Writing in Captivity: An Examination of Seven Holocaust Diaries Written by Young Jewish Women in Nazi-Occupied Poland

This thesis analyses seven translated and published diaries, written by young Jewish women, living in different ghettos and towns in Nazi-occupied Poland, through the theoretical lenses of history, genre and gender. The selected diaries, some recently published, and others not yet studied by scholars, are limited to those written in Poland, home to the largest pre-war Jewish population in Europe and the epicentre of the Holocaust. The centrality of Poland to the Holocaust highlights the significance of the spatial and temporal context of this selection of diaries. In addition, this thesis traces the complex trajectory of the diary from private journal to public document, examining the journey from manuscript to publication, including the provenance, translation and reception of the diaries. The investigation of the provenance validates the diaries as primary source documents. The analysis of publishing strategies offers insights into how diaries are framed and mediated, and how this mediation influences reception. This study frames a qualitative thematic analysis and close reading of the texts that reveal key themes, patterns and motifs. Three significant themes emerge from the texts: firstly, the diaries bear witness to the events of the Holocaust, serving as valuable primary source documents that augment the existing historical record; secondly, the act of diary writing functions as a means of self-preservation; and, thirdly, these texts provide a means to understand and document the experience of coming of age in captivity. These intensely personal and subjective accounts of young Jewish women offer a gendered perspective of a vulnerable and hitherto neglected group of victims. When considered together, this tripartite analysis provides the original contribution of this thesis—a new perspective on the events of the Holocaust gained through the voices of adolescent females—thereby extending our understanding of this period of history