Answering Auschwitz: Primo Levi's Science and Humanism after the Fall

Preface

p r e f a c e In April 1987, as my classmates and I were preparing to graduate from college, word arrived that the Italian writer and Holocaust survivor Primo Levi had died, presumably a suicide. Like millions of people around the world, I was stunned. Having read only his first book, Survival in Auschwitz , I had formed an image of Levi as calm, serene, a beacon of hope in a postwar Europe, a writer informed by the traditional legacy of humanism and the Enlightenment. If anyone had shown us how to live in a postHolocaust world, surely it was Primo Levi. And yet . . . Haunted by that death, I eventually found Levi’s other books, then his science fiction, poetry, essays, and two novels, The Monkey’s Wrench and If Not Now, When? When Hofstra University asked me to organize a conference on the writer, I readily agreed, hoping that an academic atmosphere would banish that ghost. In fact, the reverse was true. Unable to exorcise that perplexing, complicated, and sometimes frustrating figure, I (perhaps foolishly) agreed to organize a second conference to commemorate the twentieth anniversary of his death. The essays published here were first presented at that three-day international conference at Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York. I am indebted to the administration of Hofstra University, especially President Stuart Rabinowitz, his charming wife, Nancy (a devoted admirer of the Italian writer), Provost Herman A. Berliner , and Dean Bernard J. Firestone of the Hofstra College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. The conference was a success in large part because of the dedication and professionalism of the staff of the Hofstra Cultural Center, especially its director, Natalie Datlof; the associate director, Athelene Collins -Prince; and conference coordinator Deborah Lom. Colleagues from Scotland, Italy, England, Israel, Belgium, and the United States participated to ensure a fruitful and collegial exchange of ideas. I am grateful for their dedication and their acceptance of editorial guidance with good grace and cheer. Thanks also to three anonymous readers whose suggestions made this a better book. This publication was made possible, in part, by a grant from the Elmer Kirsch Memorial Endowment for the Hofstra Cultural Center. vii viii Preface Some essays deal directly with Levi and his work; others tangentially use Levi’s writings or ideas to explore larger issues in Holocaust studies, philosophy, theology, and the problem of representation. These are included here in the spirit that Levi described himself: proud of being ‘‘impure’’ and a ‘‘centaur,’’ cognizant that asymmetry was the fundamental structure of organic life. I am grateful to Terri Bowman for permission to reproduce artwork she completed while taking a course with me on Primo Levi during the spring 2006 semester, and to Rene Burri and Magnum Photos for permission to use one of his fine photos of Levi for the cover. Readers should note that some authors refer to Levi’s first book as Survival in Auschwitz (the common American translation of Se questo è un uomo), while others use the more telling and correct British translation If This Is a Man. Finally, a word of thanks to Jennifer Romanello and our children, Alessandro and Giulia. Over the past few years, as I was working on another project concerning Carlo Levi, the children often cautioned me to avoid confusing the two Levis. I hope we have not failed Primo Levi in remembering him here. A ns we ri ng Au sc hw it z ...