A Centaur in Auschwitz Reflections on Primo Levi's Thinking

by Giuliani, Massimo; Brilliant, Richard

• ISBN13: 9780739107423
• ISBN10: 0739107429
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2003-10-07
• Publisher: Lexington Books

Summary

In A Centaur in Auschwitz, Massimo Giuliani sheds new light on Primo Levi's rational, demythologizing approach to suffering and survival. Whether working in narrative or poetic form, Levi grappled with the ambiguities and complexities of innocence and guilt, triumph and loss. This unique book, with its concise overview of Levi's expression and development as a writer, reveals Primo Levi for what he was: scientist, intellectual, Jew, human, and dedicated seeker of the roots of human dignity.

Author Biography

Massimo Giuliani is Professor of Jewish Studies at the University of Trent, Italy, and Adjunct Professor of Philosophy at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia.

Table of Contents

Preface
Richard Brilliant	vii
Acknowledgments	ix
Introduction
Primo Levi in America	1	(6)
Chapter 1 An Intellectual Autobiography
The Periodic Table as the Gateway to Understanding Primo Levi	7	(10)
Chapter 2 Reactions
Primo Levi's Chemistry and His Fascist Education	17	(10)
Chapter 3 "I Am a Centaur"
Primo Levi's Self Portrait	27	(10)
Chapter 4 Number 174517
Understanding and the Conflict of Virtue	37	(10)
Chapter 5 "More by Chance than by Virtue"
The Role of Luck in Levi's Weltanschauung	47	(8)
Chapter 6 The Star of Salvaction
The Meaning of "Being Saved"	55	(10)
Chapter 7 Levi's Cultural Judaism
A Religion of Conscience and Freedom	65	(8)
Chapter 8 "Consider that this has been"
Primo Levi as a Poet	73	(12)
Chapter 9 In the Ocean of Literature
The Naturalistic-Encyclopedic Style of Levi's Narrative	85	(10)
Conclusion Outside of the Circle	95	(6)
Bibliography	101	(6)
Index	107	(4)
About the Author	111