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Available
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Publication
London, UK; Abacus, 1989.
Description
Scientist, resistance fighter and Holocaust survivor, Primo Levi was one of Italy's greatest writers and an internationally renowned chronicler of human nature. In his masterpiece The Periodic Table, he charts his incredible life story through the medium of chemistry, using the titular list of elements - the building blocks of everything - as a prism to explore his experiences and search his soul. In this superlative BBC adaptation, all 21 of the peerless stories in Levi's memoir are incorporated into 11 radio episodes, comprising both compelling dramatisations (starring Henry Goodman as the older Primo and Akbar Kurtha as his younger self) and eloquent readings by Paul Copley, Ben Crowe, Evie Killip and Henry Goodman. The chapters are preceded by a short introductory feature by Janet Suzman, discussing Levi's life and writing and featuring archive interviews with Levi himself. We hear of Levi's student days in Fascist Italy, his battles as a partisan, his imprisonment in Auschwitz, his subsequent career as a professional chemist, and his imagined meeting with his Piedmontese ancestors - as well as his job in a paint factory in the 1960s and an unsettling encounter with his past. Alongside these autobiographical meditations are fabulous fictional tales of a European prospector, a little girl enchanted by white paint, an 1820s captain living on a remote island with strange chemical properties, and the incredible, centuries-long journey of a single carbon atom... Named 'the best science book ever' by the Royal Institution of Great Britain, this astonishing compilation fuses autobiography and fantasy, science and emotion, to extraordinary effect. Vivid, powerful and breathtaking, it will surprise, amuse and move you, lingering in your imagination and changing the way you look at the world.… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member Helenliz
I'm really not sure what I expected from this, but it was enthralling, nonetheless. Primo Levi uses elements of the periodic table to tell autobiographical snippets of his life. some of them have a concrete relationship to the element of the title, like the Tin they were using to make mirror backs.
They snippets play out is approximately chronological order, starting with his family, progressing through college and then it comes to his experiences during the war and his internment in Auschwitz. He writes of this with seemingly little bitterness, it is very factual and matter of fact - almost understated - and all in beautiful prose. It almost belies what you're reading to read it expressed in this way.
It's a really quite startling read in some respects, yet it is told from the comfort and security of old age such that you experience it at a distance. A really worthy book.
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Some are less obvious, iron is about a college (I think) colleague with whom he went mountaineering - maybe not always following the strictest protocol. this puts an iron in his soul (toughens him up, maybe) and so relates to the elements name in a more indirect manner. They snippets play out is approximately chronological order, starting with his family, progressing through college and then it comes to his experiences during the war and his internment in Auschwitz. He writes of this with seemingly little bitterness, it is very factual and matter of fact - almost understated - and all in beautiful prose. It almost belies what you're reading to read it expressed in this way.
It's a really quite startling read in some respects, yet it is told from the comfort and security of old age such that you experience it at a distance. A really worthy book.
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LibraryThing member neurodrew
This book is partly memoir, partly fiction, with each chapter entitled for an element from the periodic table. The element may introduce a reminiscence, or be the subject of a short fantasy. The author earned his doctorate in chemistry, and earned his living as an industrial chemist, working in a
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number of different jobs. He finished his doctorate in Mussolini's Italy in about 1942. He joined the partisans when the Germans moved into Italy, but was captured, and, being a Jew, sent to Auschwitz. He identified himself as a chemist, and was put to work in a nearby synthetic rubber factory, narrowly avoiding the death march that ended the lives of most of the remaining survivors when the Russians moved in. He has two other books about that time of his life, and there is only a few bits of that history in this book. The writing was elegant, absorbing, and witty, and some of the early chapters on his relatives in the Piedmont were hilarious. I read this while on airplanes and travel with Joe to colleges. Show Less
LibraryThing member Stodelay
I read this book as an undergrad in Provo. I remember after reading Survival in Auschwitz wanting to read everything I could find by Levi. I read this and wasn't initially wowed by it, but as time passed and I revisited the stories, my appreciation really grew. The book is structurally very clever,
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with several chapters named after various elements, and in each of the chapters Levi tells a story that centers around or involves that element in some essential way. The most humane chemistry book I have ever read (not that there's really much competition, but all the same). Show Less
LibraryThing member EmreSevinc
Only after I finished the book have I learned that the Royal Institution of Great Britain named it the best science book ever in 2006. I, for one, have no objection!
