Pressrelease: Erik van Loon Presents “Forty Letters”: A Tribute to Forgotten Women in Wartime
ROTTERDAM – Twenty-five years after his book Volksmenner, which featured 52 letters to the editor, artist Erik van Loon is releasing his latest work, Forty Letters – Women In War, to mark the third International 14mei.nl commemoration. 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. The book launch will take place on Saturday, March 7, from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM at Boekhandel vanGennep in Rotterdam.
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 them in 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.
International Connection on May 14
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.
Anti-Aerial Bomb Treaty
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/
Double Anniversary: 10 Years of Women’s Day Rotterdam
The choice of the weekend of March 7 and 8 is no coincidence. The launch coincides with the 10th anniversary of VrouwendagRotterdam.nl, the event Van Loon co-founded and for which he has designed the annual award for a decade.
Note to editors (not for publication):
Event Details:
- What: Book Presentation Forty Letters – Women In War
- When: March 7, 6:00 PM (Doors open at 5:30 PM)
- Where: Boekhandel vanGennep, Oude Binnenweg 131b, Rotterdam
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