The Blitz - Couverture souple

Sansom, William

Couverture souple

ISBN 10 : 0192852183 ISBN 13 : 9780192852182

Editeur : Oxford Paperbacks, 1990

Synopsis

Written in the immediate aftermath of World War II and first published in 1947, this book is an eyewitness account of the Blitz by one of the leading writers of the day who served during the war in the Auxiliary Fire Service. William Sansom, perhaps best known for his book of short stories about wartime London, "Fireman Flower and Other Stories", here recreates the experience of civilians in Westminster throughout the war from the time of the "phoney war", through the Blitz, the Lull and the Little Blitz, to the final phase of the flying bombs. The area of Westminster could not be more socially diverse and one of the chief themes of the book is the spirit of solidarity that eventually developed between those living in different areas. Both famous and infamous London are a part of this story of endurance. Sansom recreates the feeling of impotence that civilians felt at not being able to fight back, and he records the shrugging off of peacetime responsibilities and the jaunty attitudes that existed, paradoxically, at times of the worst bombing. Tragic though the continual destruction was, Sansom also discovered humans thriving in the most unlikely situations.

A propos du livre

Présentation de l'éditeur

One of the most frequently evoked national experiences is the Blitz of the Second World War. For five years - through the Phoney War, the Blitz proper, the Lull, and the Little Blitz - the civilians of London were in the front line. Hitler's bombs made no distinction between rich and poor: Westminster, Pimlico, Soho, Mayfair, Belgravia, and the royal residences, Marlborough House, the Palace of St James, and Buckingham Palace - nowhere escaped. Londoners were, as they said, 'in it together'. This eyewitness account written shortly after the war, not only chronicles the events of the period but also brings out the attitudes of the time, the courage in adversity, the impotence of not being able to fight back, and the jaunty, live-for-today attitude that existed at times of the worst bombing. William Sansom, a leading writer of his day, served during the war in the Auxiliary Fire Service, and his own experiences and his novelist's eye, gave him a unique insight into the spirit of the time. Originally published in 1947, the late Stephen Spender - who was also a fireman during the war - contributed a new foreword to this 1989 reissue, and Sansom's most famous story 'The Wall', set in the Blitz, is also included.

Détails de l'édition

• Éditeur: Oxford Paperbacks
• Date d'édition: 1990
• Langue: anglais
• ISBN 10: 0192852183
• ISBN 13: 9780192852182
• Reliure: Broché
• Nombre de pages: 224
• Coordonnées du fabricant: non disponible
• Personne responsable: Ufficio Anagrafiche Messaggerie; ufficio.anagrafiche@meli.it; ; Via Verdi, 8; Assago Milano; 20090; Italie