What are diaries?

1. Introduction: What are diaries? A diary can be a book or some sheets of paper in which personal feelings, thoughts and actions are daily written down. A diary is something very personal, intimate and secret. People, who write diaries, trust in their diary and tell it their secrets. A diary is like a friend, but it's not a human being, who could laugh at the diarist, detest or comfort him because of his deepest secrets. …

…social matters except the diarist belongs to a minority, is a victim of a war and it also depends on the cultural, political, religious and ethic ideals of the person. Immediacy is another aspect of a secret diary. It endows the diary with a vitality and directness that can hardly be reached in any other literary form. A diary fosters an impression of objectivity and truthfulness. All in all it is worth reading a diary.