What do you think?
Rate this book
Ofensiva de primavera: Spring Offensive
The author of the legendary cult work "Gentleman Overboard" presents us with another masterpiece: this is a story of prosperity and war, nature and humanity, which takes place on the battlefield. This novel, which breathes and breathes existence into every word, celebrates the beginning of spring, even though its plot takes place during one of the darkest periods in history.
Winston is just a person, any person, who during World War II joins the ranks of the Allies as a volunteer, fighting Nazi Germany. Thoughts about life and death lead him to come up with an unusual idea: he prepared to plant flowers in an uninhabited area, "No man's land", which is strewn with iron rods that will stab the soft underbelly of enemy tanks.
Our Winston, who gave up his life in America, sneaks into enemy territory to complete his agricultural-poetic work. When dawn breaks, the spring attack begins, and our hero is caught up in a battle that lasts 24 hours, while lying on the ground, caught in a war between man and man: one fights to liberate the free world, and the other fights to enslave it. In the background, the sounds of shells and live ammunition are heard, the music of the cannons, but in the pauses Winston manages to think and even dream. His whole life unfolds before his eyes like a fan and stands the test: memories of living in the land of dreams, accompanied by existential moments.
"Spring Offensive" will always be remembered as the perfect and pulsating work that was published at the worst time in terms of marketing. The book, which was published in early 1940, describes a failed German attack on the Allied armies, which is conducted along the Mazino line in April 1940. In practice, the Germans did not attack in April, but in June, and the results of the battle did not match what the author imagined: the Germans managed to defeat the The alliance thanks to aerial bombardments. The book was soon removed from the shelves and forgotten. What remains and is now in our hands is Herbert Clyde Lewis at his best - a clear and intelligent literary voice, which has returned and wrestled with the issues that always occupy him. Because everyone writes only one book during their lifetime: here the gentleman who fell into the sea is not swimming in the sea, in an abstract landscape, but is confronted with a dark historical moment, with no visible way out.
Winston is just a person, any person, who during World War II joins the ranks of the Allies as a volunteer, fighting Nazi Germany. Thoughts about life and death lead him to come up with an unusual idea: he prepared to plant flowers in an uninhabited area, "No man's land", which is strewn with iron rods that will stab the soft underbelly of enemy tanks.
Our Winston, who gave up his life in America, sneaks into enemy territory to complete his agricultural-poetic work. When dawn breaks, the spring attack begins, and our hero is caught up in a battle that lasts 24 hours, while lying on the ground, caught in a war between man and man: one fights to liberate the free world, and the other fights to enslave it. In the background, the sounds of shells and live ammunition are heard, the music of the cannons, but in the pauses Winston manages to think and even dream. His whole life unfolds before his eyes like a fan and stands the test: memories of living in the land of dreams, accompanied by existential moments.
"Spring Offensive" will always be remembered as the perfect and pulsating work that was published at the worst time in terms of marketing. The book, which was published in early 1940, describes a failed German attack on the Allied armies, which is conducted along the Mazino line in April 1940. In practice, the Germans did not attack in April, but in June, and the results of the battle did not match what the author imagined: the Germans managed to defeat the The alliance thanks to aerial bombardments. The book was soon removed from the shelves and forgotten. What remains and is now in our hands is Herbert Clyde Lewis at his best - a clear and intelligent literary voice, which has returned and wrestled with the issues that always occupy him. Because everyone writes only one book during their lifetime: here the gentleman who fell into the sea is not swimming in the sea, in an abstract landscape, but is confronted with a dark historical moment, with no visible way out.
224 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1940
About the author
Herbert Clyde Lewis
5 books16 followersHerbert Clyde Lewis was born in New York City in 1909. After working as a reporter in Shanghai, China, he returned to the US in 1933 and began writing fiction while working as a reporter for the New York Journal.
In 1937, he published his first novel, Gentleman Overboard, a black comedy about a Wall Street banker who falls overboard while travelling on a freighter in the South Pacific and drowns. Time magazine's reviewer wrote of the book, "His hair-raising little tour de force is the more effective for being so quietly, matter-of-factly written."
He published two other novels then moved to Hollywood to work for 20th Century Fox. He earned an Academy Award nomination for his original story for the 1947 film, It Happened on 5th Avenue, but was then blacklisted for his political activities.
