If This Is a Man / The Truce

A deeply humbling experience. We should all read this quiet account by Primo Levi, a young Jewish Italian chemist, who bore witness to the unspeakable horrors of incarceration in Monowitz-Buna, one of several camps which were collectively 'Auschwitz'. His youth and fitness spared him from extermination.Segregation - 'How old? Healthy or ill? - Thus, in an instant, our women, our parents, our children disappeared.''Indifferent SS men with faces of stone behaved with the calm assurance of people doing their normal duty of every day. A man staying an instant too long to say goodbye to his fiancée was knocked with a single blow to the ground. It was their everyday duty ............'And so it began. They arrive at the camp. A brightly lit sign over the door reads Arbeit Macht Frei - work gives freedom.Four days without water has given them a hideous thirst but a sign in the vast empty room, above the only tap reads Wassertrinken Verboten. He sees the sign as a joke for 'they' know we are dying of thirst - so he drinks but the water is tepid and sweetish with the smell of a swamp.'This is hell. Today, in our times, hell must be like this. ......... a huge empty room with a tap which drips while we cannot drink the water, and we wait for something which will certainly be terrible, and nothing happens and nothing continues to happen. What can one think about? One cannot think any more, is like being already dead. .......... The time passes drop by drop.Later. Naked, shorn, stripped and tattooed he says - 'Imagine now a man who is deprived of everyone he love, and at the same time of his house, his habits, his clothes, in short, of everything he possesses: he will be a hollow man, reduced to suffering and needs,forgetful of dignity and restraint, for he who loses all often easily loses himself. He will be a man whose life or death can be lightly decided with no sense of human affinity, in the most unfortunate of cases, on the basis of a pure judgement of utility. It is in this way that one can understand the double sense of the term 'extermination camp', and it is now clear what we seek to express with the phrase: 'to lie on the bottom'.I have not used my own words but those of Primo Levi to describe his manuscript, for that is what this book is - it would be insulting to his erudition, his dignity and courage. He survived the hell of the holocaust, living to tell the tale that the world must never forget.I urge you to read this book and then read it again to make quite sure it is seared in your memory. It is the very least we can all do to honour Primo Levi.'This is hell. Today, in our times, hell must be like this ...... we are tired, standing on our feet, with a tap which drips

This should almost be a compulsory read, especially for those who doubt the facts of the Holocaust. Primo Levi's description of his journey and time at Auschwitz, his survival and his long, complex return to Turin, Italy, after the liberation of Auschwitz on 27th January 1945 are both compelling and moving.

In commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, I have read what is probably the most famous memoir from a survivor. If This is a Man is, however, rather different from other such memoirs I have read, as its theme is not so much the detail of his lived experiences, or particular atrocities (though these are of course covered), but what Auschwitz and the Holocaust represented - in the author's words, "the demolition of man": "Imagine now a man who is deprived of everyone he loves, and at the same time of his house, his habits, his clothes, in short, of everything he possesses: he will be a hollow man, reduced to suffering and needs, forgetful of dignity and restraint, for he who loses all often easily loses himself."; and "if I could enclose all the evil of our time in one image, I would choose this image which is familiar to me: an emaciated man, with head dropped and shoulders curved, on whose face and in whose eyes not a trace of a thought is to be seen." Notwithstanding these bleak quotes, I did not find this memoir bleak, as throughout his year at Auschwitz, Levi survives by never losing an ultimate belief in human dignity and hope, though, paradoxically, "our wisdom lay in ‘not trying to understand’, not imagining the future, not tormenting ourselves as to how and when it would all be over; not asking others or ourselves any questions." The book ends with the Nazi abandonment of Auschwitz and the notorious death march (which Levi avoided only by virtue of being ill with scarlet fever at the time) culminating, after a ten day period of further struggling with the forces of cold, hunger and disease, with the Red Army liberating the camp on 27 January 1945.My edition was paired with its sequel the somewhat longer The Truce, which details the author's lengthy enforced peregrinations across eastern and central Europe to eventually get home well into the autumn of 1945. This is less immediately memorable as a read, but does contain descriptions of the many colourful characters of different nationalities with whom he makes his itinerant life. Finally, the book ends with the author providing lengthy answers to some of the most common questions he was asked in the post-war period by audiences to whom he spoke about his books and his experiences, to ensure the events of the Holocaust remained alive in the minds of succeeding generations as: "Strong though the words of If This is a Man are, they are still weak before the will to deny or forget."

