alle evenementen

Lezing: Bobby-Dear

• 18 September 2026
  • 19:15

In April 2025, Lenny van Gessel’s debut novel Bobby-dear was published. A poignant war story based on hundreds of letters her grandparents wrote to each other between 1941 and 1945. Eighty years later, she has brought this personal correspondence back to life in a compelling novel in which the reader experiences firsthand how the Second World War intervened in the daily lives of two young people in love.

During this interactive lecture at the Medemblik War Museum on September 18, Lenny van Gessel takes the audience behind the scenes of the creation and writing process of Bobby-dear. From deciphering the letters to the special encounters she had during the reconstruction of the past.

Lenny van Gessel always manages to engage her audience in an accessible and personal way. This lecture is also interactive in nature: visitors are invited to reflect on themes such as family history, memory, and the significance of written sources.

The lecture gains an extra dimension through the musical accompaniment of singer Irene Hartkamp, whose contribution enhances the atmosphere and emotional charge of the story. This creates a varied program in which words and music complement and deepen each other.

This lecture is not about a hero’s story, but is an intimate look at hope, fear, longing, and resilience.

The lecture starts at 20:00, doors open at 19:15.

You can also come and have a nice dinner beforehand at 18:00,

Before the lecture, you can enjoy a delicious 1, 2, or 3-course buffet prepared on authentic WWII field kitchens. From 18:00, you can watch the Live Cooking and learn how they managed to keep feeding our Liberators on the West Front for months. The main course we prepare is the Blauwe Hap, a very tasty nasi goreng platter with a story. Come and experience this unique event before the lecture and book it with your lecture ticket.