Monday, August 21, 2023
LEENTJE
Leentje has written a wonderfully evocative book about her father, Albert Folens, and her mother, Juliette.
Since the 2007 TV programme she has been dogged by an image of the daughter of a brutal Nazi war criminal. This has permeated much of her social life, led to her withdrawing largely from social circles and confining herself to some good friends.
Today (15/10/23)is the day she can step out again and now hold her head high. Her father is now publicly vindicated and vindicated with a bang. She has assiduously assembled evidence of her father’s past – the real Albert Folens, and she has written a passionate memoir based on the facts. It is a positive affirmation of her love and respect for her father. It is also a magnificent work of exoneration.
To call it a defence would be to turn it into something negative on the backfoot and it is about as far from that as you can get. Alan Dukes has said that Albert and Juliette's story is "a story of love, courage and resilience containing what could be the themes of a spy story, a thriller and a romance". That's exactly what it is.
There are those today who should hang their heads in shame at what they have done. Unfortunately, some of them have gone to their maker but have hopefully been subject to appropriately corrective treatment. They’re not all gone, however, and it's never too late for an apology even if the pleasure might lie in rejecting that apology as insincere and unacceptable.
Get the book.
The book is available to readers in Europe here, and to those outside Europe, and particularly in the USA here
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