I racconti

by Primo Levi, Ernesto Ferrero (Contributor)

Se questo è un uomo e La tregua non sono soltanto libri di un testimone d'eccezione, ma di un vero e grande scrittore. Quanto forte e originale fosse la vocazione narrativa di Primo Levi lo dimostrano i racconti compresi in questo volume. Un futuro prossimo e probabile, una tecnologia dal volto quotidiano e domestico, ma percorsa da segni inquietanti, paradossali o semplicemente comici. Chimico dagli interessi enciclopedici, con un particolare amore per la natura, gli animali, i linguaggi, il piacere della sperimentazione e della ricerca, Levi si avventura a esplorare le infinite possibilità combinatorie che la materia consente, ma non dimentica di cogliere le anomalie, le sfasature, i "vizi di forma" in cui si annida il germe di catastrofi piccole e grandi. A cura di Ernesto Ferrero.

Genres: Fiction, Italian Literature

587 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1994

About the author

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.

Reviews

[Oliver Duarte Herrera · Rating 4 out of 5]

Los cuentos de ciencia ficción son lo mejor del libro. Para estar bastante alejado de nuestro presente, muestra un potente matiz de lo absurdo y lo no-posible dentro de una cotidianidad super moderna y futurista pero clásica.
Los cuentos relacionados con el holocausto y sus experiencias en el campo de concentración muestran una cruda y absurda realidad donde la resilencia de los personajes son una lección de vida. Bravo!

[Vanlilith · Rating 5 out of 5]

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