The Love of a Sister: Anna Szep's Diaries

This poster will focus on the remarkable yet overlooked story of Anna Szep (1899-1970). Anna, sister to renowned Hungarian writer Erno Szep (1899-1970), remained unpublished during her lifetime. However, recently unearthed diaries shed light on her impact on history. We argue that not only was Anna a talented writer in her own right, but also that the story of how she bravely helped her brother Erno survive the Holocaust should be entered into the Holocaust memoir canon.

In the United States, Erno is primarily known for his memoir "The Smell of Humans.” This book details the turmoil unleashed by the Hungarian Arrow Cross–specifically the 19 days that Erno was incarcerated in a labor camp. Erno is released, but it is not a happy ending. Erno ends the book with the lines, "I will not go on to narrate what happened starting on the 10th. That I feel, is not to be described, not to be believed...if you want, remember, if you want, forget."

Even if Erno is unable to go on to recount the "not to be believed" next parts of the story, Anna is able to do so. Anna's diaries start where Erno’s ends. Beginning on November 10th, 1944, she recounts the next months of terror for the Szep family. In six, small handwritten notebooks, she depicts her relentless efforts to protect Erno. Beginning with their reunion after his release, Anna's writings portray her resourcefulness in navigating the dangers of the Arrow Cross regime. She narrates harrowing incidents with clarity and courage, all of which highlight her determination to keep her brother safe.

"Three weeks later, on November 9, I sneak out of our apartment, our prison, without wearing my star. I'm going to the dreaded Albrecht barracks, this is where the rural labor transports arrive back, to see if I hear anything about Ernő...At a turn in the stairwell, Ernő meets me! Head bent down, stooped, dusty, bearded, the sadness of what he saw in his eyes. We silently fall on each other."

The discovery of Anna's diaries stemmed from efforts to verify the use of a Budapest home as a Wallenberg safe house for Hungarian Jews. A magazine article penned by Erno in 1946 confirmed their stay there on Christmas Eve, 1944. Further research led us to Anna's diaries, which we subsequently transcribed and translated into English.

Through a collection of photographs and excerpts from Anna's diaries, this poster will honor Anna's determination to protect her brother amidst the horrors of the Arrow Cross regime, and possibly even more importantly, honor Anna's writing and bravery--finally giving her the credit we strongly feel she deserves.