Reading this book in 2016 as a mathematician and a software engineer in my mid-career has an interesting appeal to me. Why? Because
The power of those stories are difficult to describe in a few sentences: Most of them start very ordinary and quickly develop and mysterious surprises that draw you quickly into mind of the author. Some of them read like detective stories, whereas some of them force you to face the tragedies that simple, ordinary people underwent.
One of the aspects I've enjoyed most is how Levi view chemistry and its relation to life, as well as his relationship with the field, from his university freshman years when he was an idealist student, viewing chemistry as a source of truth and wisdom, to the times he worked as customer service consultant for a big company, visiting big customers to explain products and try to sell them. His description of himself as an old chemist entering the laboratory again after many years is unforgettable! A particular set of professionals will understand what I mean.
I enjoyed the book a lot, not only during its fun, scientific, 'nerdy' and 'geek' parts, but also the difficult parts where Levi relates to his Auschwitz in the most surprising and agonizing ways.
This book motivated me very much to read Levi's other works, and I can happily recommend it: You will witness the smart smile of a man who had more than his share of life and knew how to convey some of it using the chemistry of language, as well as the language of chemistry.
Reading this book in 2016 as a mathematician and a software engineer in my mid-career has an interesting appeal to me. Why? Because
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here is a great author, and a chemist by trade and formal education, writing in his 50s, telling not only fantastic personal stories, but also weaving a scientific / technical narrative that gets a life of its own, if I may say so. I'm so much used to reading and creating analogies between real life and computing technology that Levi's writing feels very fresh and enjoyable, only difference being the use of chemistry jargon, instead of computing. Of course, I don't know many great authors from the field of computing who survived the horrible Auschwitz concentration camp.The power of those stories are difficult to describe in a few sentences: Most of them start very ordinary and quickly develop and mysterious surprises that draw you quickly into mind of the author. Some of them read like detective stories, whereas some of them force you to face the tragedies that simple, ordinary people underwent.
One of the aspects I've enjoyed most is how Levi view chemistry and its relation to life, as well as his relationship with the field, from his university freshman years when he was an idealist student, viewing chemistry as a source of truth and wisdom, to the times he worked as customer service consultant for a big company, visiting big customers to explain products and try to sell them. His description of himself as an old chemist entering the laboratory again after many years is unforgettable! A particular set of professionals will understand what I mean.
I enjoyed the book a lot, not only during its fun, scientific, 'nerdy' and 'geek' parts, but also the difficult parts where Levi relates to his Auschwitz in the most surprising and agonizing ways.
This book motivated me very much to read Levi's other works, and I can happily recommend it: You will witness the smart smile of a man who had more than his share of life and knew how to convey some of it using the chemistry of language, as well as the language of chemistry.
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LibraryThing member ben_a
A magnificent book.
I just re-read this while on the train back from New York with my wife. but On the very last page, I found the note "York & 60th, Hospital Building, 8th Floor." This was the address of my wife's (then my girlfriend's) lab in New York 13 years ago. Evidently I first read it on the
I just re-read this while on the train back from New York with my wife. but On the very last page, I found the note "York & 60th, Hospital Building, 8th Floor." This was the address of my wife's (then my girlfriend's) lab in New York 13 years ago. Evidently I first read it on the
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bus down to New York to see her right after college. (7.3.07) Show Less
LibraryThing member samatoha
A masterpiece.Truely original,might be pretentios if other writers wrote it,but with the warmth and humanity of Levi's writing, is becomes a magnificent achievment.
LibraryThing member Niecierpek
It's a memoir of an Italian Jewish chemist organized into tales based on the elements from the Periodic Table. He says that,
'So it happens, ..., that every element says something to someone (something different to each) like the mountains valleys or beaches visited in youth.'
The stories start with
'So it happens, ..., that every element says something to someone (something different to each) like the mountains valleys or beaches visited in youth.'
