Bergen decide to keep poems written by Lucebert in their collection despite Nazi letters

The municipality of Bergen is going to keep 14 artworks made by Lucebert in their collection, despite the discovery of pro-Nazi letters that were written by the poet during the Second World War. Research conducted by the Museum of Literature, upon request from the municipality of Noord-Holland, claims that the letters are not representative of Lucebert’s later work. The municipality is willing to mention his "controversial statements" in descriptions of the poet's life when exhibiting his works of art.

In 2022, the Museum of Literature acquired several letters that Lucebert wrote to his girlfriend during the Second World War. The letters contained anti-semitic statements, and several of the letters were signed with the Nazi greeting “Sieg Heil.”

Over the past year, the museum has researched whether the letters are representative of "the artistry in the broad sense" of Lucebert, a pseudonym for Lubertus Jacobus Swaanswijk.

The researchers have concluded that this isn’t the case. "They were written in a period when Lubertus Swaanswijk was searching for a form for his poetic and artistic ambitions. He had not published or exhibited anything yet. He did not call himself Lucebert. His political and social involvement was undeveloped. He was concerned with himself, his image of art, poetry, and his circle of friends. The poetry for which he was so appreciated, came later," the research report stated.

The municipal council of Bergen has said that they endorse the results of the research. "Despite this, the content of the letters remains shocking, especially the anti-Semitic texts," said the alderman for culture, Ernest Briët. “We appreciate Lucebert as an artist who lived and worked in Bergen for a large part of his life, but we think it is important that his controversial comments are not silenced, and are named or made available with the right explanation.”

Bergen is planning on putting QR codes by the artwork Hommage aan Lucebert by Emo Verkerk, which can be seen in the center of Bergen. The statue has temporarily been taken down due to construction work in the area. People will be able to follow Lucebert’s life story by scanning the code, including the war period and the cultural meaning of the poet.

Lucebert is considered to be one of the founders of the experimental literary movement Vijftigers, which broke traditional rules in poetry regarding things like meter and rhyme.