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.
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Summary
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.
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 Levi's 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.
Critic Reviews
"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
About the Author
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 century's 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?
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