The stories start with
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Argon and the times before the Second World War, go through war experiences, the concentration camp, and finish with Carbon ('since carbon says everything to everyone'), and are each about one episode from the author's life. Some stories were very good, insightful and well written. Argon (the family history), Iron (getting stranded in the mountains with a friend), or Vanadium (the correspondence with the former supervisor in Auschwitz) will stay with me for a long time, but most will be gone and forgotten in no time. Show Less
LibraryThing member theageofsilt
The elements of Levi's stories are hardly the dignified and stodgy entities we know from chemistry class. They are more like temperamental children, exploding if mishandled or unexpectedly congealing into sulky solids if the presence of the merest whiff of impurity. In some of the stories, Levi is
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a detective searching for a contaminant which has spoiled a patch of paint or X-ray paper. In others, he is an alchemist intent on extracting riches from a pile of debris. We learn of his struggle to complete his degree and find work in Fascist Italy in the face of laws discriminating against Jews. Only one story refers directly to his time in Auschwitz when he is forced to assist a German chemist who has closed his eyes to the mass murder around him. These stories have the imaginative power of Borges, but remain rooted in the material world of a scientist who is at once a petty bureaucrat, a wizard of the elements and a man who must cope with the political turmoil around him. Show Less
LibraryThing member shayuna
i got somewhat addicted to this book. I LOVE WHAT I DO IN LIFE (software engineer). but sometimes when it seems a little bit of routine breaking in i need some encouragement. and in this levi's work i find bundles of it. he loves his work, and he infects me with his love for work. work as a purpose
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in life. no shame in that. Show Less
LibraryThing member mallinje
Some of the stories are fiction and some are true but each one focuses on a different element. The non fiction stories help to fill in the small details that didn't really fit in his other books, like If This is a Man and The Truce.
LibraryThing member Tpoi
One of the most imaginitive ways of constructing a remembrance of history, biography and trauma. Levi, a Jewish-Italian chemical engineer who was sent to Auschwitz, uses the Periodic Table of Elements as frame and metaphoric language. It is so unique and thought-provoking, and completely bypasses
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my "I've read so much on the Holocaust that i can't really get hit with anything new, okay?" filter. I am curious to know how the word choices and language seem and feel in Italian which I can't read. In any case the translated text is good. Show Less
LibraryThing member eachurch
An inventive and thoughtful memoir. Not being a chemist, or being particularly interested in chemistry, occasionally I found parts of it tough going, but overall it is a powerful examination of an extraordinary life.
LibraryThing member santhony
I picked up this book, written by Primo Levi by virtue of its place on Everyman’s Library list of 100 Essentials. The story traces the author’s life as a young Chemistry student in pre-war Italy through his experience as an Auschwitz survivor and post-war chemist. Much of the book is factual
Each chapter is named for and takes its theme from an element in the periodic table. I must admit that the first chapter is so mind numbingly, stunningly bad that I barely made it to chapter two. Thereafter, the story picks up and soon becomes quite gripping until the final chapter (Carbon) that lost me completely. The chapters are roughly autobiographical and chronological in order, with the exception of two short stories (Lead and Mercury), written by the young Levi prior to his Auschwitz experience. The autobiographical chapters are actually vignettes rather than part of a single narrative. In essence, the whole book is actually a collection of stand-alone, short stories.
Bottom line: Skip chapter one. It is absolutely meaningless and in my opinion contributes nothing to the book. If you try to read it, you run the risk of tossing the book before reaching chapter two, where the fun begins. The final chapter returns to the pleasure level of chapter one. If this were a sandwich, I’d throw away the bread (first and last chapter) and just eat the meat.
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and historical, parts are fictional and whimsical.Each chapter is named for and takes its theme from an element in the periodic table. I must admit that the first chapter is so mind numbingly, stunningly bad that I barely made it to chapter two. Thereafter, the story picks up and soon becomes quite gripping until the final chapter (Carbon) that lost me completely. The chapters are roughly autobiographical and chronological in order, with the exception of two short stories (Lead and Mercury), written by the young Levi prior to his Auschwitz experience. The autobiographical chapters are actually vignettes rather than part of a single narrative. In essence, the whole book is actually a collection of stand-alone, short stories.
Bottom line: Skip chapter one. It is absolutely meaningless and in my opinion contributes nothing to the book. If you try to read it, you run the risk of tossing the book before reaching chapter two, where the fun begins. The final chapter returns to the pleasure level of chapter one. If this were a sandwich, I’d throw away the bread (first and last chapter) and just eat the meat.
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LibraryThing member P_S_Patrick
Primo Levi's Perdiodic Table is closer to being an autobiography than anything else, with each chapter being an interesting and self standing story of events that he experienced (with the exception of two chapters that are works of fiction which he wrote).
Levi was a Jewish Italian chemist,
As did many Jews at that time, Levi experienced the unpleasantness of the Nazis, and several of the chapters take place during the war years. His experience in Auschwitz itself is not detailed here, but is recounted in another of his works which was published before this.
There is much here that will appeal to the non-scientist too, as this is also a great illustration of human nature, of philosophical appreciation of life and nature. If I had read this when I was 14 or 15, I might have been tempted to become a chemist instead of a biologist.
