Levi, Primo

(1919–1987)

   A Jewish Italian from Turin who initially specialized in chemistry, Levi’s documentary novel, Se questo e un uomo (translated as If This Is a Man, 1947), is regarded as one of the classics of holocaust literatureand has been one of the most widely debated books of the century. The book is based on Levi’s own experiences after he was deported to Auschwitz in 1944. In 1963, he wrote a sequel to the book, La Tregua (The Truce), which described his homecoming through war-torn Eastern Europe after the end of hostilities. The highlights of Levi’s later work were Il sistema periodico (The Periodic System, 1975) and La chiave a stella (The Wrench, 1978). The former of these consists of 21 short stories that narrate the difficulties of Levi’s generation during Fascism; the second novel, which is thematically experimental, is a series of involved accounts by a skilled manual worker of how he overcame various complex technical problems. La chiave a stelle won the Strega prize, Italy’s most prestigious literary award. His last novel, Se non ora, quando? (If Not Now, When? 1982) won the scarcely less prestigious Viareggio and Campiello prizes. Levi committed suicide in 1987 by throwing himself down the stairwell of his Turin home.

   See also Racial Laws.