A Girl's Diary

I have been reading this book for about the last three months, it´s funny and tragic. It's a real diary from a girl called Rita or Gretel (none of them are the real name, it was changed in the book). It was first published in 1919 and prefaced by Sigmund Freud. Gretel is a lawyer's daugther in Vienna, she belongs to the middle upper class. She has a best friend called Hella, and two brothers, Dora and Oswald, but most of the time Dora is always present at home, and even more after her mother's death. Gretel's knowledge about her sexuality is none when she start to write this diary but she get to tknow everything even in ways that she would have not ever want to know. There are 2 people important to her apart from her family is Frau Doktor M, that to my opinion she takes the place of her mother in her inconciousness. Hella her best friend, whose Gretel at the large of the story starts to disagree with some Hella's behaviours and opinions. Also you can read how always people have a negative opinion about jews.

Finally, there is a part which really impress and moving me, it was the last part, so I leave a bit of text.

JANUARY 24 th
Evening: Hella may come; it will be splendid! Perhaps we shall try skiing. But really Hella is a horrid pig; she said: "All right, Ill come, if you'll promise not to be always talking about Frau Professor Th. I'm very fond of her too, but you're simply crazy about her' That is really too bad, and I shall never mention her name to the others any more. I am looking forward so to the tobogganing at Mariazell. We've never made such an excursion in winter before. hurrah, it will be glorious Oh I do wish the 31st of January were here; I'm frantically excited.

*** and then in the final page

AFTERWORD

Young rita's anticipation of a happy winter outing, rushing at full speed down a windy toboggan slope, was not to be fulfilled. Fate intervened roughly in the life of the two sisters. On 29 January the father, felled by a stroke, was brought back in an ambulance to his unsuspecting daughters at home, where a few hours later without recovering conciousness he died.

Torn from the warm and sheltering family environment, parted from her friend, the young orphan, placed with relatives in a provincial city, struggled to find peace for her frightened spirit.

Esta última parte sorprende ya que en 5 dias cambio el rumbo de las cosas, su padre muere de un derrame cerebral despues de casi un año q su madre murio. Cuando hace 5 dias estaba emocionada por el viaje y diversion q su padre le habia prometido. A veces uno no puede controlar las cosas, la muerte es inevitable. La pequeña expectación de felicidad y alegria fue reemplazada por el dolor. AUNQUE no estoy de acuerdo con lo q dice al final : la joven huerfana, vivio con sus familiares en una ciudad de provincia, lucho para encontrar paz en su asustado (abatido) espiritu. Eso de "luchar para encontrar paz" es un comentario de mal gusto del editor, para un final dramatico y cursi.