Anne Frank Manuscripts

Research into Anne Frank’s literary development based on her original manuscripts

For years, the Huygens Institute, in collaboration with the Anne Frank House, carried out in-depth research into Anne Frank’s literary development. The findings are presented in the new book Anne Frank, schrijver (Dutch only, Walburg Pers), written by Peter de Bruijn and Elli Bleeker.

Working from Anne Frank’s original manuscripts, the researchers traced the selections, revisions and deletions she made to shape her diary entries into her novel Het Achterhuis (The Secret Annex). They even examined the different types of paper she used, revealing how meticulously Anne Frank worked and how consciously she honed her literary craft.

Image: Anne Frank, Montessorischool, Amsterdam, 1941. Fotocollectie: Anne Frank Stichting, Amsterdam.

Anne Frank: historical figure and literary talent

The book shows that Anne Frank was not only a witness of her time but also a writer of remarkable skill and ambition. Her global fame as a historical figure has often overshadowed the literary quality of her work. Yet Anne Frank wrote with a clear sense of audience and purpose, experimenting with the epistolary form, refining her voice and working methodically on her novel The Secret Annex.

In the brief span of her writing life, Anne created a strikingly layered body of work, from her diaries and her unfinished novel to her short stories including Cady’s Life and her Mooie-zinnenboek (Book of Beautiful Sentences). She wrote not just to record, but to create, shaping her experiences into art.

From people at Prinsengracht to characters in The Secret Annex

Researchers Peter de Bruijn and Elli Bleeker immersed themselves in Anne Frank’s creative world, which flourished during her time in hiding. They observed how she transformed the plain facts of her diary into a compelling narrative, turning the people around her on the Prinsengracht into fully fledged literary characters with distinct personalities and voices in the setting of the secret annex at Prinsengracht.

Digital scholarly edition

The research findings were first published in the Anne Frank Manuscripts digital edition, produced by the Association for Research and Access to Historical Texts (VOOHT), a non-profit initiative of the Anne Frank House and the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW). The edition presents all of Anne Frank’s surviving manuscripts in full, complete with deletions, additions and rewrites, offering a rare window into her creative process and artistic evolution.

However, due to copyright restrictions, the site can only be accessed from countries where Anne Frank’s works are in the public domain, such as Belgium, Germany and the Dutch Caribbean. In the Netherlands, access will remain blocked until 1 January 2037, when the copyright expires. The book Anne Frank, schrijver ensures that Dutch readers can nevertheless engage with some of the research and appreciate Anne Frank’s literary achievements.

Freedom of scholarship affirmed

In February 2024, the Amsterdam District Court confirmed that publishing the scholarly edition online did not infringe copyright law. The ruling means the digital edition remains freely accessible in around sixty countries, underlining the importance of open scholarship and public access to cultural heritage . These are core values of the Huygens Institute.

A compelling read for a wide audience

Anne Frank, schrijfster is the accessible, narrative version of years of scholarly research into Anne Frank’s development as an author. It stands on its own as a deeply engaging story. The book shows that Anne Frank’s remarkable writing talent extends far beyond The Diary of a Young Girl, the collection of diary letters compiled by her father, Otto Frank. Anne Frank, schrijfster pays tribute to Anne Frank’s remarkable talent and the bold literary choices she made from an early age.

More information about the book is available on the publisher’s website Walburg Pers.