Se Questo è un Uomo (If This Is A Man) is without a doubt one of the best and most important Holocaust books ever written. You cannot praise the late Primo Levi enough and admire his strength and endurance throughout his life. (And don't just stop with this book, read his others as well). However, that being said, after reading the original version in Italian and then reading this, it is a very poor translation. In his native Italian, his usage of Italian grammar alone shows just how tired he was (both in the camps and recounting his story later). Something that is no doubt difficult to reproduce in a translation. But also stylistically there is poetry in his original Italian words, rather than this interpretation which I feel is a bit explanatory; simple. I'm not saying it's not a fantastic story - if you do not speak or read Italian, by all means read this, you will love it (and hate it just for what it represents) but comparative to its original it falls far short. Read the Italian version if you are able - how Levi intended it to be read.

I enjoyed reading this book.I came across the author by way of aCrossword clue and became intrigued by his history on the internet.I found the book horrifying in many parts but as it is so well written as to give facts and not recriminations I continued to the end.I will now read the second novel The Truce.We should all learn from this to never allow it to happen again. But unfortunately it is too late for that, there are too many among us thirsty for power who will do anything to achieve their goal.

Two different books, originally published separately, written by Primo Levi; "If This Is A Man and The Truce". The first part is Primo Levi's account of the time he spent in Auschwitz and the second part follows his liberation from the camp and his long, torturous journey through Russia and parts of Europe to Italy. Levi describes his experiences in a simple, clean way which adds to the overall feeling of horror. The most haunting accounts are his descriptions of the psychological impact of a camp regime which sought only to break, de-humanize and kill. Levi begins his journey with a sense of total bewilderment, he had now idea Auschwitz existed until he arrived there, but he grows to display a huge amount of humanity and an uncanny ability to make profound, analytical insights into the nature of human beings. His account of life after the war and the breakdown of 'civilized' society is educational and an important part of World history. Immensely honest, emotional and well written. Recommended to all. I would also recommend "If This Is A Woman: Inside Ravensbruck: Hitler's Concentration Camp for Women" by Sarah Helm.

At first, and until he reaches 'The Bottom' If This Is A Man is an almost unbearable read. In fact, I felt sick because although I have read a decent amount about the suffering of the Jews, nothing I have read has quite captured the utter despair and wretchedness of being sent into the pit of hell in such a defeated, but dignified, manner. There is no attempt to describe the squalid minutiae of the privations suffered by the deportees; instead, Levi focuses, at times as though disconnected, on the humiliation, the deprivation and the complete dulling of the senses.But, from 'The Bottom', Levi outlines how the strong survived, how there was more than luck in surviving the constant hunger and work and selections, and the ways that certain prisoners triumphed through their ingenuity. He understands what a man has to do to live, and only once does he really, really judge a prisoner triumphing in his luck at escaping selection, when he wishes God would spit on the spared man's prayers.Throughout the whole book, Levi never tries (I suppose he doesn't have to!)to invoke pity, he just tries to make you understand life and death in the Lager. This is the true beauty of If This Is A Man. It spares you much of the gore and the filth and the madness - it just explains it all quietly, relatively dispassionately and with such humanity.It's a beautiful read written by a beautiful and intelligent man.You must read this.

This is an important book which needs to be read. Levi writes simply, beautifully and 'as a witness, not a victim.''If this is a man' is a journey into the very heart of darkness, yet it is written without anger or reprisal inherent. This is just how it happened. This is how far the race can fall.By contrast, 'The Truce' is a return journey into the light, peopled with odd characters and odder events. True, most of us may well have buckled under such events, but Levi's light touch and fundamental humanity turn this into a picaresques odyssey in which generous action and a better version of humanity is possible and apparent.But one is reminded that Levi will always carry Auschwitz with him.'This needs to be read' is a phrase which shouts out 'worthiness' and may therefore turn off many. Don't be put off. Learn why these events must never be forgotten nor conveniently marginalised.

J'ai lu ce livre pour la première fois dans ma langue maternelle, l'italien, à l'age de 16 ans. J'en ai été bouleversée. Je l'ai été encore plus lors du suicide de son auteur, acte totalement en désaccord avec ce qu'il avait écrit.J'ai acheté ce livre en anglais pour en faire cadeau à un ami ashkénaze qui n'en connaissait pas l'existence, pour qu'il comprenne qu'il y avait dans les camps une réalité encore plus terrible que peu de rescapés racontent ....