He returned to New York in 1949 and was working as a contributing editor of Time magazine when he died of a heart attack in 1950.
In 1937, he published his first novel, Gentleman Overboard, a black comedy about a Wall Street banker who falls overboard while travelling on a freighter in the South Pacific and drowns. Time magazine's reviewer wrote of the book, "His hair-raising little tour de force is the more effective for being so quietly, matter-of-factly written."
He published two other novels then moved to Hollywood to work for 20th Century Fox. He earned an Academy Award nomination for his original story for the 1947 film, It Happened on 5th Avenue, but was then blacklisted for his political activities.
He returned to New York in 1949 and was working as a contributing editor of Time magazine when he died of a heart attack in 1950.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
June 4, 2025
Sota l'aparença d'un senzill text, s'amaga en aquestes pàgines una gran història que ens conta molt més del que sembla. El Peter Winston és un jove periodista que, envaït per la desesperança —després d'acabar els seus estudis universitaris i no trobar una feina en condicions, de ser acomiadat de l'única que aconsegueix, i de perdre també a la seua xicota en favor d'un home amb més calés—, decideix fer un gir a la seua vida i allistar-se com a voluntari per lluitar contra l'Alemanya nazi. En Winston arriba al nord de França, just en la línia Maginot, on s'espera un imminent atac dels nazis. En un impuls, un dia en Peter s'endinsa en terra de ningú i es dedica a sembrar llavors de flors al llarg de les estacades defensives. En aquell moment, just en acabar la seua tasca, comença l'atac alemany i es veu atrapat en un lloc de difícil sortida.
Estem parlant d'una novel·la antibel·licista en tota regla, també d'una crítica ferotge a la societat nord-americana i a les falses premisses de la terra promesa, del somni americà i de la terra de les oportunitats. En Peter Winston en realitat odia la guerra, però, així i tot, s'allista en una guerra que en aquell moment encara no era la seua (dels americans), i ho fa precisament per fugir de la societat que l'envolta, del fals patriotisme i d'haver perdut la fe en el seu futur. La viva representació d'una fornada de joves frustrats i desesperançats. A partir d'aquí ens trobem amb una obra plena de reflexions i pensaments existencials, d'un constant vaivé de dubtes i de pors, de preguntar-se sobre el sentit de la vida i mirar als ulls a la mort.
La novel·la de Herbert Clyde Lewis sens dubte podria ser qualificada de tresor oblidat, un autor que va morir d'un atac al cor amb poc més de quaranta anys, ofegat de deutes i d'alcohol.
*****CAST*****
Bajo la apariencia de un sencillo texto, se esconde en estas páginas una gran historia que nos cuenta mucho más de lo que parece. Peter Winston es un joven periodista que, invadido por la desesperanza —después de acabar sus estudios universitarios y no encontrar un trabajo en condiciones, de ser despedido de la única que consigue, y de perder también a su novia en favor de un hombre con más dinero—, decide hacer un giro en su vida y alistarse como voluntario para luchar contra la Alemania nazi. Winston llega al norte de Francia, justo en la línea Maginot, donde se espera un inminente ataque de los nazis. En un impulso, un día, Peter se adentra en tierra de nadie y se dedica a sembrar semillas de flores a lo largo de las estacadas defensivas. En aquel momento, justo al acabar su tarea, empieza el ataque alemán y se ve atrapado en un lugar de difícil salida.
Estamos hablando de una novela antibelicista en toda regla, también de una crítica feroz a la sociedad norteamericana y a las falsas premisas de la tierra prometida, del sueño americano y de la tierra de las oportunidades. Peter Winston en realidad odia la guerra, pero, aun así, se alista en una guerra que en aquel momento todavía no era la suya (de los americanos), y lo hace precisamente para huir de la sociedad que lo rodea, del falso patriotismo y de haber perdido la fe en su futuro. La viva representación de una hornada de jóvenes frustrados y desesperanzados. A partir de aquí nos encontramos con una obra llena de reflexiones y pensamientos existenciales, de un constante vaivén de dudas y de miedos, de preguntarse sobre el sentido de la vida y mirar a los ojos a la muerte.
