Many diaries of notable figures have been published and form an important element of
autobiographical literature.
Samuel Pepys (1633–1703) is the earliest diarist who is well known today; his diaries, preserved in
Magdalene College, Cambridge, were first transcribed and published in 1825. Pepys was amongst the first who took the diary beyond mere business transaction notation, into the realm of the personal. Pepys' contemporary
John Evelyn also kept a notable diary, and their works are among the most important
primary sources for the
English Restoration period, and consist of
eyewitness accounts of many great events, such as the
Great Plague of London, and the
Great Fire of London. The practice of posthumous publication of diaries of literary and other notables began in the 19th century. As examples, the
Grasmere Journal of
Dorothy Wordsworth (1771–1855) was published in 1897; the journals of
Fanny Burney (1752–1840) were published in 1889; the diaries of
Henry Crabb Robinson (1776–1867) were published in 1869. Among important
U.S. Civil War diaries are those of
George Templeton Strong, a
New York City lawyer, and
Mary Chesnut, the wife of a
Confederate officer. The diary of
Jemima Condict, living in the area of what is now
West Orange, New Jersey, includes local observations of the
American Revolutionary War. Since the 19th century the publication of diaries by their authors has become commonplace – notably amongst politicians seeking justification but also amongst artists and litterateurs of all descriptions. Amongst late 20th-century British published political diaries, those of
Richard Crossman,
Tony Benn and
Alan Clark are representative, the latter being more indiscreet, in the tradition of the diaries of
Chips Channon. In Britain in the field of the arts notable diaries were published by
James Lees-Milne,
Roy Strong and
Peter Hall.
Harold Nicolson in the mid-20th century covered both politics and the arts. One of the most famous modern diaries, widely read and translated, is the posthumously published
The Diary of a Young Girl by
Anne Frank, who wrote it while in hiding during the German occupation of
Amsterdam in the 1940s.
Otto Frank edited his daughter's diary and arranged for its publication after the war. Many edits were made before the diary was published in other countries. This was due to sexually explicit material, which also led to some libraries banning the book. The writing of diaries was also often practiced from the 20th century onwards as a conscious act of self-exploration (of greater or lesser sincerity) – examples being the diaries of
Carl Jung,
Aleister Crowley and
Anaïs Nin. Among important diaries by 20th-century literary figures are those of
Franz Kafka,
Edmund Wilson and the French writer Paul Léautaud (1872–1956). The self-reflective
Diary: Divine Mercy in My Soul written by
Saint Faustina contains accounts of her visions and conversations with Jesus. A strong psychological effect may arise from having an audience for one's self-expression, even if this is the book one writes in, only read by oneself – particularly in adversity. Anne Frank went so far as to address her diary as "Kitty."
Friedrich Kellner, a court official in
Nazi Germany, thought of his diary as a weapon for any future fight against tyrants and terrorism, and named it ,
My Opposition.
Victor Klemperer was similarly concerned with recording for the future the tyrannies and hypocrisies of Nazi Germany and of its
East German successor state in his diaries. However in these cases, the authors did not anticipate publication. ==Internet diaries==