All of his books should be put on the list for required reading before leaving school - the most important lesson to be learnt!

Dovrebbe venire letto da tutti

IF THIS IS A MAN is the British title of what was curiously published in the US as SURVIVING AUSCHWITZ. This edition is divided between Levi’s story of survival in the camp and, in THE TRUCE, his circuitous journey from Auschwitz back to his home in Turin. I’m dividing my review into corresponding halves.IF THIS IS A MAN - With spare but lively prose, Levi recounts his deportation, confinement, and improbable survival within Auschwitz. No matter how dispiriting his situation, Levi never stoops to outright hopelessness. There’s something between the words that glows. He creates a tableau of barbarism and humanity enmeshed within each other. The characters he draws are intensely vivid and precisely rendered. This book deserves its place in the canon. In Levi, humanity found someone to record our darkest chapter, someone who can transport a reader with descriptions such as “[T]he Buna is desperately and essentially opaque and grey. The huge entanglement of iron, concrete, mud, and smoke is the negation of beauty…Within its bounds, not a blade of grass grows, and the soil is impregnated with the poisonous saps of coal and petroleum, and the only things alive are the machines and slaves - and the former more alive than the latter.” Has anything so dark been illuminated with such delicate, flawless language? IF THIS IS A MAN will endure, and outlive all of us. It’s a book that brings out the spirit of what it means to be alive amid so much death. It explores the fundamental truths that will always (eventually) triumph over our darker inner natures. This is a book you’ll return to again and again.THE TRUCE - The companion piece in this volume reveals Levi’s slow, tortuous journey back to freedom. It’s a fascinating read. We think of history in connected blocks - e.g. WWII ended when Germany capitulated, end of story - but there’s much more to it, as Levi reveals. Just because the Russians had chased the SS from the death camps didn’t mean the survivors’ ordeal was over. Europe smoldered, and confusion had settled atop the ruins. Levi still has to form alliances and find food. This book doesn’t have as many breathtaking moments as IF THIS IS A MAN, but it’s still an important work. It’s easy to forget that history is actually countless small, individual stories that cohere into something larger. THE TRUCE brings out those small moments among people who were at the mercy of history, but, thanks to Primo Levi, have been memorialized and rendered immortal. Their stories survive.

It goes without saying that books and articles about the Holocaust need to be treated very carefully and with tremendous respect. IF THIS IS A MAN by Primo Levi is like this. This literary experience opens in a truly remarkable manner. It is at once incredibly moving, and immediately horrifying. You canâ(tm)t read more than a handful of pages (or paragraphs, or lines of text even) without feeling overwhelmed and helpless and offended in the most extreme way possible. Conversely, phrases of note are come across early in the book, and the reader may well find themselves thinking how well that sentence was penned and how nicely it sits in the readerâ(tm)s mind. And in the next heartbeat, you may well admonish yourself for finding joy and discovering anything of note or pleasure in the words that describe such a terrible, terrible place.Chapter one is given the title, â(tm)THE JOURNEYâ(tm) and chapter two is called, â(tm)ON THE BOTTOMâ(tm). The opening salvo leaves the reader with a feeling of impending doom (bordering on terror) but chapter two has a much greater emotional impact. Chapter three shows that some prisoners held on to hope longer than others; indeed, the bookâ(tm)s narrator appears to have lost all hope by the start of chapter four. He meets up with a friend from BEFORE who blesses the reader with this delightful quote (taken from location 635 of the kindle version) in answer to the question of why waste time and effort keeping yourself clean with soap when all signs of personal and soulful hygiene are lost within a few seconds of stepping beyond the washroom?âae... We are slaves, deprived of every right, exposed to every insult, condemned to certain death, but we still possess one power, and we must defend it with all our strength for it is the last â" the power to refuse our consent...âITIAM is an extraordinary reading experience; and it is a hideous reading experience. You donâ(tm)t really know what to think, and you donâ(tm)t really know where to look. Truth has the peculiar habit of sneaking up on you and staring you right in the face. All you can do is stare back.Think.Question.Resolve.-----------------April 25, 2015 and the book is finished. As I approach its finale, and as Levi returns home, I come across quotes of text that approach literary highlights and significant moments of the tome itself. I won't quote them here, but I have no doubt you will discover them yourself. For example look at kindle locations 5492 to 5495, and also 5506.What a book. What an experience. What a nightmare.---------------------