LEVI, Primo

LEVI, Primo
(1919-1987)
   Italian survivor of Auschwitz, industrial chemist, autobiographer, essayist and writer of fiction: one of the most distinguished men of letters of his generation, winning international fame late in life. In much of his work - e.g., Il sistema periodica (1975; trans Raymond Rosenthal as The Periodic Table 1984 US) - metaphors drawn from science illuminate subjects normally thought of as literary or historical, in a manner unusual in Europe generally and especially unusual for a writer in ITALY, a country where the gap between the two cultures is especially wide. This is true also of his sf stories, mostly sharp, ironical fables, almost reductionist, that nevertheless often metamorphose into direct affirmations of the values of life in a way unusual in sf anywhere. Many feature a discomforting exploitation of strange inventions, or a distancing alien perspective on human life. PL's sf stories appear in 2 Italian collections, Storie naturali (coll 1966) as by DamianoMalabaila, and Vizio di forma (coll 1977), collected together in English as The Sixth Day and Other Tales (trans Raymond Rosenthal omni 1990 US). A typical story is "Excellent is the Water", where a gradual increase in the viscosity of water in an Italian river spreads to become a worldwide phenomenon, thereby serving as an image of the torpor and lethargy of the heart's flow in our 20th-century world.
   PN
   Other works: La Chiave a Stella (1978; trans William Weaver as The Monkey's Wrench 1986 US; vt The Wrench 1987 UK) contains embedded fabular tales.
   See also: CLONES.

Science Fiction and Fantasy Encyclopedia. . 2011.

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  • LEVI, PRIMO — (1919–1987), Italian author. Levi was born in Turin and trained as a chemist, receiving his degree from the University of Turin three years after Mussolini had barred Jews from higher education. Although he had a bar mitzvah he was far from his… …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

  • Levi, Primo — born July 31, 1919, Turin, Italy died April 11, 1987, Turin Italian writer and chemist. Two years after obtaining a degree in chemistry, Levi, who was Jewish, was captured by the Nazis and sent to Auschwitz as a slave labourer. His… …   Universalium

  • Levi, Primo — (1919–1987)    A Jewish Italian from Turin who initially specialized in chemistry, Levi’s documentary novel, Se questo e un uomo (translated as If This Is a Man, 1947), is regarded as one of the classics of holocaust literatureand has been one of …   Historical Dictionary of modern Italy

  • Levi, Primo — (1919–87)    Italian scientist and writer. Levi was educated at the University of Turin and was subsequently employed as a chemist. He was arrested in 1943 and sent to Auschwitz where his scientific qualifications enabled him to survive. After… …   Who’s Who in Jewish History after the period of the Old Testament

  • Levi, Primo — (31 jul. 1919, Turín, Italia–11 abr. 1987, Turín). Escritor y químico italiano. Dos años después de titularse de químico, Levi, quien era judío, fue capturado por los nazis y enviado a Auschwitz, como trabajador esclavo. Sus obras autobiográficas …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • Levi, Primo — (1919 87)    Italian author. He was born in Turin, and trained as a chemist. His works, many of which describe his experiences in Auschwitz, include // this Is a Man and The Truce …   Dictionary of Jewish Biography

  • Levi, Primo — (Torino 1919 1987) scrittore; poeta …   Dizionario biografico elementare del Novecento letterario italiano

  • Primo Lévi — Primo Levi Pour les articles homonymes, voir Levi. Primo Levi, né le 31 juillet 1919 à Turin et mort le 11 avril 1987 à Turin, est l un des plus célèbres survivants de la Shoah. Juif italien de naissance, chimiste de profession et de vocation, il …   Wikipédia en Français

  • LEVI (P.) — LEVI PRIMO (1919 1987) Voix singulière dans la littérature italienne que celle de Primo Levi, né à Turin en 1919, où il soutiendra brillamment en 1941 sa thèse en chimie. Cette voix se fait entendre pour la première fois en 1947, quand un petit… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Levi (surname) — Levi is a surname, and may refer to:* Yehuda Halevi * Alexander Levi * Barrington Levy * Beppo Levi, Italian mathematician * Bernard Levy * Carlo Levi * Charles Levi (a.k.a. Levi Levi) of the bands My Life With the Thrill Kill Kult and Pigface *… …   Wikipedia

  • Levi — Levi, Carlo * * * (as used in expressions) Bowen, Norman L(evi) Heller, Yom Tov (Lipmann ben Nathan Ha Levi) Levi Strauss & Co. Levi, Primo …   Enciclopedia Universal

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