June 23, 2010

Art or exploitation?

by

This October, a new YA novel fictionalizing the life of Anne Frank is being released by Houghton Mifflin.  Four months out, it is already causing controversy.  The latest cause for concern?  The sexual content of the book.  The UK press that is publishing the book told the Times of London that there was indeed a sex scene cut from the book — now whether this is to drum up more publicity or is in fact true, I guess we have to leave it to editor.  But outside of the concerns that the book is overly sexualized, many are wondering why the book was written in the first place.

The director of the Anne Frank Trust, Gillian Walnes, told the New York Times that it was “not fair on someone who was a living person… I really don’t understand why we have to fictionalize the Anne Frank story, when young people engage with it anyway. To me it seems like exploitation.â€

I have to agree with Ms. Walnes, although I haven’t read the book.  Why confuse the story of this very famous young girl, whose diary is read in schools, synagogues, libraries, and homes all across the world with a fictional account?  What is gained by it?  It is not the story itself that is offensive, but rather the use of such a celebrated historical figure.  If one wants to right about a fictional girl in hiding during the Holocaust who falls in love with the boy with whom she is hiding, be my guest!

But it is unnecessary to fill in the unknown gaps of the historical record as such.  And while we do have a record of Anne’s thoughts, dreams and everyday existence, we don’t have such from the boy, Peter van Pels.  This book then hurts him more than her, but he is left with no defenders.  I only hope the two of them aren’t rolling in their graves (who knows, maybe they think this is hysterical, maybe its true!) and that she can continue to be remembered as the girl in the diary, and not the girl in the book.

  • http://www.facebook.com/jesitaylor Jesi Taylor

    First and foremost, the piece is a work of fiction. So on the surface, I’d look at it as such: a piece of fiction. Just as movies and television shows sporadically portray lives and happenings including real people, living or dead, literature does as well. Though my mind can’t think of any off hand, it happens.

    Since the subject matter is an extremely sensitive one that encompasses a period of history that holds a serious and heartbreaking place in history, it causes a bit of…controversy.

    It will be in FICTION sections of libraries and bookstores, the Diary of Anne Frank is not fiction and will not be in those sections. Anyone who allows a child to be confused about the real story of Anne Frank in the Annex and this new novel ought to be ashamed. Simply enforce ANNEXED as a work of fiction.

    I’d say, read the book before passing judgement.

  • http://www.facebook.com/jesitaylor Jesi Taylor

    First and foremost, the piece is a work of fiction. So on the surface, I’d look at it as such: a piece of fiction. Just as movies and television shows sporadically portray lives and happenings including real people, living or dead, literature does as well. Though my mind can’t think of any off hand, it happens.

    Since the subject matter is an extremely sensitive one that encompasses a period of history that holds a serious and heartbreaking place in history, it causes a bit of…controversy.

    It will be in FICTION sections of libraries and bookstores, the Diary of Anne Frank is not fiction and will not be in those sections. Anyone who allows a child to be confused about the real story of Anne Frank in the Annex and this new novel ought to be ashamed. Simply enforce ANNEXED as a work of fiction.

    I’d say, read the book before passing judgement.

  • http://NA Myreen Nicholson

    This is just horrendous and obscene to confuse the correlative mind with the details caused by this fiction. It is an abuse of her life and all it has meant. This is the story of a child. ALL such books should also have FICION in a diagonal band across the cover, anyway. It should not fall under the ban of labeling books.
    Too much of this complee fictionalizing shows a lack of imagination. Some fact is Fact. Even now, half our school children think we never went to the moon, that it was all staged..

  • http://NA Myreen Nicholson

    This is just horrendous and obscene to confuse the correlative mind with the details caused by this fiction. It is an abuse of her life and all it has meant. This is the story of a child. ALL such books should also have FICION in a diagonal band across the cover, anyway. It should not fall under the ban of labeling books.
    Too much of this complee fictionalizing shows a lack of imagination. Some fact is Fact. Even now, half our school children think we never went to the moon, that it was all staged..

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