Life of Anne Frank: A Biography

Biography of Anne Frank: Early Years

Anne Frank was born Annelies Marie Frank in Frankfurt, Germany on the 12th of June, 1929. Her father’s name was Otto Heinrich Frank and her mother was named Edith Hollander. Otto Frank was a decorated army officer from World War I. She also had an older sister Margot Frank. Annelies was known by her friends and family as Anne. Their family lived in a mixed community consisting of Jewish, Catholic and Protestant families and both the girls had friends from all communities. Both the parents encouraged their children to read.

In 1933, the Nazi Party came into power and the Franks began to fear for their life. Later that year, Edith and the girls moved to Aachen to live with Edith’s mother. Otto stayed in Frankfurt. He received an offer to start a business in Amsterdam and moved there. He began working at Opekta Works, a company which sold pectin. In 1934, the rest of the family moved to Amsterdam. Both the girls were enrolled in school.

There was a great amount of difference between the characteristics of both these girls. Margot was well mannered and reserved and displayed ability with arithmetic. Anne was extroverted and energetic and loved to read and write.

In 1938, Otto began a new company in partnership with Hermann van Pels, a butcher who had also fled Germany. Edith’s mother moved in with them in 1939 and stayed with them till she died in 1942.

In 1940, the Germans invaded the Netherlands and the persecution of Jews began. They had to wear the yellow stars on their sleeves and Margot and Anne were removed from Public School and enrolled into a school for Jewish children.

For her 13th birthday, Anne had received an autograph book bound with red plaid cloth and a small lock in the front. This book soon became her diary and she began writing down small and large events in her life in that diary.

Life of Anne Frank: Anne Frank in Hiding

In July 1942, the Frank family walked several kilometers with layers of clothes on their body (to disguise the fact that they were moving), to the rear part of the Opekta offices. They left their house in disarray and Otto even left a note stating that they were going to Switzerland.

This secret room could be accessed from the landing above the Opekta office. It was a three storied block with 2 rooms and an adjoining bathroom and toilet on the first floor, a large room and a small room on the second floor with a ladder leading to the attic on the third floor. The door to the secret room was concealed by a bookcase.

They were helped by several people who kept them informed of the outside world and provided them with food. Chief among them were Miep Gies, Jan Gies, Bep Voskuijl, Johannes Hendrik Voskuijl, Victor Kugler and Johannes Kleiman.

The van Pels family joined them later in July, consisting of Hermann, Auguste and 16 year old Peter. In November, Fritz Pfeffer, a dentist and a family friend, also joined them.

Anne spent most of her time reading and studying. She also kept writing in her diary. There she spoke about her strained relationship with her mother, her clashes with Auguste van Pels, her relationship with Margot and her budding romance with Peter.

More and more, the diary began to reflect her growing maturity, as her writing progressed from the inane to the abstract. She continued writing till the 1st of August, 1944, when she was arrested.

Anne Frank History: The Diary of Anne Frank

After the arrest of all the residents of the secret room by the German Security Police, the occupants were led off to be interrogated. Miep Gies and Bep Voskuijl were allowed to go. When they returned, they found Anne's papers on the floor. They collected them, as well as several family photograph albums, and Gies resolved to return them to Anne after the war.

The other members were taken to the Gestapo offices and later on to a detention house in Weteringschans. Eventually, the whole group was sent to the concentration camp in Auschwitz. Almost half of the prisoners were immediately sent off to the gas chambers. Anne believed her father had been among them.

Soon the life in the camp had Anne infected by rabies. In October, many women were rounded up to be sent to Bergen-Belsen. Anne, Margot and Auguste were selected to go. Edith was left behind. Margot fell ill and was unable to walk. Anne believed that both her parents were dead by now.

In March 1945, an epidemic of typhus struck the camp. Soon enough, Margot fell from her bunk and died of shock. Anne followed her a few days later.

Life Story of Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl

Otto Frank survived and returned to Amsterdam. He found out that his family members were now dead. Miep Gies then gave Otto Anne’s diary. In her diary, she had mentioned several times that she wanted to be an author.

Otto Frank tried to get this diary published. In 1946, the Dutch version appeared on the market. In 1952, the American version appeared with the title ‘Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl’.

Today the life story and biography of Anne Frank is a widely read book and is even included as part of the curriculum in many schools.