Primo Levi: Bridges of Knowledge

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'I always thought that [building] bridges is the best job there is because roads go over bridges, and without roads we'd still be like savages. In short, bridges are like the opposite of borders, and borders are where wars start.' Primo Levi, 'La chiave a stella' (The Wrench) Primo Levi (1919-1987) was one of Italy's most distinguished writers. A survivor of the Holocaust, his memoirs on the Nazi death camps (If This Is a Man and The Truce) are internationally recognised as among the most powerful and profound testimonies to have come out of the extermination of the European Jewry. This book is the first comprehensive introduction to Levi and his writing for English-speaking readers. The author draws attention to the literary worth of Levi's entire output -- not just the Holocaust testimonies for which he is primarily known -- and situates his works in the context of Italian culture and society from the 1920s to the 1980s. A man with many identities -- chemist, industrial manager and writer -- he tried, through his writing, to build bridges between different cultures and fields of enquiry. General readers who are acquainted with Levi's writings will find this book fascinating, as will students and scholars of Holocaust Literature, Italian Studies and Contemporary Italian Literature.

Reviews

'... bound to become required reading for Levi scholars around the world, and it will also be of great interest to the large number of non-specialist readers of Levi.' V. R. Jones, Department of Italian Studies, University of Reading '...formidably competent. For students, it should replace a comparatively superficial study by Risa Sodi (A Dante of Our Time)...Cicioni is particularly good in explaining Levi's position as a highly assimilated Italian Jew. She is brilliant on Levi as a scientist...Cicioni is subtly balanced on Levi's tortured humanism. I found this study invaluable.' Literary Review 'Incorporating rich detail from his work, she [Cicioni] is able to demonstrate the development of his thought on his subjects of interest ... For readers familiar with Primo Levi as a Holocaust chronicler, this book is a valuable offering.' The Australian Jewish News "Cicioni has succeeded in pulling together the disparate threads of Levi's work, and has situated them in illuminationg ways in their political and literary context in Italy. [...] Bridges of Knowledge is a welcome addition to Levi scholarship, written in clear and jargon-free prose that makes it accessible to anyone with an interest in Levi and his work." SHOFAR "The kind of positioning and attention to detail Mirna Cicioni achieves make Bridges of Knowledge a genuine contribution to Levi studies. This nicely written and rigorously researched study offers nonreaders of Italian an intelligent way out of the groove that evaluations of Levi's work have been stuck in. It's about time." Modernism/Modernity 'It was a rare pleasure to read a book which is so eminently scholarly and intellectually honest, and so reader-friendly at the same time. [...] it is especially pleasing to come across this level of scholarship, quite simply this love of knowledge, this search for understanding. I think this is a book that Primo Levi would have liked.' Italian Studies

Author Bio

Mirna Cicioni Senior Lecturer,Department of Italian Studies, La Trobe University