La novela de Herbert Clyde Lewis sin duda podría ser calificada de tesoro olvidado, un autor que murió de un ataque al corazón con poco más de cuarenta años, ahogado de deudas y de alcohol.
Estem parlant d'una novel·la antibel·licista en tota regla, també d'una crítica ferotge a la societat nord-americana i a les falses premisses de la terra promesa, del somni americà i de la terra de les oportunitats. En Peter Winston en realitat odia la guerra, però, així i tot, s'allista en una guerra que en aquell moment encara no era la seua (dels americans), i ho fa precisament per fugir de la societat que l'envolta, del fals patriotisme i d'haver perdut la fe en el seu futur. La viva representació d'una fornada de joves frustrats i desesperançats. A partir d'aquí ens trobem amb una obra plena de reflexions i pensaments existencials, d'un constant vaivé de dubtes i de pors, de preguntar-se sobre el sentit de la vida i mirar als ulls a la mort.
La novel·la de Herbert Clyde Lewis sens dubte podria ser qualificada de tresor oblidat, un autor que va morir d'un atac al cor amb poc més de quaranta anys, ofegat de deutes i d'alcohol.
*****CAST*****
Bajo la apariencia de un sencillo texto, se esconde en estas páginas una gran historia que nos cuenta mucho más de lo que parece. Peter Winston es un joven periodista que, invadido por la desesperanza —después de acabar sus estudios universitarios y no encontrar un trabajo en condiciones, de ser despedido de la única que consigue, y de perder también a su novia en favor de un hombre con más dinero—, decide hacer un giro en su vida y alistarse como voluntario para luchar contra la Alemania nazi. Winston llega al norte de Francia, justo en la línea Maginot, donde se espera un inminente ataque de los nazis. En un impulso, un día, Peter se adentra en tierra de nadie y se dedica a sembrar semillas de flores a lo largo de las estacadas defensivas. En aquel momento, justo al acabar su tarea, empieza el ataque alemán y se ve atrapado en un lugar de difícil salida.
Estamos hablando de una novela antibelicista en toda regla, también de una crítica feroz a la sociedad norteamericana y a las falsas premisas de la tierra prometida, del sueño americano y de la tierra de las oportunidades. Peter Winston en realidad odia la guerra, pero, aun así, se alista en una guerra que en aquel momento todavía no era la suya (de los americanos), y lo hace precisamente para huir de la sociedad que lo rodea, del falso patriotismo y de haber perdido la fe en su futuro. La viva representación de una hornada de jóvenes frustrados y desesperanzados. A partir de aquí nos encontramos con una obra llena de reflexiones y pensamientos existenciales, de un constante vaivén de dudas y de miedos, de preguntarse sobre el sentido de la vida y mirar a los ojos a la muerte.
La novela de Herbert Clyde Lewis sin duda podría ser calificada de tesoro olvidado, un autor que murió de un ataque al corazón con poco más de cuarenta años, ahogado de deudas y de alcohol.
April 25, 2024
לסקירה מפורטת בעברית, קישור לבלוג שלי -
https://sivi-the-avid-reader.com/מתקפ...
https://sivi-the-avid-reader.com/מתקפ...
May 3, 2026
Peter Winston, 23, jobless American idealist, enlists in the British Expeditionary Force by posing as a Canadian, boards a troopship out of Quebec, crosses the Atlantic, and fetches up in Latouche, a quagmire of a French village where the whole B.E.F. sits waiting for the Germans to do something. The British Tommies play badminton, read detective novels, and visit Madame Blouchard's brothel with cheerful regularity. Winston, allergic to badminton, deprived of an Indianapolis Public Library, and too honest to fake a Canadian accent, spends his winter staring out of the barn at the steel anti-tank rods planted across no man's land, which he calls "asparagus beds," wondering who told the engineers to stick them in at such arbitrary angles.
Then the idea visits him like a spring crocus through a crack in the pavement. Why plant steel when you could plant sweet-peas? He buys seeds from Jean, a shellshocked peasant who makes involuntary noises every thirty-nine seconds, sneaks past the sentries on a moonlit April night, and spends the night planting flowers around the tank traps. Then the sun rises rather faster than expected, and Lance Corporal Ravenswood's seven-o'clock parade is getting very close, and Winston, hopping back across a mined field on a freshly sprained ankle, discovers that amateur floriculture on the Western Front has consequences.
