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Zusatztext “This book breathes new life into our view of Anne Frank! whom until now we could only see through the prism of her diary.” — Süddeutsche Zeitung “A gripping family saga . . . full of dazzling and colorful characters.” — Brigitte “Pressler’s lucid account . . . provides an insight into an almost forgotten world . . . [and] sheds new light on the touching persona of Anne Frank.” — Die Zeit “Their story is the story of countless others and remains required reading.” — The Sunday Times (London) Informationen zum Autor Mirjam Pressler Klappentext This fascinating history of Anne Frank and the family that shaped her is based on a treasure trove of thousands of letters! poems! drawings! postcards! and photos recently discovered by her last surviving close relative! Buddy Elias! and his wife! Gerti. As children! Anne and her cousin Buddy were very close; he affectionately dubbed her "the Rascal" and they visited and corresponded frequently. Years later! Buddy inherited their grandmother's papers! stored unseen in an attic for decades. These invaluable new materials bring a lost world to life and tell a moving saga of a far-flung but close-knit family divided by unimaginable tragedy. We see Anne's father surviving the Holocaust and searching for his daughters! finally receiving a wrenching account of their last months. We see the relatives in Switzerland waiting anxiously for news during the war and share their experiences of reunion and grief afterwards-and their astonishment as Anne's diary becomes a worldwide phenomenon. Anne Frank's Family is the story of a remarkable Jewish family that will move readers everywhere. Sils-Maria, in the Upper Engadine valley in Switzerland—a summer day, 1935. A slim, well-dressed man leaves Hotel Waldhaus, where he has met with an executive of the Pomosin company to report on the progress of their Amsterdam office. The man walks briskly up the road that runs right through the middle of the forest and in a few minutes reaches Villa Laret. As he steps out from between the trees, it lies before him, in the middle of a parklike field filled with trees, more like a little castle than a villa. The windows are so clean and scrubbed that they flash in the sun. The man walks up the wide, well-raked gravel road. He smiles when he catches sight of the swing hanging between two tall trees—a wide platform with a railing, big enough to comfortably fit a table and chairs. Two children are jumping up and down on the platform at the moment, making it start to swing. They are laughing and screaming. Two dachshunds hop around under the swing, yapping excitedly, but no matter how hard they try, they can’t manage to jump onto the swing; sometimes a dog falls onto its back in its failed attempt and flails around kicking its short legs until it turns right side up, then it starts trying again to jump up onto the swing. The children double over with laughter. The boy is about ten years old, the girl six. “Not so loud!” the man shouts at the children. They both stop for a moment. “Daddy, do you know what Auntie O. said this morning?” the girl screams. He steps closer and shakes his head. “Yesterday she asked her maid where her washcloth was, in French of course, and then she wanted Aunt Leni to tell her the German word for it. ‘ Waschlappen ,’ Aunt Leni said. And then this morning, she said to her maid: ‘Where is my wasch-lapin ?’ ” The children giggled. “Get it, Daddy? She asked where her wash-rabbit was. Isn’t that funny?” He nods. “Yes, that really is funny. But don’t make so much noise, so you don’t disturb all the ladies and gentlemen.” They both nod. Then they take each other’s hands and start playing again, only the slightest bit quieter than before. The children are Buddy Elias and his cousin Anne Frank, and the man is Otto...
