Anne Frank's Family
The Extraordinary Story of Where She Came From, Based on More Than 6,000 Newly Discovered Letters, Documents, and Photos
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- € 10,99
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- € 10,99
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The story is one that is envisioned by many: a relative, an old woman who has lived in the same home for a lifetime, passes away, her death prompting the inevitable task of sorting through her effects by her surviving family. But in the attic in this particular house, a treasure trove of historic importance is found. Rarely does this become an actuality, but when Helene Elias died, no one could put a price on what she left behind.
Helene Elias was born Helene Frank, sister to Otto Frank, and therefore aunt to Anne Frank. Ensconced upstairs in the house she inherited from her mother, and eventually passed on to her son, Buddy Elias, Anne’s cousin and childhood playmate, was the documented legacy of the Frank family: a vast collection of photos, letters, drawings, poems, and postcards preserved throughout decades—a cache of over 6,000 documents in all.
Chronicled by Buddy’s wife, Gertrude, and renowned German author Mirjam Pressler, these findings weave an indelible, engaging, and endearing portrait of the family that shaped Anne Frank. They wrote to one another voluminously; recounted summer holidays, and wrote about love and hardships. They reassured one another during the terrible years and waited anxiously for news after the war had ended. Through these letters, they rejoiced in new life, and honored the memories of those they lost.
Anne’s family believed themselves to ordinary members of Germany’s bourgeoisie. That they were wrong is part of history, and we celebrate them here with this extraordinary account.
Insert Authors’ photo: © Jürgen Bauer
Mirjam Pressler is one of Germany’s most beloved authors. She was the German translator of Anne Frank’s diary.
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With her famous diary of life in the "secret annex," Anne Frank provided an achingly personal account of the terrors of the Holocaust and an intimate look at much of her family, particularly her cousin Buddy. Some of these figures have remained shadowy for years, but the 2001 discovery of over 6,000 new documents letters, family histories, and poems create a wider narrative history of the Franks, and reveal young Anne who she was, where she came from, her legacy with much more scope and clarity than before. Pressler, co-editor (with Otto Frank) of the excellent 1995 edition of Frank's diary, deftly takes readers through the family, from matriarch Alice to aunt Helene to family members living today, like Buddy's wife Gertrude (who discovered the new documents in Helene's attic). Though the narrative can occasionally get lost jumping across time, it's never less than compelling. Readers unfamiliar with the diary may have some initial trouble understanding the significance of particular family members, but Pressler shows excellent editorial sense in organizing a massive array of documents. This is a valuable addition to the Anne Frank story.
