Author: SMIT, W.A.P. (1903-1986),
Title: Masscheroen 1941.
Description: 's-Gravenhage, Van Hoeve, [circa], 1945. Original wrappers, front wrapper with title and a coloured illustration designed by Herman Janssen. Hftitle (verso with provenance) 29pp. 4 plates after drawings by Ina Rahusen, colophon printed on recto of final unnumbered leave. Dutch language poem, based on a scene of the medieval [dutch] miracle-play Mariken van Nieumegen, in which Lucifer's lawyer Masscheroen accuses people in front of The Lord's throne. Author interpreted this part as analogus to the situation in nazi occupied Holland during the Second World War. The printing history of this publication is a curious one, many later war-editions have been published freely as publisher argued they were still selling from stock, thus misleading nazi authorities. A copy is present in Royal Dutch Library, KB, very likely to be a later edition as our copy, as place of publication deviates, a second publisher is called-for: Veenman at Wagening and a different pagination: calls for [32]pp. Good copy. (some light occasional foxing to verso (blank) of colophon).

Keywords: dutch literature poem masscheroen culture heritage miracle-play ralusen poetry