What if Anne Frank survived the Holocaust?

Pkmatrix

Monthly Donor
I think she would've lived a relatively normal life afterwards, much like what Turtledove depicted in his story.
 
She obviously had a humanitarian streak to her psyche, evident even at that young age. She might have gone to Africa with one of the early development NGOs in the 1960s, if nothing else then to document their work to end human plight. Motives: Part altruism, part identification with suppressed peoples, part adventure spirit, part hunger for some 'powerful topic' to propel her journalism or writing forward - whatever the case, I'm sure such her reports would be lively and resonant with a lot of people.
 
Corrie ten Boom achieved a modest level of fame in the US late in her life by the re-telling of her own experiences in the Netherlands with the Holocaust. There are certainly parallel lines to the personal history for both women; so it's plausible to me that with Anne's skills as a writer, her story would find an audience
I read Corrie's book The Hiding Place as a young teen during my Christian period. I do think her books are more appreciated and read in Christian circles.

In the 1960s, Corrie ten Boom was recognized by Yad Vashem as a person who is one of the Righteous Among The Nations.
 
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Driftless

Donor
I read Corrie's book The Hiding Place as a young teen during my Christian period. I do think her books are more appreciated and read in Christian circles.

In the 1960s, Corrie ten Boom was recognized by Yad Vashem as a person who is one of the Righteous Among The Nations.

To be honest, I haven't read Ms. ten Boom's works, but I remember popularity of "The Hiding Place" and various church denominations promoting the movie version. The Holocaust was/is/should be a compelling story for humanity to remember; and I do believe there is world wide interest in both the general history and maybe even more effectively in personal histories. Ms. ten Boom and those brave souls like her deserve to be remembered
 
People forget one thing about her diary, it was her father who published it, and from what I remember he did edit it somewhat, do it's limited how much we can use it as a example of her writing skills.

So what do I think would have happened to her? I think it would be pure guesswork. Her father would still have a story to tell, and her diary could still serve as a good way to document their struggle while hiding, and if they end up in the camps and she survive through a miracle, she may also write about that. But there's also the chance that if they both survive, the father may feel a less need to share their story. I think their future dame really build on whether they share their story or not. If they do and she show herself skilled as a author in general, I suspect she will have a career as a well known author. If they don't share, she will just be another survivor of the Holocaust, and even if she take a future career which gain her fame, it will be minor and she will not be especially well known.
 
People forget one thing about her diary, it was her father who published it, and from what I remember he did edit it somewhat, do it's limited how much we can use it as a example of her writing skills.

So what do I think would have happened to her? I think it would be pure guesswork. Her father would still have a story to tell, and her diary could still serve as a good way to document their struggle while hiding, and if they end up in the camps and she survive through a miracle, she may also write about that. But there's also the chance that if they both survive, the father may feel a less need to share their story. I think their future dame really build on whether they share their story or not. If they do and she show herself skilled as a author in general, I suspect she will have a career as a well known author. If they don't share, she will just be another survivor of the Holocaust, and even if she take a future career which gain her fame, it will be minor and she will not be especially well known.
IIRC her later entries were written with a view to publication in response to an annoucement by the Dutch Government in Exile. Anne would at least give it the good old college try to submit it to the program.

But she woud remain at most, famouse in Dutch-language belles-lettres, and no-one else, really.

I wonder how she would deal with the decline of pillarisation? IIRC due to her father's profession she may have been in the liberal pillar by default, but ten Boom of course belonged to one of the Protestant pillars.
 
Before my laptop decided to kick the bucket years ago, I was writing a short story about Anne Frank becoming a Nazi hunter. The most successful Nazi hunter of all time.
 
IMHO, a lot would depend on where she would settle down when having grown up. We also need to remember that by the time she would have been either liberated from the camp (or Amsterdam was liberated so that they could live "Het Achterhuis") she was still only 16 so yet a minor.

She identified very much as Dutch, so I agree that chances would have been high she remained in Amsterdam. Otto Frank, however, settled down in Switzerland. Though his personal situation would be different if his daughter (or more family) had survived alongside him, so he would have made different choices, too.

She could of course go to Israel as well. Or if she is otherwise inclined and wants to leave the old continent for America. So many possibilities.

Job-wise .... even becoming a regular journalist is a challenge in the 50s for a woman. Regardless of her talents, it is a could be , couldn't be. But I could also see her as a novelist, and if she becomes well-known, she will certainly be a figure raising her voice for humanitarian causes. Perhaps she becomes even better known for that in the end.

If fate has a huge irony, she could also go the way of Ephraim Kishon who hails from Hungary and went to Israel after the holocaust and became hugely popular in Germany of all places for his satires.
 
I'm not familiar with the term pillarisation. Please explain this a little.
In late 19th and early/middle 20th century Netherlands was divided into 4 pillars, depending on your political and religious believes:
The socialist pillar, the Catholic pillar, the protestant pillar and the liberal pillar (or more correct the people outside the 3 pillars).
People within a pillar barely had any contacts with people outside their pillar. Each pillar had its own schools, union, social clubs, political parties, radio and tv stations, churches, etc. The Netherlands in those days was basicly a segregated society.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pillarisation

Because Otto Frank was Jewish (and an entrepeneur) he would have belonged into the liberal pillar.
 
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