Anny Antoine and Louis Koopman first met in November 1925 in The Hague, at a meeting of the Alliance française. A second encounter followed six weeks later, this time at a soirée of the Netherlands-France society. Both immediately took to each other, their mutual interest for French literature and their love for bibliophile book editions a key factor from the very start.
The surviving letters clearly show the extent to which Koopman attempted to support this Belgian girl in every possible way in the Netherlands, which remained a rather unfamiliar country to her. Her health was a major preoccupation. He encouraged her countless times to take it easy, to consider her health, to adjust her clothing and diet to the Dutch climate, and to consult her doctor. Koopman's professional interest for medical affairs undoubtedly contributed to his involvement.
Nor did he ever tire of pointing out the importance of regular studies, especially the Dutch language. This last point can be considered a pet subject: Louis clearly acted as Anny's Dutch tutor. He gave her daily language exercises by using newspaper articles that he selected based on their educational value. He also would employ idiomatic fireworks in his Dutch letters to her, which by the way were in the minority, and encouraged her to study Dutch grammar. Anny accepted all of this with the good humour that came naturally to her, sometimes mixed with mild irony, witness the sly opening of one of her letters: 'Mon cher Socrate'.
She was doubtlessly helped by the advice of her friend, who became her fiancé on 25 December 1931. Apart from this never-ending concern, which also extended to the investment of Anny’s savings, filling out her tax returns, and counselling her on the subject of how to make a real Dutch cup of coffee, highly different matters also came up: multiple appointments, Sunday lunches, usually in café-restaurant L'Espérance, travels around the Netherlands, to Erps-Kwerps and to various parts of France, theatre visits and associating with friends. In an excellent essay, Anny described an afternoon she spent with Koopman at the house of his friend, the painter Karsen. They did therefore share their lives to some extent, although Koopman did maintain his residence in Amsterdam.
The accident Anny suffered in 1933 ended this situation abruptly. After her death, Louis Koopman continued to maintain cordial relations with her parents, her brother and his wife. His affection for Emmanuel Antoine ('Père') was especially great. Louis was clearly considered a son-in-law in whom the parents saw their daughter live on. He promised them on several occasions to continue his work in Anny’s memory.
See also the multi media presentation about Anny Antoine and Louis Koopman.
