The Anne Frank Initiative (AFI) commits to investigating Anne Frank’s literary contributions, her ongoing legacy, and all that she represents in a more globalized, international, and contemporary context. It will open the door for intellectual minds to create opportunities for research, pedagogy, and artistic output that strive for advocacy. Events and undertakings will serve as transformative moments not only for our campus but for our state and beyond. 

Anne Frank is regarded as a world-renowned, acclaimed Jewish author penning a diary that has sold over 30 million copies in over 70 languages. She has been defined as an international icon and writing figure and a global phenomenon who has come to represent equality, hope, inspiration, and courage for many. But, in the end, Anne Frank was a human being who, by representing her own personal history and narrative teaches us how we relate to one another and celebrate a shared humanity.

Anne Frank Initiative black and white window with grey tree branches outside

Anne Frank

Anne Frank in black and white

Born in Frankfurt, Germany, Anne Frank lived most of her life in or near Amsterdam, Netherlands, having moved there with her family at the age of four and a half when the Nazis gained control over Germany. Born a German national, she lost her citizenship in 1941 and thus became stateless. By May 1940, the Franks were trapped in Amsterdam by the German occupation of the Netherlands. As persecutions of the Jewish population increased in July 1942, the Franks went into hiding in some concealed rooms behind a bookcase in the building where Anne’s father, Otto Frank, worked. From then until the family’s arrest by the Gestapo in August 1944, Anne kept a diary she had received as a birthday present, and wrote in it regularly. Following their arrest, the Franks were transported to concentration camps. In October or November 1944, Anne and her sister, Margot, were transferred from Auschwitz to Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, where they died a few months later.

Otto, the only survivor of the Frank family, returned to Amsterdam after the war to find that Anne’s diary had been saved by his secretary, Miep Gies, and his efforts led to its publication in 1947. It was translated from its original Dutch version and first published in English in 1952 as The Diary of a Young Girl, and has since been translated into over 70 languages.

AFI News

Youth voices unite in multilingual tribute to Anne Frank's legacy

Monday, October 28, 2024
The Iowa City Public Library resonated with the powerful words of Anne Frank on October 20, as 15 young readers brought her diary to life in their native languages, marking what would have been her 95th birthday. The event, part of the 2024 Iowa City Book Festival, drew an emotional response from a diverse audience of community members and parents.

International Programs’ affinity groups contribute to Iowa’s global mission

Monday, July 1, 2024
The faculty-led affinity groups create opportunities for faculty to advance research and teaching through a focus on collegiate issues and perspectives, provide opportunities for faculty and students across disciplines to interact and collaborate, and develop public engagement projects to benefit communities in Iowa and abroad.

Anne Frank Initiative welcomes over 250 Clear Creek Amana eighth graders to University of Iowa campus

Monday, June 3, 2024
The Anne Frank Initiative welcomed over 250 eighth graders from Clear Creek Amana (CCA) Middle School where they learned about Anne Frank’s story, her legacy, and her special connection to Iowa.

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