Etty Hillesum (1914–1943)
Author of An Interrupted Life: The Diaries of Etty Hillesum 1941-43
About the Author
Image credit: Etty Hillesum in 1940 - Collectie Joods Historisch Museum
Works by Etty Hillesum
Etty Hillesum: An Interrupted Life the Diaries, 1941-1943 and Letters from Westerbork (1996) 614 copies
El cor pensant dels barracons: Cartes des d'Amsterdam i el camp de Westerbork (Clàssics de la pau i la noviolència)… (2017) 2 copies
Quella Notte Ero all'Inferno 1 copy
Diario Edizione integrale 1 copy
Associated Works
The Assassin's Cloak: An Anthology of the World's Greatest Diarists (2000) — Contributor, some editions — 554 copies
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Legal name
- Hillesum, Esther
- Other names
- Pluym, Johannes Baptiste van der
Hillesum, Esther - Birthdate
- 1914-01-15
- Date of death
- 1943-11-30
- Burial location
- Auschwitz, Poland (No grave)
- Gender
- female
- Nationality
- Netherlands
- Birthplace
- Middelburg, Zeeland, Netherlands
- Place of death
- Auschwitz, Poland
- Places of residence
- Middelburg, Netherlands
Deventer, Netherlands
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Westerbork Concentration Camp
Auschwitz, Poland - Education
- Amsterdam University
- Occupations
- diarist
- Relationships
- Smelik, Klaas (Receiver of the diaries)
- Short biography
- Esther ("Etty") Hillesum's father was a teacher in classical languages. After graduating from gymnasium, she enrolled in the University of Amsterdam, where she completed law studies in 1939. Etty then moved on to study Slavic languages in Amsterdam and Leiden. Etty had many friends, including among the emigres who fled Nazi persecution elsewhere in Europe. Among these was Julius Spier, a psychologist she met in 1941. Spier, whom she calls "S" in her diaries, became her teacher and also her great love. It was he who advised Etty to keep a diary in order to record her inner thoughts. In July 1942, Etty Hillesum got a job at the Jewish Council in Amsterdam. At her own request, she was transferred to Westerbork, a detention camp for Jews. As a member of the Jewish Council she had a special travel visa that made it possible for her to return to Amsterdam on several occasions. She became ill in the winter of 1942-43, but refused the offers of friends to go into hiding. She chose to stay with her people and returned to Westerbork. On September 7, 1943, the Hillesum family was transported to Poland, and Etty died in Auschwitz. She left behind an her diaries and letters, which were finally published in an anthology in 1981. The book was immediately a great success worldwide. In 1986, the complete and unabridged edition of her works was issued. Etty Hillesum's diaries reveal how she rapidly developed into a mature and independent woman in solidarity with her people. In 1993, 50 years after her death, the Etty Hillesum Foundation gave the original diaries and letters to the Jewish Historical Museum in Amsterdam.
Members
Discussions
WP:List of posthumous publications of Holocaust victims in Collaborative work (April 2012)
Reviews
Lists
You May Also Like
Associated Authors
Statistics
- Works
- 24
- Also by
- 3
- Members
- 1,707
- Popularity
- #15,031
- Rating
- 4.1
- Reviews
- 35
- ISBNs
- 89
- Languages
- 13
- Favorited
- 4