Levi was a Jewish Italian chemist,
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before, after, and during the second world war. Though he wasn't famous as a chemist, and mainly worked in industry, he has published various books, and for these he is well known. As someone with biochemical research experience, I really got into this book and enjoyed the stories very much. The science contained in them isn't overly technical, but does add a lot to the interest in the stories. Several of them, for example, rely on the tension of the outcome of a chemical problem he has to solve, and the consequences of his doing so or not. As did many Jews at that time, Levi experienced the unpleasantness of the Nazis, and several of the chapters take place during the war years. His experience in Auschwitz itself is not detailed here, but is recounted in another of his works which was published before this.
There is much here that will appeal to the non-scientist too, as this is also a great illustration of human nature, of philosophical appreciation of life and nature. If I had read this when I was 14 or 15, I might have been tempted to become a chemist instead of a biologist.
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LibraryThing member otterley
An exceptionally wise and thoughtful book. Levi's stories, inspired by the elements, offer a mix of history, anecdote and autobiography. The walls of the concentration camp close in and the survival instinct kicks in - chemistry as tool for the hustle and scramble of survival. The stories come full
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circle with the tale of the most basic element of all, the essential for life, the element that lies within us and around us, that makes up the brain that thinks and the fingers that write. Essential humanity is, it appears, a matter of chemistry - no more, no less. Show Less
LibraryThing member mbmackay
This is a quirky book by an Italian survivor of Auschwitz. Rated as one of the best science books ever written, I found it worked better when viewed as a memoir. Levi had written elsewhere of his war experiences, and the awful events he faced during WW2 form more of a background here. He uses
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various elements from the periodic table to serve as triggers/themes for a collection of stories about his life as a chemistry student and professional. Wonderfully understated, the result works. I feel I now know a little bit of the man, and of his working life as an industrial chemist. The edition I read had an introductory chapter by Philip Roth which helped by giving me background I would have otherwise lacked. Read March 2014. Show Less
LibraryThing member FKarr
memoir, coming-of-age story, small touch of science--just enough to intrigue and give a feel for his career and to tie his life to the physical world
LibraryThing member jwhenderson
Thomas Mann began his tetralogy, Joseph and His Brothers, with this sentence: "Very deep is the well of the past." Primo Levi's memoir, The Periodic Table, demonstrates this metaphor in a much smaller, compact space. The lives of Levi and his Piedmont ancestors are explored through stories that
Some of his thoughts are about reading and its meaning for his life. This is a topic that I especially love to explore and learn about; I will take it up in this introductory commentary on his memoir. His reading is based on his love for great literature particularly his appreciation for the writings of Thomas Mann, whom he holds in the highest esteem.
Early in the narrative during his sojourn as a chemistry student he meets Rita, a fellow student, and is attracted to her although, due to his shyness, he does not know how to approach her. He reaches a point where "I thought myself condemned to a perpetual masculine solitude, denied a woman's smile forever". Yet one day he found beside her, peeking out of her bag, a book. It was The Magic Mountain. He relates, "it was my sustenance during those months, the timeless story of Hans Castorp in enchanted exile on the magic mountain. I asked Rita about it, on tenterhooks to hear her opinion, as if I had written the book: and soon enough I had to realize that she was reading the novel in an entirely different way. As a novel, in fact: she was very interested in finding out exactly how far Hans would go with Madame Chauchat, and mercilessly skipped the fascinating (for me) political, theological, and metaphysical discussions between the humanist Settembrini and the Jewish Jesuit Naphtha." (p 38)
We all may have had a similar experience more than once: finding someone (whether drawn to them by Eros or not) reading a book we love, but not reading the same book.
Levi's love for Mann's writing also provided him solace while working on a demanding project during the war. He was sequestered in a laboratory next to a nickel mine and forced to work long hours. He dared not venture far from the mine, so "Sometimes I stayed in the lab past quitting time or went back there after dinner to study, or to meditate on the problem of nickel. At other times I shut myself in to read Mann's Joseph stories in my monastic cell in the submarine. On nights when the moon was up I often took long solitary walks through the wild countryside around the mine". (p 79)
One can picture Levi pondering while walking by the light of the Tuscan moon finding comfort as did Jacob in Mann's novel when he walked in the moonlight. It is the moonlight with its "magically ambiguous precision" that mirrored for Jacob the way the traditions of the children and grandchildren of Abraham are "spun out over generations and solidified as a chronicle only much later--". ("The Tales of Jacob")
Throughout his memoir Primo Levi shares other literature and experiences as he narrates the lives of his friends, family, and ancestors. Just as he is inspired by reading Thomas Mann and the moonlight that inspired Jacob so many centuries ago he is imbued with the life of the people around him. Yes, The Periodic Table is deep, and one wonders at the lives narrated by this brilliant Jewish Italian chemist and humanist.
