European Book Tour : Forty Letters
ROTTERDAM – Twenty-five years after his book Volksmenner, which featured 52 letters, which have been featured 97 times in Dutch Newspapers, Erik van Loon is releasing his latest work, Forty Letters – to Women In War. In forty short, meticulously crafted personal letters addressed to forty different women, Van Loon transforms the horrors of the Second World War into intimate, largely biographical accounts of resilience, courage, and total vulnerability. His ultimate goal is to inspire women and men in Kyiv with the letters on April 17th.
From World-Famous to Hyper-Local
Forty Letters is the result of a hundred-day search through newspaper clippings, theses, books, archives, and museums both at home and abroad, supplemented by numerous interviews. The book is not merely a list of famous names, but a conscious blend of icons and unsung heroines. Van Loon writes to the world-famous American dancer Josephine Baker, but also to the living English farmer Peggy Banham.
The letters take the reader on a journey through Europe, beginning with the First World War, moving through the atrocities of the Second World War, and looking toward the world of tomorrow. In doing so, the author gives a voice to women whose stories have often been overshadowed in historical narratives.
Uncomfortable Truths
In these forty letters, Erik van Loon does not shy away from the uncomfortable truth. He poses painful questions: why are the four priests murdered in Rotterdam on May 10, 1940, commemorated annually, while the four nuns who died in Lafelt on that same day have been forgotten? Van Loon also highlights the zeal with which the Dutch police rounded up Roma and Sinti people on May 14, 1944, only to be forced to release most of them in Camp Westerbork due to unlawful arrest.
The book further reveals why the lives of those in six “essential” professions were spared, how entire villages of innocent civilians were burned to the ground, and how Danish resistance fighters sometimes earned vast sums of money for ferrying Jewish refugees to neutral Sweden. Furthermore, the book names not only the victims but also the convicted perpetrators who, in some cases, went on to enjoy illustrious careers after the war.
May 14 Commemoration
The book presentation marks the lead-up to the International May 14 Commemoration. While Van Loon organized the national commemoration of the bombing of Rotterdam for nine years, he elevated the initiative to an international level in 2024.
“There is little point in telling the story of the bombing of Rotterdam only within the Netherlands; after all, the bombs did not originate from our own country,” says Van Loon. “The impact of this event is often unknown abroad. By making the commemoration international, we forge a connection with cities that share a history of destruction.”
In 2024, the famous poem Vision of Rotterdam by Gregory Corso took center stage in Rome, Zurich, Paris, and Rotterdam. The following year featured Bertolt Brecht’s world-renowned Und was genau bekam des Soldaten Weib? in Berlin, Warsaw, Hengelo, and Rotterdam. This year, the poem Blitz by Marie Desiree Anderson will be central, and the commemorative route will pass through London (May 11), Hawkinge and Dover (May 12), Dunkirk and Antwerp (May 13), and will traditionally conclude in Rotterdam on May 14.
About the 14mei.nl Commemoration
Erik van Loon started the 14mei.nl commemoration in 2015 as a protest against a “fun run” over the Brandgrens (fire boundary) during the 75th anniversary of the bombing of Rotterdam. After his efforts to stop the race proved futile, he began a small-scale protest where Rotterdammers, young and old, recited a poem on 75 street corners. This grew to 76 corners the following year, adding one corner every year. This year, the poem will be recited at 86 locations, having grown into an international tradition. The ultimate goal is to eventually stand “hand in hand” along the fire boundary to commemorate victims of war violence worldwide.
Stop The Bomb
In addition to the annual commemoration, Erik van Loon collects hundreds of signatures each year for his Anti-Aerial Bomb Treaty. The goal is to formally draft this treaty in Warsaw on September 25, 2039, and ratify it in Rotterdam on May 14, 2040. The aim is for one or more countries to commit—following the example of Lady Di’s Anti-Landmine Treaty—to no longer produce, stockpile, deploy, or transfer aerial bombs. More information can be found at: www.14mei.nl/anti-vliegtuigbommen-verdrag/
European Book Tour
In April he will present during an European Book Tour his new book at Photobastei 2.0 in Zurich on April 11, Altroquando in Rome on April 13, Shakespeare & Company in Vienna and Massolit in Budapest on April 15. On April 17, he will present his book in Sense in Kyiv and after in Warsaw on April 18, Prague on April 19, Berlin on April 20, Oslo on April 21 and Copenhagen on April 22. Between May 9 till 14 he will present his book in Paris, London, Brussel and Amsterdam as part of the 3rd international 14 may commemoration.
Ukraine – Kyiv
Thanks to the support of bookstores, museums, and libraries across Europe—and more to come—Van Loon is able to bring these letters to Kyiv. Through the stories of women in the Second World War, he hopes to offer strength, recognition, and solidarity to those facing war today.
Note to editors (not for publication):
Contact Information: For interview requests, review copies, or visual materials, please contact:
- Name: Erik van Loon
- Email: stichting14mei@gmail.com
- Phone: +31 (0)6 3826 5666
Website:www.14mei.nl /www.houseofcraziness.com