The novel runs on two timelines simultaneously. While Winston hobbles through no man's land with one bare foot and a home-whittled crutch, his mind travels back to Indianapolis, where we meet the full cast responsible for depositing him on a French battlefield with a bag of seeds and a broken wristwatch.
Mr. Williamson, the banker who promised Winston's dying father he would look after the boy, managed his paternal obligations by giving Winston a wristwatch and then forgetting he existed; Bill Williamson, the banker's son, Winston's former best friend, now occupies a desk at the bank looking well-fed and mildly resentful; Martha Petersen, the girl Winston loved, was engaged to another man the moment Winston ran short of cab fare; and Old Man Carter, editor of the Mayburg Chronicle, worked Winston six nights a week for fifteen dollars and then fired him because the payroll needed trimming.
Expelled from every corridor of ordinary American life, Winston read a newspaper story about a beautiful blonde torpedoed by a German submarine, clenched his fists at his own reflection in a drugstore mirror, announced to his mother he was going to Europe to fight, and convinced himself he had principles.
What Herbert Clyde Lewis constructs from these materials is a comedy of the most terminal variety. A young man whose act of defiant beauty coincides precisely with the morning Germany launches its spring offensive. The only American willing to actually go to the war is the one who went for entirely the wrong reasons, and the people who sent him there by destroying every other option are sleeping soundly, dreaming of glory.
Herbert Clyde Lewis published "Spring Offensive" in 1940, the same year the real spring offensive swallowed France whole, which gives the novel the uneasy feeling of prophecy. Lewis died in 1950, obscure, and the book stayed obscure until small presses began rescuing it decades later.
Winston goes to France carrying the weight of every broken promise, every snubbed lunch, every fifteen-dollar paycheck that dried up too fast. The economic machinery that grinds young men into disposable patriots has been upgraded and streamlined considerably since 1940, but the output remains recognizable. The flower planting is the novel's one gesture of genuine freedom, and Lewis kills it with Nazi artillery.
❤️ 🇮🇱
Then the idea visits him like a spring crocus through a crack in the pavement. Why plant steel when you could plant sweet-peas? He buys seeds from Jean, a shellshocked peasant who makes involuntary noises every thirty-nine seconds, sneaks past the sentries on a moonlit April night, and spends the night planting flowers around the tank traps. Then the sun rises rather faster than expected, and Lance Corporal Ravenswood's seven-o'clock parade is getting very close, and Winston, hopping back across a mined field on a freshly sprained ankle, discovers that amateur floriculture on the Western Front has consequences.
The novel runs on two timelines simultaneously. While Winston hobbles through no man's land with one bare foot and a home-whittled crutch, his mind travels back to Indianapolis, where we meet the full cast responsible for depositing him on a French battlefield with a bag of seeds and a broken wristwatch.
Mr. Williamson, the banker who promised Winston's dying father he would look after the boy, managed his paternal obligations by giving Winston a wristwatch and then forgetting he existed; Bill Williamson, the banker's son, Winston's former best friend, now occupies a desk at the bank looking well-fed and mildly resentful; Martha Petersen, the girl Winston loved, was engaged to another man the moment Winston ran short of cab fare; and Old Man Carter, editor of the Mayburg Chronicle, worked Winston six nights a week for fifteen dollars and then fired him because the payroll needed trimming.
Expelled from every corridor of ordinary American life, Winston read a newspaper story about a beautiful blonde torpedoed by a German submarine, clenched his fists at his own reflection in a drugstore mirror, announced to his mother he was going to Europe to fight, and convinced himself he had principles.
What Herbert Clyde Lewis constructs from these materials is a comedy of the most terminal variety. A young man whose act of defiant beauty coincides precisely with the morning Germany launches its spring offensive. The only American willing to actually go to the war is the one who went for entirely the wrong reasons, and the people who sent him there by destroying every other option are sleeping soundly, dreaming of glory.
Herbert Clyde Lewis published "Spring Offensive" in 1940, the same year the real spring offensive swallowed France whole, which gives the novel the uneasy feeling of prophecy. Lewis died in 1950, obscure, and the book stayed obscure until small presses began rescuing it decades later.
