The Many Lives of Anne Frank

A revealing biography of Anne Frank, exploring both her life and the impact of her extraordinary diary"With sensitivity and assiduous research, [Franklin] constructs a vivid cultural history that advocates for a reevaluation of Frank."-New Yorker"Trenchant. . . . An essential look at the diarist's legacy."-Publishers WeeklyIn this innovative biography, Ruth Franklin explores the transformation of Anne Frank (1929-1945) from ordinary teenager to icon, shedding new light on the young woman whose diary of her years in hiding, now translated into more than seventy languages, is the most widely read work of literature to arise from the Holocaust.Comprehensively researched but experimental in spirit, this book chronicles and interprets Anne's life as a Jew in Amsterdam during World War II while also telling the story of the diary-its multiple drafts, its discovery, its reception, and its message for today's world. Writing alongside Anne rather than over her, Franklin explores the day-to-day perils of the Holocaust in the Netherlands as well as Anne's ultimate fate, restoring her humanity and agency in all their messiness, heroism, and complexity.With antisemitism once again in the news, The Many Lives of Anne Frank takes a fresh and timely look at the debates around Anne's life and work, including the controversial adaptations of the diary, Anne's evolution as a fictional character, and the ways her story and image have been politically exploited. Franklin reveals how Anne has been understood and misunderstood, both as a person and as an idea, and opens up new avenues for interpreting her life and writing in today's hyperpolarized world.

Product details

• Authors: Ruth Franklin, Franklin Ruth
• Publisher: Yale University Press Ltd
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 15.04.2025
• EAN: 9780300248128
• ISBN: 978-0-300-24812-8
• No. of pages: 440
• Dimensions: 157 mm x 218 mm x 29 mm
• Series: Jewish Lives
• Subjects: Education and learning > Teaching preparation > Vocational needs; Humanities, art, music > History > 20th century (up to 1945); BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY / Literary Figures, Biography: literary, BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY / Jewish, Biography: general, 20th Century, 20th century history: c 1900 to c 2000, 20th century, c 1900 to c 1999, The Holocaust, c 1938 to c 1946 (World War Two period), Biography: writers, Relating to Jewish people and groups, HISTORY / Modern / 20th Century / Holocaust