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Anneliese Schütz

Anneliese Schütz taught German literature to Margot Frank and translated Anne Frank's diary into German.

Person

Vervaardiger onbekend. Fotocollectie Anne Frank Stichting Amsterdam
  • Marie Anna-Liese Isaac
  • Born on: Jan. 23, 1891
  • Born in: Berlijn, Duitsland
  • Died on: Nov. 27, 1960
  • Died in: Baarn, Nederland

Anneliese Schütz, Amsterdam, 15 mei 1946

Vervaardiger onbekend. Fotocollectie Anne Frank Stichting Amsterdam

Rechthebbende(n) onvindbaar

Anneliese Schütz was born as Marie Anna-Liese Isaac.[1] She studied at a university in Berlin and campaigned for women's suffrage in Germany in the early twentieth century.[2] In the 1920s and early 1930s, she worked on the editorial board of a newspaper owned by her family.[3]

Because of Nazi persecution in Germany, Anneliese emigrated to Amsterdam in 1939.[4] Otto Frank and several other Jewish families from the neighbourhood hired her to give weekly home lessons on German literature to their children, including Margot Frank. Together, they read and discussed works by Goethe and Schiller, among others. Hannelore Klein (more commonly known as Laureen Nussbaum-Klein) remembered listening in while her older sister Susanna (Suzy) Klein attended the lessons.[5]

Hannelore got on well with Anneliese Schütz and in 1941 suggested to her that she put on a play, probably during Hanukkah, with some children who, like her, were too young for the literature club.[5] Anne Frank and Sanne Ledermann also participated in the play Die Prinzesse mit der Nas, a Jewish children's story taken from Emil Bernhard Cohn's[6] Jüdisches Jugendbuch.[7]

From 1 January 1942, Anneliese worked for the Jewish Council as a teacher at Tehuis Oosteinde,[8] a shelter and cultural education centre for German Jewish refugees in Amsterdam. As a result, she managed to get a "Sperre", a temporary exemption from deportation.[9] She also helped people in hiding to get food, money and clothes.[4]

In May 1943, she was arrested and deported to Westerbork. There she stayed in barrack 57 and later in barrack 73. She was in the camp when the Frank family arrived there in August 1944, but whether they met each other is not known. On 4 September 1944, she was deported on the last transport from the Netherlands to Theresienstadt,[10] a day after the Frank family was put on the last transport to Auschwitz. She returned to Amsterdam in 1945 and received Dutch nationality in 1952.[11] In these proceedings, she filed a lawsuit against the state, in which lawyer Lau Mazirel assisted her.[12]

Anneliese was a guest at the wedding of Bep Voskuijl and Cor van Wijk on 15 May 1946. She is in one of the group photos taken on this day.[13]

Involvement in the German translation of the diary

Otto Frank initially approached Anneliese in the winter of 1945-'46, asking her to translate together some passages from Anne's diary into German, to send to relatives, including his mother Alice Frank.[14] But then he asked her to translate the entire diary, to be used for a German-language edition.[15]

She based her translation on Typescript II. She translated the diary under the title Untergetaucht. Tagebuch einer Jugendlichen.[16] In November 1950, the final translation was published as Das Tagebuch der Anne Frank. There followed public criticism of her translation; she was accused of removing or diluting anti-German sentiments expressed by Anne. A submitted letter in Het Vrije Volk pointed to the neutral translation of a passage in which German was described by Anne as not belonging to the cultural languages.[17] She had also, in consultation with Otto, added the word "these" for ‘Germans’ in italics to the line ‘there is no greater enmity in the world than between Germans and Jews’. She herself later explained about these translation choices: "I always said to myself that a book you want to sell in Germany should not contain swear words about the Germans."[18] Otto Frank defended the change, declaring that they had come to the conclusion that this was more representative of what Anne had wanted to say.[19]