Winston goes to France carrying the weight of every broken promise, every snubbed lunch, every fifteen-dollar paycheck that dried up too fast. The economic machinery that grinds young men into disposable patriots has been upgraded and streamlined considerably since 1940, but the output remains recognizable. The flower planting is the novel's one gesture of genuine freedom, and Lewis kills it with Nazi artillery.
❤️ 🇮🇱
May 3, 2022
מחשבות, מחשבות, מחשבות... ועוד קצת מחשבות.
בחור צעיר, פיט ווינסטון, שמטעמים אידאולוגיים (או כך
הוא חשב עד שהוא מגיע למסקנות אחרות) התנדב למלחמה
ומוצא את עצמו במקום סוריאליסטי ומאוד שקט (בהחלט
לא מה שהוא ציפה לו) שכל יום ביומו נדמה זהה לקודמו.
ואז, מתחילות לפעול המחשבות שבגולגולתו... עד שמתגלה
לו המציאות האמתית והנוראה שבא הוא נמצא.
ספר לא פשוט לקריאה ולא לעיכול, הדן ברבדים העמוקים
של הפסיכולוגיה המחשבתית הפנימית של האדם - במיוחד
אם הוא מצוי בתנאי מצב קיצוניים.
בחור צעיר, פיט ווינסטון, שמטעמים אידאולוגיים (או כך
הוא חשב עד שהוא מגיע למסקנות אחרות) התנדב למלחמה
ומוצא את עצמו במקום סוריאליסטי ומאוד שקט (בהחלט
לא מה שהוא ציפה לו) שכל יום ביומו נדמה זהה לקודמו.
ואז, מתחילות לפעול המחשבות שבגולגולתו... עד שמתגלה
לו המציאות האמתית והנוראה שבא הוא נמצא.
ספר לא פשוט לקריאה ולא לעיכול, הדן ברבדים העמוקים
של הפסיכולוגיה המחשבתית הפנימית של האדם - במיוחד
אם הוא מצוי בתנאי מצב קיצוניים.
August 10, 2024
If I could give this book more stars, I would still worry that the rating wasn't high enough. A book so rare that it isn't even listed on Goodreads in its original language, Spring Offensive is exactly what is needed in these horrific times when every action is met by an increased reaction, leaving a devastating trail of bodies in its wake. I hope this book is reprinted for the first time in half a century, or it becomes available in e-book form, but I doubt there will be sufficient demand. Please find a copy. Please read the book. Please reconsider the belief that one must either kill or be killed. Such an attitude senselessly perpetuates this endless cycle. We must find a better way. We must pursue peace.
July 14, 2025
Original novela sobre un soldado norteamericano en la línea Maginot durante el final de la Segunda Guerra Mundial. El autor consigue un mezcla casi imposible de humor negro, nostalgia y un anhelo de autenticidad en Winston, el entrañable protagonista.
July 20, 2025
"Quería volver a tener fuerzas para poder levantarse y marchar con el Ejército, los desempleados y los desposeídos, los jóvenes salidos de la universidad y los muchachos de los barrios bajos, los aparceros y los trabajadores explotados, los afroamericanos y los latinoamericanos, los desnutridos hijos de las grandes ciudades, los judíos americanos y los italoamericanos, y los descendientes de armenios, irlandeses, ingleses, franceses, alemanes y españoles, los vagabundos y los que huían de la sequía del oeste, los pedigüeños, los pordioseros y los mendigos del contaminado este… Quería marchar con todos y cada uno de los que tuvieran fe en la promesa de Estados Unidos, que amaran la tierra y creyeran en el futuro de ésta, pese a que su patria les hubiera dado la espalda."
Si quieren mantener su estabilidad emocional y su fe en la humanidad no lean este libro.
Si quieren mantener su estabilidad emocional y su fe en la humanidad no lean este libro.
March 6, 2025
Me parece que Un caballero que cayó al mar es superior por mucho a esta novela.
Aquí Clyde vuelve a reflexionar sobra la muerte y lo acompaña con un discurso antibélico muy interesante.
3.5 estrellas.
