Primo Levi

Synopsis

Primo Levi, born on July 31, 1919, in Turin, Italy, was an Italian-Jewish chemist who overcame immense adversity in his lifetime. A graduate with honors in chemistry during the rise of Fascism, Levi’s life took a harrowing turn when he was deported to Auschwitz during World War II, where he survived for over a year. Upon his liberation in 1945, Levi began documenting his experiences, resulting in acclaimed works such as If This Is a Man, The Truce, and The Periodic Table. Levi’s tragic death in 1987, officially ruled a suicide, has since sparked ongoing debate regarding its true cause.

Discrimination and Perseverance

Primo Levi was born into a middle-class Italian-Jewish family in Turin, where he was the eldest of two children. His family’s Jewish heritage, which traced back centuries to ancestors who had fled the Spanish Inquisition, shaped his early life in a small, close-knit community. Despite his reserved nature and small stature, Levi was an avid reader and an exceptional student. His intellectual curiosity led him to develop a deep interest in chemistry by his teenage years.

In 1937, Levi entered the University of Turin to pursue his chemistry studies, a time when the rise of Fascism had already begun to impact Italy. By 1938, the regime enacted discriminatory laws that excluded Jews from state-sponsored education, yet because Levi had enrolled before the new laws were passed, he was able to continue his studies. However, the increasing racial prejudice surrounding him became palpable.

With the assistance of a sympathetic professor, Levi graduated in 1941 with honors in chemistry. Yet, upon entering the workforce, he was marked by the discriminatory label “Of Jewish Race” on his diploma, which severely hindered his ability to find employment. Levi, determined to succeed, assumed a false identity and forged documents to secure a position as a chemist with a mining company, later working for a Swiss pharmaceutical firm in Milan.

In 1942, Levi returned to his family in Turin after his father’s death, only to discover that his mother and sister were in hiding in the nearby hills to escape escalating persecution. This marked the beginning of a darker chapter in Levi’s life, one that would lead him to the horrors of Auschwitz, yet also forge his resilience and determination to survive against all odds.

174517: Surviving Auschwitz

In 1943, Primo Levi and his family fled to northern Italy, seeking refuge from the rising tide of persecution. Joining the Italian resistance movement, Levi fought against Fascist forces until his arrest later that year. To avoid being executed as a partisan, Levi revealed his Jewish identity and was sent to an Italian prison camp in January 1944. Though conditions there were relatively humane, the camp fell under German control, and Levi was deported to Auschwitz.

Upon his arrival at the Auschwitz concentration camp in February 1944, Levi was tattooed with the prisoner number 174517. Determined to survive, he leveraged his intelligence and resilience to endure the camp’s horrors. By trading food for German lessons and utilizing his training as a chemist, Levi secured a position in a rubber factory, which spared him from the harshest labor. Even amid unimaginable suffering, Levi began mentally documenting his experiences, driven by the hope of one day bearing witness to these atrocities.

In January 1945, Levi was among the survivors liberated by the Red Army. Of the over 7,000 Italian Jews deported during the Holocaust, fewer than 700 survived.

Bearing Witness

Returning to his hometown of Turin, Levi resumed work in a paint factory. However, the profound trauma of Auschwitz compelled him to share his story. Over the next two years, Levi meticulously crafted If This Is a Man (later published in English as Survival in Auschwitz), using a calm, scientific tone to recount his experiences. The book’s first Italian edition, printed in 1947, initially went unnoticed.

In the following years, Levi focused on family life, marrying Lucia Morpurgo and raising two children, while working as a chemical consultant. Despite these responsibilities, his resolve to share his story endured. He wrote memoirs, poems, short stories, and fiction, slowly building recognition for his work. A 1958 reprint of If This Is a Man garnered significant attention, leading to translations into English and German in 1959. This marked the beginning of Levi’s rise as an acclaimed author.

Among his subsequent works were the autobiographical The Truce (1963) and two collections of science-fiction stories.

‘The Periodic Table’

In 1975, Levi published The Periodic Table, a landmark work combining autobiographical stories with reflections on chemistry. Using chemical elements as metaphors, the book explored themes of survival, identity, and resilience. Praised as Levi’s masterpiece, it solidified his reputation as a literary giant.

Two years later, Levi retired from the paint factory to focus solely on writing. He published Moments of Reprieve (1978), The Monkey’s Wrench (1982, winner of the Strega Prize), and If Not Now, When? (1984). By the mid-1980s, Levi’s works were staples in Italian schools, and The Periodic Table gained international acclaim, particularly in the United States. His final book, The Drowned and the Saved (1986), delved deeply into the psychological scars of the Holocaust.

Death and Legacy

On April 11, 1987, Primo Levi was found dead at the bottom of his apartment building’s stairwell. The coroner ruled his death a suicide, a conclusion supported by many who believed it stemmed from decades of unresolved trauma. Others argued it was accidental, citing Levi’s known dizzy spells. The true cause remains a subject of debate.

Levi’s legacy endures through his profound body of work, which has cemented his place as one of the most significant Holocaust writers. His life and writings have inspired numerous documentaries, biographies, and films, including The Truce (1997) and The Grey Zone (2001). In 2006, The Periodic Table was honored by London’s Royal Institution as one of the greatest science books ever written.

Primo Levi’s life and words continue to bear witness to the resilience of the human spirit amid unfathomable suffering, ensuring that the lessons of history are neither forgotten nor ignored.