Anne Frank

A Short and Brief Biography

Famous as	Writer
Born on	12 June 1929
Born in	Frankfurt, Germany
Died on	1945
Nationality	German
Works & Achievements	Wrote her personal diary later emerge as famous book " The Diary of Young Girl"

Annelies Frank was a Jewish girl who was born on June 12th, 1929 in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. Her parents were Otto Frank and Edith Frank-Hollander. She had a sister, Margot who was three years older than her. and they called her Anne. 

  In 1933, because the German government, the Nazis, had started to persecute Jewish people and to stop them owning businesses in Germany, Anne’s father opened a branch of his company in Amsterdam, in the Netherlands (Holland).  He began planning to take his family there, where he thought they would be safer.

Anne’s family moved into a house in Amsterdam in 1933 and Anne started to go to a local school.  She was a very clever girl and got on very well at her new school. Anne made many new friends. 

In 1940, the Nazis invaded the Netherlands and in five days, the country surrendered to the invading Germans. Anne's father had thought that this was going to happen and he had already started to make part of his offices into a hiding place. Because she was Jewish, the Nazis forced Anne to leave the local school and to go to a Jews only school instead.

“After May 1940…the trouble started for the Jews. Our freedom was severely restricted by a series of anti-Jewish decrees: Jews were required to wear a yellow star; Jews were required to turn-in their bicycles; Jews were forbidden to ride trams or in cars, even their own…Jews were forbidden to go to theatres, cinemas or any other forms of entertainment; Jews were forbidden to use swimming pools, tennis courts, hockey fields or any other athletic fields…You couldn’t do this and you couldn’t do that, but life went on…”
                                                                                   - Anne Frank 20 June 1942

In 1942, on her 13th birthday, Anne’s parents gave her a diary as a gift. She immediately took to writing her many thoughts and ideas in this special book.  The Nazis sent Anne’s sister, Margot, a letter telling her that she had to report to a labour camp and it was then that Anne’s family decided it was time to go into hiding.

On July 5th 1942, Anne’s family moved to the ‘secret annex’ next to Mr. Frank's old office.

Anne's diary tells of the difficulties of living in a confined space with so many people. The atmosphere was at times suffocating, but despite the hardships and difficulties of her situation, she also expressed her optimism and positive view of life. 

"I long to ride a bike, dance, whistle, look at the world, feel young and know that I'm free, and yet I can't let it show. Just imagine what would happen if all eight of us were to feel sorry for ourselves or walk around with the discontent clearly visible on our faces. Where would that get us? (December 24, 1943) - Anne Frank "

Unfortunately, on August 4th, 1944 (with the allies closing in on a retreating Germany army), an anonymous source gave a tip off to the German secret police.Anne's diary was among the many things left behind by her family. Anne, and the other people who shared the cramped hiding place with her, were all taken to Westerbork camp. A few weeks later as the British and American soldiers began to recapture Holland, the people from the camp were moved to another camp called Auschwitz and later on to other camps. After surviving the selection process (most people under 15 were sent straight to the Gas Chambers) Anne was selected to be sent to Bergen Belsen concentration camp. The people in the camp were starving, cold and ill with disease.  Anne’s sister Margot developed typhus and died. It was here that Anne contracted typhoid fever and she died in March 1945, just one month before the camp was liberated by the advancing allied armies. Anne was 15 years old when she died.

Except her father Otto, all her family died in various concentration camps. After the war, Otto returned to the place where they had hidden for two years. It was here that he found Anne's diary and he decided to try and get it published.
Her diary was published in 1947 and, following a glowing article by Jan Romein, in the newspaper Het Parool, became a best seller with people fascinated by her writing and what she managed to convey in the most difficult of situations.
Her book has become an important symbol of how innocent people can suffer from intolerance and persecution.