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A review by lesserjoke
Renia's Diary: A Holocaust Journal by Renia Spiegel
3.0
I have mixed feelings about this diary of a Polish Jew who was killed by the Nazis at age 18. The obvious comparison point is fellow Holocaust victim Anne Frank, but Frank was a consummate observer who hoped to someday publish her record of events, whereas Renia Spiegel is clear at several points that she is writing only for herself. She also makes scant -- albeit always arresting -- mention of the turbulence of the times around her, being instead more concerned with her teenage poetry and her feelings for a local boy. There's a certain uncomfortable voyeurism in reading these passages, and although putting a(nother) human face on a tragedy can be beneficial, I don't know that the payoff is worth the intrusion.
Perhaps more interesting are the Preface, Afterword, and Notes written by Renia's younger sister, now in her late 80s, who took the diary out of storage and had it published in the original Polish in 2016 and an English translation in 2019. These sections provide important historical context and constitute an invaluable aspect of the overall text. But I'm just not convinced that a story so personal and so trivial really needed to be shared with the world.
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Perhaps more interesting are the Preface, Afterword, and Notes written by Renia's younger sister, now in her late 80s, who took the diary out of storage and had it published in the original Polish in 2016 and an English translation in 2019. These sections provide important historical context and constitute an invaluable aspect of the overall text. But I'm just not convinced that a story so personal and so trivial really needed to be shared with the world.
Find me on Patreon | Goodreads | Blog | Twitter