From a civil conflict in Sierra Leone to justice in the aftermath of the Second World War, leading authors 'reimagine victory' through their literary works in this mini-video series.

AMINATTA FORNA - AUTHOR

Aminatta Forna, award-winning author of The Memory of Love, reflects on the civil war that gripped Sierra Leone from 1991-2002, and gives a reading from her most recent novel Happiness. 

PHILIPPE SANDS - BARRISTER & AUTHOR

How would Philippe Sands, barrister and bestselling author, reimagine victory after the end of the Second World War? Listen to Philippe as he reflects on the search for justice post-1945, and reads from his award-winning novel, East West Street.

 

HISHAM MATAR - AUTHOR

In the final part of our video series, Pulitzer Prize winning author Hisham Matar unpicks the meaning of the word 'victory' and gives a reading from his latest book, A Month In Siena, a memoir and moving contemplation of the relationship between art and life.

2020 marks the 75th anniversaries of VE Day and VJ Day when the Allied nations celebrated victory over Nazi Germany and Japan. Today, as on-going conflicts descend into drawn out endgames, what does it really mean to ‘win’ a war and what challenges are faced when it comes to peacebuilding, and post-conflict healing? These are the questions central to Reimagining Victory, a new digital series that explores the state of war and peace in relation to twenty-first century conflict.

Created by the IWM Institute in partnership with Conciliation Resources.

Second World War

IWM After Hours: The Legacy of the Nuremberg Trials

The Nuremberg Trials not only played a pivotal role in shaping the rules governing the conduct of war, but also the entire body of international human rights law. Chaired by Lauren Willmott and Rachel Donnelly IWM Curators for the Holocaust exhibitions and education programme, the panel discussed the relevance of the trials today.

On the right two benches of the accused leaders stretch away from the foreground to the centre of the painting. Behind the defendants stands a line of white-helmeted military police who guard the benches and separate them from the court beyond. On the left, in front of the defendants, sit two rows of lawyers, largely in black robes. The lawyers and the defendants study sheaves of paper.
© IWM Art.IWM ART (LD 5798)
Second World War

A Short History Of The War Crimes Trials After The Second World War

After the end of the Second World War, the Allies brought the leading civilian and military representatives of wartime Germany and Japan to trial on charges of war crimes, crimes against peace and crimes against humanity. 

VE Day celebrations in London on 8 May 1945
© IWM (HU 41808)
Second World War

Victory 75

Commemorate 75 years since the end of the Second World War in Europe and remember the personal stories of people who stood together during a time of national crisis.