The Feminist Review

Two years of Etty Hillesum’s diaries have been gracefully collected into a fabulous book by J. G. Gaarlandt. Etty was a Dutch Jew of Russian descent who died in Auchwitz in 1943. Her diaries from 1941-1943 are filled with brave mysticism, bold social values, and bright philosophy.

While Etty did not ignore the horrors of the Holocaust, she considered the last year of her life to be the brightest. Her self-discovery during this time was incredibly radical; she

• had two ongoing lovers
• considered having sexual relationships with women
• saw past national and religious identity in the midst of German occupation and scapegoating of Jews
• prioritized her own career and self-exploration before any obligation to others
• was admired by men and women, old and young, and seen as a whole and unique individual.

Etty’s relationship with Julius Spier (an older, male psycho-chirologist) was a catalyst for the changes in her life, but she soon claimed this mental and spiritual space as her own. She found a love for Spier that was so deep, she intentionally and gently let go of him emotionally (he was engaged to another woman, living in London), spiritually (he died of illness in Amsterdam in 1942, and she was already prepared for his death by the Nazis), and mentally (she repeatedly wrote that she only needed Rilke, the Bible and her journals as she headed to a workcamp).

As a 21st century woman, I am amazed by Etty’s thoughts, generations before her time. She was liberated in a way that many of my peers will never be. Her unassuming yet self-centered inner world is enchanting, and claims academic, religious and social authority and space. This book also gives a fresh way to revisit the Holocaust, through the mind of a creative and brilliant young woman.

Filed under: books on August 17th, 2008 by Anna Lisa