Notes

Summary of the Foreword
Anne Frank originally wrote a diary to keep for herself, but a member of the Dutch gov't in exile made a radio announcement that looked for primary source documents of Dutch people that had suffered through the Holocaust specifically mentioning letters and diaries. Impressed by his speech, Anne decided to publish her diary and started editing it, omitting or changing some entries and adding others from memory, so she could make it interesting. The unedited, original version is referred to as version a, to distinguish it from her new, edited version, version b. Anne's last diary entry is dated August 1, 1944, and 3 days afterwards, the members of the Annex were discovered and sent away to death. Miep Gies, their friend who often visited the Annex, found Anne's diaries strewn all over the floor and stored it for safekeeping. When it became certain that Anne was dead, she gave the diaries unread to Anne's father, Otto Frank. After much deliberation he decided to grant his daughter's wishes and publish them, so he edited them into his own version, version c. He shortened it and also took out certain passages in respect for the dead and to avoid social taboos about sexuality. This version was published and known all over the world as Diary of a Fauna Girl. After Otto Frank died he willed them to the Netherlands State Institution for War Documentations in Amsterdam and they published it along with results of a study after it was proven that the diaries were genuine. The Critical Edition contains versions a, b, c, study results, an investigation on the background of the Franks, an investigation on Anne's handwriting and the material she used, etc. The diaries were also willed to the Anne Frank Foundation and they also published a version edited by Mirjam Pressler to reach wider audiences. Characters were named in accordance to Anne's list of pseudonyms or initials (for those preferring to remain anonymous) but now the identities of people who helped in the Annex have become common knowledge.

The translated version that we are reading is based mostly on version b. Anne's occasional comments as she went back and looked at passages she wrote earlier are clearly noted. Her spelling and grammar has naturally been corrected, but otherwise it was basically left as it was found, since any attempts at editing or clarification would be inappropriate in a historical document.