EN

Otto Frank and the translations of Het Achterhuis

The first translations of Anne Frank's diary appeared in the early 1950s, thanks in part to Otto Frank's efforts.

Subject
Fotograaf: Allard Bovenberg. Collectie: Anne Frank Stichting.

Fotograaf: Allard Bovenberg. Collectie: Anne Frank Stichting. Copyright: AFS rechthebbende

Otto Frank also wanted a German and English translation of the diary.[1] As with the Dutch edition, he had to go to great lengths to interest foreign publishers. Only after the success of the French edition did this change. Otto Frank was closely involved in the translations and also in choosing the writers of the foreword.

French translation

Calmann-Lévy published Le Journal d'Anne Frank, the first foreign edition of the diary, in March 1950. This translation was based on the first edition of Het Achterhuis published by Contact and had a foreword by Daniel-Rops.[2] Otto Frank wrote to Gilles de Neve of Contact on 27 January 1949 that Calmann-Lévy had the manuscript. On 7 March 1949, Otto Frank signed the contract with Editions Calman-Lévy. Within 18 months of signing, Calmann-Lévy had to publish the book, otherwise the rights would return to Otto Frank. On 11 March 1950, the French edition had still not been published. On 26 March 1950, De Neve thanked Otto Frank for sending him the French edition. According to Otto Frank, this translation by Tylia Caren and Suzanne Lombard was so successful because, as a Dutch Frenchwoman, Tylia Caren had a perfect command of Dutch and Suzanne Lombard was well versed in the language of French youth.[3] This first French edition of the diary impressed Meyer Levin. He then worked on the English translation and became interested in the film rights.[4] The success of the French edition meant that English and American publishers also became seriously interested.[5]

German translation

Otto Frank first translated excerpts of the stories and diary into German himself for his family in Basel:

'Endlich komme ich dazu, den Anfang von Anne’s Tagebuch in deutscher Uebersetzung zu senden und hoff, dass ich bald die Fortsetzung schicken kann. Da ich nur wenige exemplare habe muss das vorliegende weiter gegeben werden und ich füge eine Liste bei, wie ich mir den Weg denke. Es ist schwer, alles sinn- und stilgemäss in eine andere Sprache zu übertragen, viel vom original geht verloren. Das ist nicht zu vermeiden und ich bitte jeden von Euch, evtl. Unklarheiten oder Sprachfehler zu notieren und mir mit zuteilen.'[6]

In the winter of 1945 - 1946, commissioned by Otto Frank, Anneliese Schütz began translating the diary into German. She did this on the basis of typescript II.[7] By summer 1947, the manuscript was at Paul Szolnay Verlag in Vienna.[8] Otto Frank was in contact with Dr Fritz Landshoff, the director of the German-language department of Querido publishers, about publishing the diary. At the end of 1948, this came to nothing.[9] Otto Frank approached several German publishers from late 1948 to 1950 including: Verlag Kurt Desch (Munich); Volk und Welt (Berlin); Rowohlt (Hamburg); Kiepenheuer Verlag (Berlin); Europa Express (Zurich); Limes Verlag (Wiesbaden); Societäts Verlag (Frankfurt) and an unnamed publisher in Koblenz.[10]

In searching for a publisher, he enlisted the help of the lawyer Max Cahn, a former classmate at the Lessing Grammar School and also his legal adviser E.D. Hirsch Ballin. Max Cahn in turn also enlisted the help of an old classmate, Walter Carstanjen, the chief editor of the Börssenblatt für den Deutschen Buchhandel. He sent Otto Frank a list of possible publishers.[11] One reason the German publishers rejected the diary was the crisis situation in the German book trade. As there had just been a money purge, no one dared to take a risk. Another reason was that the diary would not be literary enough and was therefore not suitable for the general German public.[12]

On 20 January 1950, Otto Frank met Lambert Schneider of the publishing house of the same name and gave him the German manuscript of the diary.[13] On 22 March 1950, Schneider responded positively and the contract was signed on 25/28 July 1950.[14] Otto Frank was closely involved in the final translation and publication of the diary.[15] Das Tagebuch der Anne Frank appeared in November 1950 in an edition of 4,600 copies. The foreword was by Marie Baum. Previous candidates for the foreword were Herman Hesse (too ill) and Eugen Kogon.[16] Sales figures were relatively low.[17]

Otto Frank thought a wide distribution of the diary among German youth was very important. In his opinion, this was only possible with a cheaper edition.[18] In March 1955, the paperback edition of the Tagebuch der Anne Frank was published (under licence from the Lambert Schneider Verlag) by the Fischer Bücherei (Frankfurt am Main und Hamburg) in an edition of 50,000 copies.[19] The German translation by Anneliese Schütz had been revised by Maria Honeit, who corrected many errors and made the language use more 'natural'.[20] Within a month, 30,000 copies were sold. [21]

