I Wish I’d Written: Laurence Anholt

Laurence Anholt makes a very personal choice.

I sure don’t wish I had written Anne Frank’s Diary of a Young Girl – if I had I wouldn’t be here today. Nonetheless it is one of the most seminal books ever published about the triumph of hope over adversity. The fact that it was written by a 15-year-old child almost defies belief.

There are several reasons why the book is almost unbearably poignant to me: my father was a Dutch Jew of Persian heritage, and during the War many of his extended family were in hiding in Amsterdam just like the Franks. Plenty did not survive. My father had settled in London where he joined the British Army. As a very young Sergeant he was amongst the Allied troops who liberated Bergen Belsen. The experience traumatised him for life.

As we witness the global rise of the Far Right, the book seems more essential than ever. But the main reason that the book feels almost written on my soul, is because my family suffered the loss of our beautiful daughter to cancer a year ago this month. As a teenager Maddy bore a striking resemblance to Anne Frank, with that long dark hair, the olive skin and the sparkling eyes. She shared Anne’s cheeky smile and her kindness. Bless you Maddy and bless you, Anne. May every teenager read the words of gratitude from the Girl in the Attic – ‘Think of all the beauty still left around you and be happy.’

The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank, translated by Mirjam Pressler and Susan Massotty, is published by Penguin, 978-0141315188, £8.99 pbk.

Small Stories of Great Artists by Laurence Anholt, 9783836593564, TASCHEN, will publish in October 2024, £30.00 hbk.

Laurence talks about his father on BBC Radio 4 here.