Besides these translation choices, she had misunderstood some Dutch words and expressions. As a result, quite a few errors had slipped into her translation. For instance, she translated "dropjes" (licorice) as "Tropfen" (drops) and "De hele ratteplan" (which loosely translates to "the whole crew") as "Das ganze Rattennest" (the whole rat's nest). Still, Otto felt that her German translation ‘could by and large be called faithful and in the spirit of the original.’[20] According to Otto's friend Werner Cahn, who helped him publish the diary, the translation: "although correct, did not always reflect the style of the young Anne Frank."[21]

Anneliese was good friends with Lotte van Collem-Randerath, the mother of Ilse and Martha van Collem. According to the two sisters, Anneliese was often at their mother's house after the war to work on her translation of the diary.[22] On 30 December 1955, she and Lotte van Collem moved to Baarn, where they went to live together.[23]

Due to a serious accident - details are not known - she was injured in early 1960 and her recovery cost a lot of money. Otto Frank sent her money, ‘ein Scherflein’ in memory of their friendship.[24] Anneliese regarded the money - five hundred guilders - not as a gift but as ‘a first instalment’ and reminded Otto that he would let her share in the revenues from the German edition of the diary.[25] Otto denied any such commitment and rejected any obligation.[26] Anneliese was at the opening of the Anne Frank House and there they spoke. She regretted that Otto did not remember the commitment but thought it pointless to fight about it. She congratulated him on his birthday.[27]

Six months later, Anneliese died on 27 November 1960.[28] Otto sent Lotte van Collem a letter on 4 April 1961 to congratulate her on her birthday and offer his condolences on the loss of her friend. A month later, he sent her another letter. Otto wrote that he had heard that she felt hurt because he had allegedly made insulting remarks about Anneliese. He assured her that this had not been his intention and instead had great admiration for her.[29]

Source personal data.[28] Addresses: Berlin; Zuider Amstellaan 270 II, Amsterdam; Uiterwaardenstraat 406 II (1941); Uiterwaardenstraat 406 III (1945); Uiterwaardenstraat 406 II (1947); Tintorettostraat 21hs (1954); Kettingweg 37, Baarn (1955).[1]

