Lot 118

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Description:

Otto Frank Archive Re: Anne Frank House & Revenue from Portuguese Publication of "Diary of Anne Frank"

A small lot of letters and receipts exchanged between Otto Frank (1889-1980), father of teenaged German Jewish diarist Anne Frank, and the Portuguese publishers of Anne's work. The correspondence was written in Amsterdam, Netherlands and Lisbon, Portugal, dating from the period between October 31, 1961 and October 14, 1981. The lot is comprised of:

1. A 1p typed letter in English, measuring 8.5" x 10.875", Amsterdam, Netherlands, dated October 31, 1961. Signed by the Director of the Anne Frank Foundation as "R Eldering" and addressed to Portuguese publisher Antonio de Souza-Pinto. On a single sheet of cream stationery with "Anne Frank Stichting / Prinsengracht 263 - Amsterdam Telefoon 24 28 37" letterhead. Regarding children's paintings for the Anne Frank House, in part: "…We should greatly appreciate to set up such an exhibition in Anne Frank House within the near future and would therefore like to hear from you at your earliest convenience…" With a small typed retained copy of the original letter in Portuguese.

2. A 1p typed letter in English, measuring 8.5" x 10.875", Amsterdam, Netherlands, dated November 17, 1961. Signed by the Director of the Anne Frank Foundation as "R Eldering" and addressed to Portuguese publisher Antonio de Souza-Pinto. On a single sheet of cream stationery with "Anne Frank Stichting / Prinsengracht 263 - Amsterdam Telefoon 24 28 37" letterhead. Also regarding the acquisition of children's paintings for the Anne Frank House.

3. A retained copy of a letter in French, measuring 8.5" x 10.875", Lisbon, Portugal, dated October 2, 1979. Unsigned, from Antonio de Souza-Pinto to Otto Frank, answering an inquiry about a sublease. Reads in part: "…In fact, we have a contract signed by you, where you give us permission to make a sublease of the work 'The Diary of Anne Frank', to Círculo de Leitores…" Stapled to a hand-written draft in Portuguese.

4. A retained copy of a letter in French, measuring 8.5" x 10.875", Lisbon, Portugal, dated March 2, 1981. Unsigned, from Antonio de Souza-Pinto to Elfriede Frank, second wife of Otto Frank, summarizing the break-down of advance royalties ($14,000) from the sale of 1,000 copies of the "Diario de Anne Frank." Stapled to a clerical stub.

5. A retained copy of a letter in English, measuring 8.5" x 10.875", Lisbon, Portugal, dated October 7, 1981. Unsigned, from Antonio de Souza-Pinto to Elfriede Frank, second wife of Otto Frank, discussing his reticence to publish a pocket edition. Reads in part: "…As you know Portugal is a small country with a relatively reduced number of readers. In these conditions, a pocket edition, obviously cheaper, would cause a remarkable decrease of the bigger books. Moreover, the public would be confused with two different Publishers making editions of the same book…"

6. A retained copy of a letter in French, measuring 8.5" x 10.875", Lisbon, Portugal, dated October 14, 1981. Unsigned, from Antonio de Souza-Pinto to Elfriede Frank, second wife of Otto Frank, summarizing the break-down of advance royalties ($20,000) from the sale of 1,000 copies of the "Diario de Anne Frank." Stapled to a clerical stub.

All of the letters possess flattened mail folds, with minor soiling and toning throughout. Some creasing at the corners. A few of the letters, as mentioned, have been stapled together with retained copies or monetary statements. Signatures of Eldering are bold. A few letters have hole punches at the left vertical margin.

In early January 1958, the Portuguese publishing firm of Livros do Brasil, Ltda. wrote to notify Otto of their desire to publish a Portuguese edition of "The Diary of Anne Frank." The book's popularity was such that it had already been published in German and French in 1950, and then in English (for both the US and UK markets) in 1952. The Portuguese publishers had been eager to acquire the publication, and worked closely with Otto Frank during the process. Livros do Brasil, Ltda. collaborated with Frank over the next twenty years, as they sought to publish similar and complementary works about Anne Frank and the Jewish war experiences.

Otto Heinrich Frank was the only member of his 4-person family, comprised of wife Edith (1900-1945), daughter Margot (1926-1945), and Anne (1929-1945), to survive the Holocaust. The Franks, along with four others, hid in a secret annex located in the back upper stories of an Amsterdam business between July 1942 and August 1944. The Franks were discovered, arrested, and sent to Auschwitz in September 1944. Edith died of starvation at Auschwitz in January 1945; her two daughters died of typhus in February or March 1945 at Bergen-Belsen. Otto was released after the Soviets liberated Auschwitz in late January 1945.

Anne's writings had been collected and preserved by Otto's coworker Miep Gies, who had sheltered the families in the annex. Otto had initially transcribed Anne's diaries in order to give them to family members, but was eventually persuaded to seek publication. The final manuscript was a combination of two versions of the diaries Anne wrote, with Otto's edits and redactions. The book was first published in Dutch on June 25, 1947 as "The Secret Annex: Diary Letters from June 14, 1942 to August 1, 1944."

The success of "The Diary of Anne Frank" in multiple languages led to an adapted stage play, which premiered at Cort Theater in New York City on October 5, 1955. The play, while not a strict reproduction of the book, won both the Pulitzer for Theater and the Tony Award. In turn, Hollywood set out to produce a film version, which premiered on March 18, 1959 and would go on to win three Oscars. Was Otto Frank in Los Angeles in January 1958 to consult on the Hollywood film version released a little over a year later?

"The Diary of Anne Frank" received both critical and popular acclaim. As of 2015, the book has been translated into over 60 different languages. Both its literary and historical importance cannot be overlooked. Dutch historian Jan Romein put it this way: "To me, however, this apparently inconsequential diary by a child... stammered out in a child's voice, embodies all the hideousness of fascism, more so than all the evidence at Nuremberg put together."

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

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