The Diary of a Young Girl is written in the form of letters to Anne Frank’s imaginary friend, Kitty, telling
of daily life and of her thoughts while in the "
secret annex" where she and seven other Jews were in hiding after the Nazi invasion of Holland. Although cast in letters, the book is really an autobiographical narrative of Frank’s experiences as she grew up under extremely oppressive conditions. The secret annex consisted of four small rooms with a primitive bathroom and a stove for cooking, concealed at the top and back of a warehouse in central Amsterdam. The book’s original Dutch title,
Het Achterhuis, means "the backhouse," where the entire action takes
place.
The Franks had emigrated to Holland in 1933 when the Nazis had come to power and begun to persecute Jews. In July, 1942, together with the Van Daan family, they moved into the secret annex, where they were later joined by Mr. Dussel. They were totally dependent on the kindness and ingenuity of Mr. Koophuis, Mr. Kraler, Miep, and Elli for food and other necessities. Beneath their attic hiding place, there was an office and warehouse, where business was carried out during the day. Consequently, the fugitives had to sit still and silent for hours on end, not daring to speak or move for fear of being discovered. For more than two years, Frank did not leave the hiding place. She longed for fresh air, nature, exercise, and the company of friends; she had only Peter Van Daan, whom she idealized as her boyfriend, although before long she recognized his shyness and immaturity. At night, the Franks listened to the radio for news of the war, hoping for liberation by the Allies before they were caught. They watched with a mixture of joy and terror the bombing of Amsterdam: While it represented a risk to them, it also meant that the Allies were advancing and beating the Germans.
The Diary of a Young Girl ends abruptly on August 1, 1944, with a long letter in which Frank expresses her hopes, ideals, and dreams for the future in a more peaceful world after the war. She was not destined to fulfill these hopes. The Nazis suddenly broke into the secret annex; it is not known who betrayed the Franks, but it may have been the grocer across the street. All the occupants were deported to concentration camps, and only Mr. Frank survived; the others disappeared into unrecorded deaths. Anne and Margot both died of typhus in Bergen-Belsen in March, 1945, only two months before the end of the war. The manuscript of
The Diary of a Young Girl was found among the things abandoned in the secret annex.