Footnotes

  1. a, b Stadsarchief Amsterdam (SAA), Dienst Bevolkingsregister, Archiefkaarten, toegang 30238: archiefkaart M.A.L. Isaac.
  2. ^ 'Was schrieb das Kind?', Der Spiegel, 31 maart 1959.
  3. ^ 'Anneliese Schütz overleden', Het Vrije Volk, 28 november 1960.
  4. a, b Kamerstuk Tweede Kamer der Staten-Generaal, 1951-1952, kamerstuknummer 2604, ondernummer 3, p. 2.
  5. a, b Anne Frank Stichting (AFS), Getuigenarchief, Nussbaum-Klein, Laureen, transcriptie interview Laureen Nussbaum-Klein door Teresien da Silva, 22 februari 2010, p. 13-17.
  6. ^ Wikipedia: Emil Bernhard Cohn.
  7. ^ Laureen Nussbaum, "Die Prinzessin mit der Nas’. Wiedersehen mit einem verlorengeglaubten Kinderbuch," in: Jüdisches Kinderleben im Spiegel jüdischer Kinderbücher. Eine Ausstellung der Universitätsbibliothek Oldenburg mit dem Kindheitsmuseum Marburg, Band 1, ed. Helge-Ulrike Hyams e.a. (Oldenburg: BIS-Verlag, 2001), 253–256. 
  8. ^ Wikipedia: Tehuis Oosteinde.
  9. ^ Arolsen Archives, Index cards from the Judenrat (Jewish Council) file in Amsterdam, Reference code: 01020402 123: Marie A Isaac.
  10. ^ Arolsen Archives, Ghetto Theresienstadt Card File, Reference code: 11422001 133: Marie Anne Liese Isaac.
  11. ^ Verslag der Handelingen van de Eerste Kamer der Staten-Generaal, 1952-1953, 21 oktober 1952, p. 2004.
  12. ^ Wikipedia: Lau Mazirel; Nationaal Archief, Inventaris Lau Mazirel, toegang 2.18.34: Schütz, Marie Anne-Liese Isaac (geb. 1891 ) vs. Staat der Nederlanden inz. Naturalisatie, 1948-1950 1948-1950.
  13. ^ AFS, Anne Frank Collectie (AFC), reg. code A_Opekta_III_019.
  14. ^ In a letter to his mother, Otto wrote about Anneliese Schütz: ‘Frl. Schütz ist ein Dame über 50, sieht fast nichts mehr und ist sehr allein. Darum sucht sie bei mir Anschluss, war Journalistin und hatte immer grosses Interesse an den Kindern. Margot hatte Literaturkurse bei ihr.‘: AFS, AFC, Otto Frank Archief (OFA), reg. code OFA_072: Otto Frank aan Alice Frank-Stern, 1 september 1945.
  15. ^ Melissa Müller, Anne Frank: de biografie, 5e, geheel herz. druk, Amsterdam: Bert Bakker, 2013, p. 382.
  16. ^ AFS, AFC, OFA, reg. code OFA_124: typescript door Anneliese Schütz. 
  17. ^ 'Vervalste Anne Frank', Het Vrije Volk, 4 juli 1959.
  18. ^ Translated from German: ‘Ich habe mir immer gesagt, ein Buch, das man einmal in Deutschland verkaufen will, kann keine Schimpfworte gegen die Deutschen enthalten.’, in: 'Was schrieb das Kind?', Der Spiegel, 31 maart 1959.
  19. ^ Anne Frank, De dagboeken van Anne Frank, ingel. door David Barnouw, Harry Paape en Gerrold van der Stroom; met de samenvatting van het rapport van het Gerechtelijk Laboratorium, opgesteld door H.J.J. Hardy; tekstverzorging door David Barnouw en Gerrold van der Stroom, 5e  verbeterde en uitgebreide druk, Amsterdam: Bert Bakker i.s.m. het Nederlands Instituut voor Oorlogsdocumentatie, 2001, p. 84; Simone Schroth, 'Translating Anne Frank's Het Achterhuis,' in: Translation and Literature, 23(2), 2014, p. 235-243.
  20. ^ Translated from German: ‘(...) die Übersetzung durch Frau Schütz im grossen und ganzen als werkgetreu und sinngemäss zu bezeichnen’: Anne Frank, De dagboeken van Anne Frank, ingel. door David Barnouw e.a., 2001, p. 84.
  21. ^ Ibidem, 84.
  22. ^ AFS, Getuigenarchief, Dotan-van Collem, Martha, transcriptie interview Martha Dotan-van Collem door David de Jong en Teresien da Silva, 5 mei 2009, p. 36-37; Getuigenarchief, Zilversmit-van Collem, Ilse, transcriptie interview Ilse Zilversmit-van Collem door Teresien da Silva, 25 mei 2013, p. 47.
  23. ^ SAA, Dienst Bevolkingsregister, Archiefkaarten, toegang 30238, inv. nr. 379: archiefkaart M.A.L. Isaac; inv. nr. 1744: archiefkaart L. Randerath.
  24. ^ AFS, AFC, OFA, reg. code OFA_085: Otto Frank aan Anneliese Schütz, 26 april 1960.
  25. ^ Ibidem: Schütz aan Frank, 28 april 1960.
  26. ^ Ibidem: Frank aan Schütz, 9 mei 1960.
  27. ^ Ibidem: Schütz aan Frank, 11 mei 1960.
  28. a, b Het Utrechts Archief, Burgerlijke Stand van de gemeenten in de provincie Utrecht, toegang 1221-1, inv.nr. 1521: overlijdensakten Baarn, 1960, nummer 220.
  29. ^ AFS, AFC, OFA, reg. code OFA_085.11: Otto Frank aan Lotte van Collem, 4 april 1961 en 4 mei 1961.