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Primo Levi

Born

in Turin, Italy

July 31, 1919

Died

April 11, 1987

Genre

Memoir, Fiction, Science

Influences

Rita Levi-Montalcini

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Primo Levi was an Italian Jewish chemist, writer, and Holocaust survivor whose literary work has had a profound impact on how the world understands the Holocaust and its aftermath. Born in Turin in 1919, he studied chemistry at the University of Turin and graduated in 1941. During World War II, Levi joined the Italian resistance, but was captured by Fascist forces in 1943. Because he was Jewish, he was deported to the Auschwitz concentration camp in 1944, where he endured ten harrowing months before being liberated by the Red army.

After the war, Levi returned to Turin and resumed work as a chemist, but also began writing about his experiences. His first book, If This Is a Man (published in the U.S. as Survival in Auschwitz), is widely regar Primo Levi was an Italian Jewish chemist, writer, and Holocaust survivor whose literary work has had a profound impact on how the world understands the Holocaust and its aftermath. Born in Turin in 1919, he studied chemistry at the University of Turin and graduated in 1941. During World War II, Levi joined the Italian resistance, but was captured by Fascist forces in 1943. Because he was Jewish, he was deported to the Auschwitz concentration camp in 1944, where he endured ten harrowing months before being liberated by the Red army.

After the war, Levi returned to Turin and resumed work as a chemist, but also began writing about his experiences. His first book, If This Is a Man (published in the U.S. as Survival in Auschwitz), is widely regarded as one of the most important Holocaust memoirs ever written. Known for its clarity, restraint, and moral depth, the book offers a powerful testimony of life inside the concentration camp. Levi went on to write several more works, including The Truce, a sequel recounting his long journey home after liberation, and The Periodic Table, a unique blend of memoir and scientific reflection, in which each chapter is named after a chemical element.

Throughout his writing, Levi combined scientific precision with literary grace, reflecting on human dignity, morality, and survival. His later works included fiction, essays, and poetry, all characterized by his lucid style and philosophical insight. Levi also addressed broader issues of science, ethics, and memory, positioning himself as a key voice in post-war European literature.

Despite his success, Levi struggled with depression in his later years, and in 1987 he died after falling from the stairwell of his apartment building in Turin. While officially ruled a suicide, the exact circumstances of his death remain a subject of debate. Nevertheless, his legacy endures. Primo Levi’s body of work remains essential reading for its deep humanity, intellectual rigor, and unwavering commitment to bearing witness. ...more

Combine Editions
Primo Levi’s books

Average rating: 4.32 · 164,381 ratings · 9,966 reviews · 178 distinct works • Similar authors

	Survival in Auschwitz 4.35 avg rating — 86,059 ratings — published 1947 — 17 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	If This Is a Man • The Truce by Primo Levi, Stuart J. Woolf (Translator), Paul Bailey (Introduction) 4.55 avg rating — 22,236 ratings — published 1987 — 71 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Periodic Table by Primo Levi, Raymond Rosenthal (Translator) 4.14 avg rating — 19,267 ratings — published 1975 — 51 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Drowned and the Saved by Primo Levi, R. Rosenthal (Translator) 4.44 avg rating — 10,253 ratings — published 1986 — 96 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	La tregua 4.27 avg rating — 7,409 ratings — published 1963 — 119 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	If Not Now, When? by Primo Levi, William Weaver (Translator) 4.23 avg rating — 4,104 ratings — published 1982 — 74 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Se questo è un uomo: Versione drammatica di Pieralberto Marché e Primo Levi by Primo Levi, Pieralberto Marché 4.42 avg rating — 2,180 ratings — published 1993	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Monkey's Wrench by Primo Levi, William Weaver (Translator) 3.85 avg rating — 2,183 ratings — published 1978 — 59 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Trilogía de Auschwitz: Si esto es un hombre / La tregua / Los hundidos y los salvados 4.59 avg rating — 1,079 ratings — published 1989 — 15 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Moments of Reprieve 4.23 avg rating — 1,144 ratings — published 1981	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

More books by Primo Levi…

Series by Primo Levi

Auschwitz Trilogy (3 books)
by

Primo Levi,

R. Rosenthal (Translator)

4.39 avg rating — 127,021 ratings

Quotes by Primo Levi (?)

“Monsters exist, but they are too few in number to be truly dangerous. More dangerous are the common men, the functionaries ready to believe and to act without asking questions.”
― Primo Levi

tags: common-men, danger, existence, holocaust, monsters, questions

837 likes

“Perfection belongs to narrated events, not to those we live.”
― Primo Levi, The Periodic Table

tags: perfection

595 likes

“The aims of life are the best defense against death.”
― Primo Levi

339 likes

See all Primo Levi's quotes »

Polls

What book would you like to read for our May 2023 Group Read? The theme is Elements.

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
Historical Fiction

31 votes 29.5%

Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys
Historical Fiction, Young Adult

14 votes 13.3%

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Classic, Romance

13 votes 12.4%

The Mist by Stephen King
Horror

11 votes 10.5%

When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi
Nonfiction, Memoir

9 votes 8.6%

A River Enchanted by Rebecca Ross
Fantasy

8 votes 7.6%

Arsenic and Adobo by Mia P. Manansala
Mystery

7 votes 6.7%

The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder by David Grann
Non-Fiction, Mystery, True Crime

5 votes 4.8%

The Book of Form and Emptiness by Ruth Ozeki
Fiction, Magical Realism

4 votes 3.8%

The Periodic Table by Primo Levi
Nonfiction

3 votes 2.9%

105 total votes

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