Because the German-language editions were based on a fuller version of Typescript II than the first Dutch edition of Contact, questions were raised not only about the person Anne Frank but also about the authenticity of the diary.[22] Ernst Schnabel was therefore commissioned by the Fischer Bücherei to investigate the historicity of the character Anne Frank, which resulted in the book Spur eines Kindes. [23] The proceeds were earmarked for the Anne Frank Stipend, which aimed to give Israeli students the opportunity to study in Europe.[17]

Otto Frank also attached great importance to a cheap edition in East Germany. In 1957, Union Verlag published the diary there. [24]

English translation

Otto Frank had an English translation of the diary by Rosey Pool very early on. She, like Anneliese Schütz, was an acquaintance of Otto Frank and his family. With this translation, Otto approached English publishers. Rosey Pool began her translation at about the same time as Anneliese Schütz.[6] Pool had taught English to Edith Frank.[25] Literary agent Robert Harben approached Otto Frank about publishing the diary in England, but several English publishers turned it down, including: Heineman Ltd, Gollancz; Allen & Unwin; New Universal Encyclopedia; Falcon Press; Hamish Hamilton; Martin Secker.[26] According to Harben, because the publishers and the public were averse to more books on war and resistance. [27]

In the United States, Otto Frank was also in contact with several publishers: Secker & Warburg, Gollanz, Heineman, Allen & Unwin, Mc Millan, Scribners, Siggewick & Jackson, Doubleday Doran, Hutchinson, John Lehman, Viking Press, Vanguard Press, Warendorf, Simon & Shuster, Appleton Century, Knopf, Schocken, Random House, Little Brown & Company.[28] Due to the success of the French edition of the diary, the English publisher Vallentine Mitchell & Company offered to publish the diary.[29]

Because Rosey Pool's translation was not satisfactory, Barbara Mooyaart-Doubleday was commissioned by Vallentine Mitchell to retranslate the diary.[30] Otto Frank kept in close contact with her about the translation and also had her translate some passages that were missing from the Dutch edition.[31] The Diary of a Young Girl, with a foreword by writer Margaret Storm Jameson, was released in England on 30 April 1952. Reviews were good, but sales were disappointing.[32]

Lengthy negotiations between Otto Frank and Little, Brown and Company for the American edition of the diary stranded in March 1951 due to disagreements over the translation, Canadian rights and film rights to the diary.[33] Then Otto Frank quickly reached an agreement with US publisher Doubleday and Company.[33] Through the mediation of Nathan Straus, the foreword was written by Eleanor Roosevelt.[34] The diary was published in the United States on 12 June 1952 (Anne's birthday). After a wildly enthusiastic review by Meyer Levin in The New York Times Book Review of 15 June 1952, the diary ranked sixth on the bestseller list in the United States five weeks after its publication.[35]

