The Periodic Table by Primo Levi (English) Paperback Book

Description: The Periodic Table by Primo Levi, Raymond Rosenthal A chemist by training, the author became one of the witnesses to twentieth-century atrocity. In these haunting reflections inspired by the elements of the periodic table, he ranges from young love to political savagery; from the inert gas argon - and inert relatives like the uncle who stayed in bed for twenty-two years - to life-giving carbon. FORMAT Paperback LANGUAGE English CONDITION Brand New Publisher Description A chemist by training, Primo Levi became one of the supreme witnesses to twentieth-century atrocity. In these haunting reflections inspired by the elements of the periodic table, he ranges from young love to political savagery; from the inert gas argon - and inert relatives like the uncle who stayed in bed for twenty-two years - to life-giving carbon. Iron honours the mountain-climbing resistance hero who put iron in Levis student soul, Cerium recalls the improvised cigarette lighters which saved his life in Auschwitz, while Vanadium describes an eerie post-war correspondence with the man who had been his boss there. All are written with characteristically understated eloquence and shot through with deep humanity. Notes Haunting reflections on life before, during and after the Second World War, inspired by the chemical elements Levi, as chemist, new so well. First PMC edition. Author Biography Primo Levi (1919-1987), an Italian Jew, did not come to the wide attention of the English-reading audience until the last years of his life. A survivor of the Holocaust and imprisonment in Auschwitz, Levi is considered to be one of the centurys most compelling voices, and THE PERIODIC TABLE is his most famous book. Levi is also the author of the forthcoming Modern Classics- MOMENTS OF REPRIEVE and IF NOT NOW, WHEN? Review "I immersed myself in "The Periodic Table" gladly and gratefully. There is nothing superfluous here, everything this book contains is essential. It is wonderful pure, and beautifully translated...I was deeply impressed." -Saul Bellow "The best introduction to the psychological world of one of the most important and gifted writers of our time."-Italo Calvino "A work of healing, of tranquil, even buoyant imagination." -"The New York Times Book Review" "Brilliant, grave and oddly sunny; certainly a masterpiece." -"Los Angeles Times" "Every chapter is full of surprises, insights, high humor, and language that often rises to poetry." -"The New Yorker" "One of the most important Italian writers." -Umberto Eco With a new Introduction by Neal Ascherson"I immersed myself in "The Periodic Table gladly and gratefully. There is nothing superfluous here, everything this book contains is essential. It is wonderful pure, and beautifully translated...I was deeply impressed." -Saul Bellow "The best introduction to the psychological world of one of the most important and gifted writers of our time."-Italo Calvino "A work of healing, of tranquil, even buoyant imagination." -"The New York Times Book Review "Brilliant, grave and oddly sunny; certainly a masterpiece." -"Los Angeles Times "Every chapter is full of surprises, insights, high humor, and language that often rises to poetry." -"The New Yorker "One of the most important Italian writers." -Umberto Eco With a new Introduction by Neal Ascherson Kirkus UK Review Its good to find this most original book in print again this year. Levi, a young Italian, academically a chemist, could not, as a Jew in Fascist Italy, use his degree, though summa cum laude, for work. He joined the Resistance, was betrayed, and spent from 1943 to the wars end in Auschwitz. The full account, which must be read, is in his If This Is A Man, one of the great works of the twentieth century. Levi had found that writing had something in common with chemistry - the need for exactness, daring and discovery, the creating of something new and alive out of sullen, even noxious material. But The Periodic Table, with its deceptive lightness, gives little of the camp. Each of the 21 elements prompts an episode, usually in Levis life. Never mind the order - I recommend starting with Iron. It gives not only the young Levis passion for chemistry, but one of the most brilliant of his verbal portraits, here of Sandro, a fellow student. Read it, pass onwards, or take in Cerium, a rare camp piece. Tormented by hunger, Levi and his close friend Alberto devise a means of briefly securing a daily piece of bread. Will it keep them alive until the Russians come? Stranger still is Vanadium. Some 20 years later, in business letters from a German firm, Levi recognizes the name and writing of his one-time Nazi camp overseer. Should he (outside business) make contact? He does - letters are exchanged. Then... Read one work by Levi and you will search for more. Add to your list Moments of Reprieve as well as If This is a Man Review by Naomi Lewis (Kirkus UK) Details ISBN0141185147 Pages 224 Publisher Penguin Books Ltd Year 2000 Translator Raymond Rosenthal ISBN-10 0141185147 ISBN-13 9780141185149 Format Paperback Publication Date 2000-09-07 Imprint Penguin Classics Place of Publication London Country of Publication United Kingdom Translated from Italian DEWEY 853.914 Birth 1919 Death 1987 Author Raymond Rosenthal Media Book Short Title PERIODIC TABLE Audience Age 14-18 Residence IT Series Penguin Modern Classics Language English UK Release Date 2000-09-07 Audience General NZ Release Date 2000-10-22 AU Release Date 2000-10-22 We've got this At The Nile, if you're looking for it, we've got it. With fast shipping, low prices, friendly service and well over a million items - you're bound to find what you want, at a price you'll love! TheNile_Item_ID:1082882;

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