose has drawn a picture of the diary that reveals not just the impact that it's had on society but also the high emotions that it arouses in readers. She also touches on detractors and Holocaust deniers and how they've misrepresented and misinterpreted the diary to try to make their (non-existent) case.

I found this book fascinating. Francine Prose is an excellent writer and has created a thoughtful and interesting work with Anne Frank: The Book, The Life, The Afterlife.

Francine Prose. Anne Frank: The Book, The Life, The Afterlife. New York: HarperCollins, 2009. 304 pages. ISBN 9780061430794. (My copy is an uncorrected proof, signed by the author.)