Kyiv – Twenty‑five years after the publication of Volksmenner—a collection of 52 letters that appeared 97 times in Dutch newspapers—Erik van Loon presents his new work: Forty Letters – To Women in War. In forty concise, carefully crafted personal letters addressed to forty different women, Van Loon transforms the violence of the Second World War into intimate, often biographical portraits of resilience, courage, and profound vulnerability. His aim is to inspire women and men in Kyiv when he presents the book there on April 17.
Forty Letters – to Women in War
In forty short, carefully researched, and personally written letters to an equal number of women, Erik van Loon transforms the horrors of the Second World War into intimate, biographically shaped testimonies of resilience, courage, and complete defenselessness.
One letter is addressed to the Ukraine woman Dina Pronicheva, a puppetplayer at a theatre in Kyiv who survived the Babi Yar massacre in Kyiv on September 29 and 30, 1941. Those interested are warmly invited to the book presentation on Friday, April 17, at 15:00 at Sense, Mykilskyi Ln 1, Kyiv.
From World‑Famous to Overlooked
Forty Letters is the result of a hundred‑day investigation through newspaper archives, academic theses, books, museums, and interviews across Europe. The book is not a parade of familiar names but a deliberate blend of icons and forgotten heroines. Van Loon writes to world‑renowned American dancer Josephine Baker, but also to living English farmer Peggy Banham.
The letters guide the reader across Europe, beginning in the First World War, moving through the atrocities of the Second, and looking ahead to the world of tomorrow. In doing so, Van Loon restores the voices of women whose stories have long been overshadowed in traditional historical narratives.
Uncomfortable Truths
Van Loon does not avoid difficult questions. Why are the four priests murdered in Rotterdam on May 10, 1940, commemorated annually, while the four nuns killed that same day in Lafelt have been forgotten? Why did Dutch police so zealously round up Roma and Sinti people on May 14, 1944—only for most to be released in Westerbork due to unlawful arrest?
The book also exposes why people in six “essential” professions were spared, how entire villages of innocent civilians were burned to the ground, and how some Danish resistance fighters earned large sums ferrying Jewish refugees to Sweden. Van Loon names not only the victims but also the convicted perpetrators—some of whom went on to enjoy celebrated careers after the war.
European Book Tour
The European Book Tour starts at Photobastei 2.0 in Zurich on April 11 and then Van Loon will read at Altroquando in Rome on April 13, Shakespeare & Company in Vienna and Massolit in Budapest on April 15 and in Sense in Kyiv on April 17. After he will read in Warsaw on April 18, Prague on April 19, Berlin on April 20, Oslo on April 21 and Copenhagen on April 22 and between May 9 an 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, libraries and people across Europe 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.
Sense is the biggest bookstore of Kyiv and it’s located in the very heart of the capital and combines books, coffee, and a permanent event space for creating new senses. This amazing store owned by Oleksiy Erinchak covers about 1,500 square meters and it offers a wide range of stunning books in Ukraine and English-language.
International May 14 Commemoration
The European Book Tour also marks the run‑up to the 3rd International May 14 Commemoration. After organizing the national commemoration of the bombing of Rotterdam for nine years, Van Loon expanded the initiative internationally in 2024.
Van Loon launched the 14mei.nl commemoration in 2015 as a protest against a “fun run” across the Brandgrens (fire boundary) during the 75th anniversary of the Rotterdam bombing. When efforts to stop the race failed, he organized a small counter‑action: Rotterdammers of all ages recited a poem on 75 street corners. Each year, one corner was added. This year, people will read the poem Blitz by Marie Desiree Anderson in London (May 11), Hawkinge and Dover (May 12), Dunkirk and Antwerp (May 13), concluding in Rotterdam on May 14 on 86 streetcorners along the “brandgrens”.
Stop The Bomb
Alongside the annual commemoration, Van Loon gathers hundreds of signatures each year for his Anti‑Aerial Bomb Treaty. The goal is to formally draft the treaty in Warsaw on September 25, 2039, and ratify it in Rotterdam on May 14, 2040. Inspired by Princess Diana’s Anti‑Landmine Treaty, the initiative calls on nations to cease producing, stockpiling, deploying, or transferring aerial bombs. More information: www.14mei.nl/anti-vliegtuigbommen-verdrag/
Note for editors (not for publication):
Event details:
What: Book presentation Forty Letters – to Women In War
When: April 17, 15:00
Where: Sense, Mykilskyi Ln 1, Kyiv
Contact information:
For interview requests, review copies, or image material, please contact:
Name: Erik van Loon
Email: stichting14mei@gmail.com
Phone: +31 6 3826 5666
Website: www.14mei.nl / www.houseofcraziness.com