Aquí Clyde vuelve a reflexionar sobra la muerte y lo acompaña con un discurso antibélico muy interesante.
3.5 estrellas.
April 2, 2025
Llegit per recomanació de la Cecilia, la meva llibretera del @libreriodelaplata
En situem l'any 1940 quan el Peter Winston, un jove nord-americà que ha acabat els estudis, té moltes il·lusions en la vida que li espera a Indianapolis. Però les coses no li van tan bé com es pensava i en un rampell, carregat d'ingenuïtat, decideix allistar-se com a voluntari per lluitar a França contra els alemanys. Allà després d'un període de tedi i avorriment, es trobarà, tot sol, en terra de ningú i davant la primera gran ofensiva de l'exèrcit alemany.
Aquest és el segon llibre que llegeixo de l'autor i em serveix per confirmar que va tenir un do per l'escriptura. És un llibre amb poca acció, que es basa en els pensaments i reflexions dels personatges, però és tan ben lligat i flueix d'una manera tan suau que, tot i el tema que tracta, és molt fàcil i agradable de llegir.
El llibre va ser escrit l'any 1940, en un moment en què els americans no tenien clar si participar activament a la Segona Guerra Mundial o no, i sobre uns fets, la invasió alemanya a França, que estaven passant en aquell moment. De fet, l'ofensiva alemanya sobre la línia Maginot en què es basa el llibre, no va ocórrer mai. Aquests dos fets van fer que el llibre s'oblidés i no assolís l'èxit que, per la qualitat literària, ben segur mereix.
D'una forma molt hàbil, l'escriptor ens mostra els pensaments del protagonista mentre es troba en mig de la batalla, fa salts a moments anteriors de la seva vida per veure que és el que l'ha portat fins aquesta situació i també coneixerem les circumstàncies i pensaments de les persones que han estat importants a la vida d'en Peter. Tota una visió completa que ens permet saber tot d'aquest personatge i el que l'envolta.
És un llibre totalment antibel·licista, on queda pales la inutilitat de les morts a les guerres. Però també és una crítica directa a l'individualisme, a la hipocresia, als treballs precaris, a la frustració a què porta la societat americana.
Molt recomanable. Llegiu el llibre, però no us apunteu voluntaris a una guerra.
En situem l'any 1940 quan el Peter Winston, un jove nord-americà que ha acabat els estudis, té moltes il·lusions en la vida que li espera a Indianapolis. Però les coses no li van tan bé com es pensava i en un rampell, carregat d'ingenuïtat, decideix allistar-se com a voluntari per lluitar a França contra els alemanys. Allà després d'un període de tedi i avorriment, es trobarà, tot sol, en terra de ningú i davant la primera gran ofensiva de l'exèrcit alemany.
Aquest és el segon llibre que llegeixo de l'autor i em serveix per confirmar que va tenir un do per l'escriptura. És un llibre amb poca acció, que es basa en els pensaments i reflexions dels personatges, però és tan ben lligat i flueix d'una manera tan suau que, tot i el tema que tracta, és molt fàcil i agradable de llegir.
El llibre va ser escrit l'any 1940, en un moment en què els americans no tenien clar si participar activament a la Segona Guerra Mundial o no, i sobre uns fets, la invasió alemanya a França, que estaven passant en aquell moment. De fet, l'ofensiva alemanya sobre la línia Maginot en què es basa el llibre, no va ocórrer mai. Aquests dos fets van fer que el llibre s'oblidés i no assolís l'èxit que, per la qualitat literària, ben segur mereix.
D'una forma molt hàbil, l'escriptor ens mostra els pensaments del protagonista mentre es troba en mig de la batalla, fa salts a moments anteriors de la seva vida per veure que és el que l'ha portat fins aquesta situació i també coneixerem les circumstàncies i pensaments de les persones que han estat importants a la vida d'en Peter. Tota una visió completa que ens permet saber tot d'aquest personatge i el que l'envolta.
És un llibre totalment antibel·licista, on queda pales la inutilitat de les morts a les guerres. Però també és una crítica directa a l'individualisme, a la hipocresia, als treballs precaris, a la frustració a què porta la societat americana.
Molt recomanable. Llegiu el llibre, però no us apunteu voluntaris a una guerra.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews