I Was Anastasia: A Novel

Anna Anderson is one of the two protagonists and narrators of I Was Anastasia. Her first name is an alias she assumes when she leaves the Dalldorf Asylum in Berlin; presumably, Anna is short for Anastasia. She is assigned the name Anderson by German authorities who issue her a visa for travel from Germany to the United States.

The novel ultimately reveals that Anna was born Franziska Annalie Schanzkowza, and she has two brothers and two sisters. Her family is possibly from the part of Poland that was part of the Russian Empire before the Revolution, so her fascination with the tsar’s family could account for her knowledge of their traditions. For instance, she is familiar with their role in the Opening of Navigation, an important cultural ritual, and when she claims she is Anastasia, her knowledge of these rituals serves as evidence for her claim. In reality, Franziska works in a munitions factory, making weapons during World War I. Her fiancé, Hans, is killed in action at the Battle of Amiens, and Franziska is pregnant when she hears that he is dead. Devastated by the news, she is also glad she that she will have their baby. The child survives the accident with the exploding grenade that severely injures Franziska, leaving her with scars that nurses later identity as bullet and stab wounds. Franziska’s experiences of trauma, loss, and childbirth, combined with her time in a refugee camp at the end of the war, all leave her with lingering trauma that will thereafter surface in what she calls “episodes.” This speaks to the novel’s theme of the Persistent Effects of Trauma. 

Franziska has a clear memory of events, suggesting that her traumatic experiences did not impact her mental faculties. She is temperamental, combative, and stubborn, but she also longs for freedom and safety. She is  resentful that she is held in various psychiatric facilities, as they restrict her freedom, and she also dislikes her forced dependence on her many benefactors. This highlights her independent spirit and shows that she claims to be Anastasia in part to secure her independence.

Anna’s loneliness is a persistent motif in the book. She admits that despair led her to try to take her own life by jumping into the Landwehr Canal in Berlin. After being denied help by Princess Irene because she appears poor and ragged, the sight of the loving couples strolling along the canal pains Anna with the memory of what she has lost. When she is pulled from the canal and no one knows who she is, Anna likely sees this as an opportunity to start over. Alternatively, her refusal to cooperate with the police sergeant can be read as her dislike for his cold, judgmental demeanor. Anna’s refusal to identify herself even when her brother, Felix, comes looking for her suggests that Anna badly wants to escape her old life. She hints in the Epilogue, that she “was desperate and broken and wanted more from [her] life” (324). When Clara identifies her as one of the daughters of the tsar, Anna likely takes this as an opportunity to escape the institution and become someone famed and beloved. All her life, she observes as supporters of her claim fight with her detractors over the issue of her identity; meanwhile, Anna is simply seeking safety, refuge, and the opportunity to live her life quietly and independently.

Anna’s identification as Anastasia is aided by her resemblance to the Grand Duchess. She has high cheekbones, dark hair, and blue eyes. She has found that her small frame causes people to treat her like a child, however—she thinks that her lack of stature has taught her “to sharpen her wit, to treat her tongue like a blade and her mind like a whetstone” (13). While her contrariness leads to conflicts with people whom she might otherwise win over—like Pierre Gilliard—-her sheer willpower aids her pretense at being Anastasia. She never breaks character. In many cases, when Anna could choose to tell the truth, she either continues the pretense of being Anastasia for her own benefit or for the sake of someone who believes in her. This is also why she agrees to the formation of the Grandanor Corporation. At the same time, Anna trusts very few people, and she does not feel comfortable becoming close to even Gleb, despite his loyalty. She prefers to keep to herself as much as possible, even when she is staying in other people’s homes. She has no one she loves, few objects she clings to, and no real purpose in life other than to survive.

By the end of her timeline—which is where the novel begins—Anna seems tired of the fight. Still, she maintains the fiction of being Anastasia because it makes other people, like Jack and Gleb, happy. When her deception causes material harm, Anna feels guilty, showing she does have a sense of morality. For instance, she is distraught when she hears the banker John Hammond (who invested in her Grandanor Corporation) lost his fortune in the stock market crash and died by suicide. However, her primary motivation is self-protection.