Le Journal d’Anne Frank – The Diary of Anne Frank, published by Calmann‑Lévy, Paris, 1950 – First edition in French. Translated by Tylia Caren and Suzanne Lombard, with an introduction by the writer and historian Daniel‑Rops.
After the modest success of the original Dutch edition published in 1947, the Frank family, in collaboration with Otto Frank – Anne’s father and the only member of the family to survive the Holocaust – began working to publish the diary in additional languages. The initiative to translate the diary into French stemmed from the desire to expose Anne’s life story to the French-speaking public in Europe, especially in France, where the issue of the population’s collaboration with the Vichy regime and the Nazis began to enter public discourse in the 1950s. The French translation was commissioned by Calmann-Lévy, one of the oldest and most prominent publishing houses in France, which at an early stage recognized the historical and literary potential of the diary. The task of translation was undertaken by Tylia Caren and Suzanne Lombard, who worked to adapt Anne’s direct style into French, while preserving the personal and authentic tone of the text.
The first French edition was published in 1950, accompanied by an introduction written by the French historian and intellectual Daniel-Rops, a member of the Académie française, who helped establish the diary’s significance not only as a personal document but also as a universal testimony to the collapse of the modern world during the Holocaust. His contribution greatly aided the diary’s recognition within French society, and it gradually became an integral part of France’s post-war historical consciousness.
The French edition included a facsimile of Anne Frank’s handwriting from one of the diary’s leaves, as well as photographs of the entrance to the family’s hiding place apartment and more.
XIII, 307 [1] pages. Minor wear to cover. Good condition.
