Anne Frank’s Diary: The Graphic Adaptation

The First Graphic Adaptation of the Multi-Million Bestseller 
 
'12th June, 1942: I hope I will be able to confide everything to you, as I have never been able to confide in anyone, and I hope you will be a great source of comfort and support.' 
 
In the summer of 1942, fleeing the horrors of the Nazi occupation, Anne Frank and her family were forced into hiding in the back of an Amsterdam warehouse. 
 
Aged thirteen when she went into the secret annexe, Anne Frank kept a diary in which she confided her innermost thoughts and feelings, movingly revealing how the eight people living under these extraordinary conditions coped with the daily threat of discovery and death. 
 
Adapted by Ari Folman, illustrated by David Polonsky, and authorized by the Anne Frank Foundation in Basel, this is the first graphic edition of the beloved diary of Anne Frank. 
 
'Faithful to the spirit and often the language of the diary... Mr Polonsky's beautiful artwork offers a charming and convincing view of Anne on the page' THE ECONOMIST 
 
'Folman and Polonsky have reclaimed Anne Frank in all of her humanity, and they allow us to witness for ourselves her beauty, courage, vision and imagination. And, in doing so, they have elevated the tools of the comic book to create an astonishing work of art.' JEWISH JOURNAL 
 
'The illustrations [. . .] retell Anne's diary with great compassion, wit and ebullience' StANDPOINT

Astonishing and excruciating. It gnaws at us still

One of the greatest books of the [last] century

Rings down the decades as the most moving testament to the persecution of innocence

Of all the multitudes who throughout history have spoken for human dignity in times of great suffering and loss, no voice is more compelling than that of Anne Frank

A remarkable reading and visual experience

Mesmerizing... Polonsky creates unforgettable panels that enable us to see Anne Frank's writing in a fresh light

Folman and Polonsky . . . focus on illuminating its humor, insight, and supporting cast in this spirited graphic adaption . . . Anne, drawn with large dark eyes, blooms like the hardiest, loveliest weed-a moody teenager whose wit, self-awareness, and rich fantasy life take center stage . . . The beauty of Anne's life and the untarnished power of her legacy-here further elevated by Folman and Polonsky-are heartening reminders of the horror of her fate.

Evocatively crafted, this comic brings Frank's world to life for all ages but takes care to respect and prioritize the primacy of her story in her own words.

'Even deep sleep brings no redemption,' she writes. 'The dreams still creep in.' Those dreams bring out the best of the illustrations amid the depictions of the everyday confinement in which Anne, her family, and others are hiding. A different format distills and renews Frank's achievement.

Emphasizes the visual nature of Frank's text . . . Bring[s] renewed vigor . . . Powerful . . . points us to the very gap, between what we, her readers, can imagine for her of her missed future, and what she would never have the opportunity to live through.

Faithful to the spirit and often the language of the diary, with passages that capture Anne's sharp sense of humour, as well as her frustrations with her mother, her agitation with her sister (with whom she feels unfavourably compared), her sexual curiosity, fleeting infatuations, dark moods, mortal fears and internal conflicts... Mr Polonsky's beautiful artwork offers a charming and convincing view of Anne on the page

The graphic adaptation gorgeously captures the confessional spirit of the original diary with artistic expressions of Anne's inner world. The book illustrates and expands on Anne's dreams and imaginings, and one can almost believe that these are pictures Anne herself might have drawn as she was turning things over in her mind.

Folman and Polonsky have reclaimed Anne Frank in all of her humanity, and they allow us to witness for ourselves her beauty, courage, vision and imagination, all of the qualities that make her life and early death so heartbreaking. And, in doing so, they have elevated the tools of the comic book to create an astonishing work of art.

Folman and Polonsky's adaptation brings poignant comedy and a touch of the surreal to its portrait of the eight inhabitants of the annexe

In producing this first ever graphic adaptation of the diary Ari Folman and David Polonsky continue Anne's work, doing a great service to younger and future generations by helping to keep the story of Anne Frank as fresh, 
compelling and vital as it ever was.

The adaptation by Ari Folman is refreshing, well researched and innovative. The art by David Polonsky is stunning, vivid, and rich. Altogether, it's a graphic novel that is more than essential reading

The illustrations in Anne Frank's Diary: The Graphic Novel have... [a] polished, often luminous effect.

Impressive. . . In an afterword, Ari Folman discusses some of the challenges of "editing" such an "iconic text." Their goal, he says, was "to honor and preserve the spirit of Anne Frank in each and every frame." This they have done to engaging effect.

Anne Frank was born on 12 June 1929. She died in Bergen-Belsen, three months short of her sixteenth birthday. 
 
Ari Folman is a film director, screenwriter and film score composer, who directed the Oscar-nominated Waltz with Bashir. 
 
David Polonsky is an award-winning illustrator and designer.

'June, 1942: I hope I will be able to confide everything to you, as I have never been able to confide in anyone, and I hope you will be a great source of comfort and support.' 
 
In Amsterdam, in the summer of 1942, the Nazis forced teenager Anne Frank and her family into hiding. For over two years, they, another family and a German dentist lived in a 'secret annexe', fearing discovery. All that time, Anne kept a diary. The Diary of a Young Girl is an inspiring and tragic account of an ordinary life lived in extraordinary circumstances that has enthralled readers for generations. Anne Frank's Diary: The Graphic Novel is a stunning new adaptation of one of the greatest books of the last century.

Ari Folman

David Polonsky

Lena Guberman

Fervent, heartfelt and visually wonderful

Superb . . . Weaves together excerpts from the diary with the quest of Kitty - the imaginary friend to whom Anne addressed much of it - to locate the young writer in present-day Amsterdam

...fanciful tale that extends Anne&rsquo;s legacy to the contemporary refugee crisis in Europe and is carried off with graceful drawings by Israeli artist Guberman

It's the middle of the night at the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam, and a thunderbolt has just shattered the protective glass case in which the most famous diary in history is displayed. Magically, Anne's imaginary friend, Kitty, comes to life. 
 
When Kitty learns that Anne and her beloved sister Margot have died in the war, 
she runs away from the house and follows the sisters&rsquo; path, recounting the complete story of Anne Frank's life, family, and diary from her own unique perspective. In the present day, Kitty's adventures bring her in contact with the refugee crisis in Europe, from which she discovers the true meaning of Anne Frank's legacy.

David Polonsky

Praise for Where Is Anne Frank

Fervent, heartfelt and visually wonderful

Superb . . . Weaves together excerpts from the diary with the quest of Kitty - the imaginary friend to whom Anne addressed much of it - to locate the young writer in present-day Amsterdam

...fanciful tale that extends Anne’s legacy to the contemporary refugee crisis in Europe and is carried off with graceful drawings by Israeli artist Guberman

Fervent, heartfelt and visually wonderful

Superb . . . Weaves together excerpts from the diary with the quest of Kitty - the imaginary friend to whom Anne addressed much of it - to locate the young writer in present-day Amsterdam

...fanciful tale that extends Anne’s legacy to the contemporary refugee crisis in Europe and is carried off with graceful drawings by Israeli artist Guberman

Fervent, heartfelt and visually wonderful

Superb . . . Weaves together excerpts from the diary with the quest of Kitty - the imaginary friend to whom Anne addressed much of it - to locate the young writer in present-day Amsterdam

...fanciful tale that extends Anne’s legacy to the contemporary refugee crisis in Europe and is carried off with graceful drawings by Israeli artist Guberman

Books by David Polonsky

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