Primo Levi

Primo Levi (Turin, July 31, 1919 – Turin, April 11, 1987) was an Italian chemist and writer, Auschwitz survivor, author of Se questo è un uomo, La tregua and Il sistema periodico.

Levi's prose is often described as precise, dry and scientific; his major themes include Holocaust survival, the human condition, and the relation between chemistry and life. He wrote both witness memoirs and autobiographical/essayistic pieces.

Three DeBaser reviews highlight Primo Levi's precise, scientific prose and his witness accounts of Auschwitz (Se questo è un uomo) and the postwar journey (La tregua), as well as his inventive essays linking chemistry and life (Il sistema periodico). Reviewers praise his clarity, restraint, and moral force while noting the discomfort his subjects provoke.

For:Readers of Holocaust literature, memoirs, literary nonfiction, and those interested in the intersection of science and literature.