Footnotes

  1. ^ Anne Frank Stichting (AFS), Anne Frank Collectie (AFS), Otto Frank Archief (OFA), reg. code OFA_072: Otto Frank aan Alice Frank-Stern, 11 november 1945 ('… unbedingt veröffentlichen, ein ganz grosses Werk! Iht kont Euch nicht vorstellen, was da allen drin steht, ich kann leider vorerst nichts übersetzen, aber es wird kommen und es wird auch in Deutsch heraus gegeben werden und in english'.)
  2. ^ AFS, AFC, reg. code OFA_090: Correspondentie van Otto Frank met Uitgeverij Contact, .januari 1949 -maart 1950.
  3. ^ AFS, AFC, reg. code OFA_159: Otto Frank aan Meyer Levin, 29 september 1959; AFS, AFC, reg. code OFA_132: Otto Frank aan Vallentine Mitchell and Co., 21 november 1950 (over de Engelse vertaling). Zie ook: Myriam de Veth, 'Tylia, een onvoltooid portret', in: Filter, tijdschrift over vertalen, 23 (2016) 4, p, 32-38.
  4. ^ AFS, AFC, reg. code OFA_159: Correspondentie van Meyer Levin met Otto Frank, september 1950, waarin Levin zegt het dagboek (gratis) te willen vertalen. Hij informeert over Engelse en Amerikaanse rechten voor het dagboek en ook naar de mogelijkheden van een verfilming.
  5. ^ AFS, AFC, reg. code OFA_132: Correspondentie van Otto Frank met Vallentine Mitchell and Co., 10 oktober1950, 22 november 1950.
  6. a, b AFS, AFC, reg. code OFA_094: Otto Frank aan meine Lieben, klad zonder datum; AFS, AFC, reg. code OFA_094: Otto Frank aan Milly Stanfield, 16 november 1945.
  7. ^ NIOD Instituut voor Oorlogs-, Holocaust- en Genocidestudies, Amsterdam, archief 257d, De dagboeken van Anne Frank, inv. no. 1i: Gesprek met mevr. R.E. Mengelberg-Draber. In november 1945 vertaalde Anneliese Schutz al Blurry der Weltentdekker, eine Bärengeschichte in opdracht van Otto Frank voor zijn familie in Bazel. AFS, AFC, reg. code OFA_072: Otto Frank aan Alice Frank-Stern, 11 november 1945. 
  8. ^ AFS, AFC, reg. code OFA124: Correspondentie van Otto Frank met Robert Harben, september 1947.
  9. ^ AFS, AFC. reg. code OFA_090: Otto Frank aan Gilles de Neve/Uitgeverij Contact, 27 januari 1949. 
  10. ^ AFS, AFC, reg. code OFA_124: Correspondentie 1948-1955.
  11. ^ Zie AFS, AFC, reg. code OFA_124, Correspondentie, maart 1949.
  12. ^ Zie noten 10 en 11.
  13. ^ AFS, AFC, reg. code OFA_125: Otto Frank aan aan Lambert Schneider, 20 maart 1950. In deze brief herinnert hij Schneider aan zijn bezoek op 20 januari 1950 en overhandiging van het manuscript.
  14. ^ AFS, AFC, reg. code OFA_124: Lambert Schneider aan Otto Frank, 22 maart 1950; AFS, AFC, reg. code OFA_124: Contract Lambert Schneider, Hamburg met Otto Frank, 25/28 juli 1950.
  15. ^ AFS, AFC, reg. code OFA_124: Correspondentie van Otto Frank met de uitgeverij van Lambert Schneider, oktober 1950.  
  16. ^ AFS, AFC, reg. code OFA_124.  
  17. a, b NIOD, archief 212c, Anne Frank, inv. no. 5d: Landgericht Lübeck, procesdossier Stielau/ Buddeberg, p. 6.
  18. ^ AFS, AFC, reg. code OFA_124: Otto Frank aan S. Ficher Verlag, 8 mei 1954.  
  19. ^ AFS, AFC, reg. code OFA_124: Fischer Bücherei aan Otto Frank, 28 februari 1955. 
  20. ^ AFS, AFC, reg. code OFA_124: Fischer Verlag (Christian Wegner) aan Otto Frank, 3 juli 1954.
  21. ^ AFS, AFC, reg. code OFA_124: Fischer Bücherei aan Otto Frank, 7 april 1957.
  22. ^ Zie noot 17; NIOD (samenst.), De dagboeken van Anne Frank, 5e, verb. en uitgebr. duk, Amsterdam: Bert Bakker, 2001, p. 81-83: Uitgeverij Contact kortt de tekst in door een aantal passages te schrappen, voerde redactionele veranderingen door en liet seksueel getinte fragmenten weg. Dit gebeurde met instemming van Otto Frank. In de Duitse vertaling van Annelise Schütz werden deze passages grotendeels gehandhaafd. 
  23. ^ Ernst Schnabel, Anne Frank, Spur eines Kindes: ein Bericht, Frankfurt am Main: Fischer Bücherei, 1958.
  24. ^ AFS, AFC, reg. code OFA_124: Otto Frank aan Lambert Schneider, 16 november 1956. Zie voor de DDR-uitgave van het dagboek, het archief Union Verlag (AFS, AFC, reg. code B_dagboek_I_008).
  25. ^ Zie AFS, AFC, reg. code OFA_132, Brief Otto Frank aan Vallentine Mitchel and Co, 22 november 1950.  
  26. ^ AFS, AFC, reg. code OFA 132 : Correspondentie van Otto Frank met Robert Harben, september 1947 - augustus 1948. Otto Frank kende Robert Harben van vroeger van diens ‘leesbibliotheek’ in de buurt van het Merwedeplein waar hij met zijn vrouw Edith kwam.
  27. ^ AFS, AFC, reg. code OFA_132: Robert Harben aan Otto Frank, 7 augustus 1948.
  28. ^ AFS, AFC, reg. code OFA_150: Otto Frank aan Meyer Levin, 25 september 1950. Heel veel vrienden en relaties zijn hem hierbij behulpzaam: Walter en Julius Holländer, Nathan Straus, Dola de Jong, Miriam Blumenthal, Annetje Reens, Meyer Levin.
  29. ^ AFS, AFC, reg. code OFA_132: Vallentine Mitchel and Co. (de heer Japp) aan Otto Frank, 10 oktober 1950.
  30. ^ AFS, AFC, reg. code OFA_132: Otto Frank aan Vallentine Mitchell and Co., 22 november 1950, AFS, AFC, reg. code OFA_132: Vallentine Mitchell and Co. aan Otto Frank, 8 maart 1951.
  31. ^ AFS, AFC, reg. code OFA_132: Correspondentie van Otto Frank met Barbara Mooyaart-Doubleday, 1951.
  32. ^ AFS, AFC, reg. code OFA_132: Vallentine Mitchell and Co. (Japp) aan Otto Frank, 29 mei 1952.
  33. a, b AFS, AFC, reg. code OFA_132: Otto Frank aan Vallentine Mitchell and Co., 12 april 1951.  
  34. ^ Zie noot 33. Voor meer over het voorwoord door Eleanor Roosevelt, zie AFS, AFC, reg. code OFA_ 154, OFA_172 en OFA_132. 
  35. ^ AFS, AFC, reg. code OFA_132: Otto Frank aan Vallentine Mitchell and Co. (Japp), 19 juli 1952. Meyer Levin, "The child behind ther secret door", in: The New York Times Book Review, 15 juni 1952.