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illuminate the nature of the past and the source of those people's and our own humanity. This is done through vignettes that demonstrate Levi's love of chemistry and literature, his relations and relationships, while exploring his own attitude and thoughts. Some of his thoughts are about reading and its meaning for his life. This is a topic that I especially love to explore and learn about; I will take it up in this introductory commentary on his memoir. His reading is based on his love for great literature particularly his appreciation for the writings of Thomas Mann, whom he holds in the highest esteem.
Early in the narrative during his sojourn as a chemistry student he meets Rita, a fellow student, and is attracted to her although, due to his shyness, he does not know how to approach her. He reaches a point where "I thought myself condemned to a perpetual masculine solitude, denied a woman's smile forever". Yet one day he found beside her, peeking out of her bag, a book. It was The Magic Mountain. He relates, "it was my sustenance during those months, the timeless story of Hans Castorp in enchanted exile on the magic mountain. I asked Rita about it, on tenterhooks to hear her opinion, as if I had written the book: and soon enough I had to realize that she was reading the novel in an entirely different way. As a novel, in fact: she was very interested in finding out exactly how far Hans would go with Madame Chauchat, and mercilessly skipped the fascinating (for me) political, theological, and metaphysical discussions between the humanist Settembrini and the Jewish Jesuit Naphtha." (p 38)
We all may have had a similar experience more than once: finding someone (whether drawn to them by Eros or not) reading a book we love, but not reading the same book.
Levi's love for Mann's writing also provided him solace while working on a demanding project during the war. He was sequestered in a laboratory next to a nickel mine and forced to work long hours. He dared not venture far from the mine, so "Sometimes I stayed in the lab past quitting time or went back there after dinner to study, or to meditate on the problem of nickel. At other times I shut myself in to read Mann's Joseph stories in my monastic cell in the submarine. On nights when the moon was up I often took long solitary walks through the wild countryside around the mine". (p 79)
One can picture Levi pondering while walking by the light of the Tuscan moon finding comfort as did Jacob in Mann's novel when he walked in the moonlight. It is the moonlight with its "magically ambiguous precision" that mirrored for Jacob the way the traditions of the children and grandchildren of Abraham are "spun out over generations and solidified as a chronicle only much later--". ("The Tales of Jacob")
Throughout his memoir Primo Levi shares other literature and experiences as he narrates the lives of his friends, family, and ancestors. Just as he is inspired by reading Thomas Mann and the moonlight that inspired Jacob so many centuries ago he is imbued with the life of the people around him. Yes, The Periodic Table is deep, and one wonders at the lives narrated by this brilliant Jewish Italian chemist and humanist.
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LibraryThing member LovingLit
Is this my new favourite author? I think so. This book sat looking pretty on my shelf for a number of years- what a mistake that was! In saying that though, now was the right time for me and this book to come together. I have recently read [If This is a Man and the Truce], and my reading of the
The book is really a series of vignettes loosely based around elements on the periodic table, apt for the authors career as a chemist. It is 'sciencey', but more than that it is human. Wow, does this author have the turn of phrase mastered! He throws together complex sentences that don't sound pretentious, outlines peoples poor behaviour without being judgement, and notices things and is able to describe them in such lucid detail that you want to read passages again and again. I highly recommend this one.
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Periodic Table benefitted from that 'backstory'. The book is really a series of vignettes loosely based around elements on the periodic table, apt for the authors career as a chemist. It is 'sciencey', but more than that it is human. Wow, does this author have the turn of phrase mastered! He throws together complex sentences that don't sound pretentious, outlines peoples poor behaviour without being judgement, and notices things and is able to describe them in such lucid detail that you want to read passages again and again. I highly recommend this one.
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LibraryThing member krau0098
This was an intriguing book and I wasn’t quite sure what to expect going in. It ended up being well-written (more of a high literature formal style of writing) and very interesting. It took some concentration to read but I ended up liking it. My only complaint is that the story wanders quite a
I listened to this on audiobook and Jason did a perfect job in reading it. He sounded exactly like I though Levi would sound and did a great job with all the different languages and accents in here. I would definitely recommend listening to this on audiobook if you listen to audiobooks.
This book is a collection stories with each one being named after a chemical element. Some how the element name ties into the story named after it. The stories jump between renditions of Levi’s life and stories that he has written throughout his life. Because of that, things jump around a bit and it can be a bit hard to remember if you are reading about Levi’s life or if you are in the middle of a story that he created about fictional characters.
My other complaint is that the first 40 minutes were really a drag; in this portion of the story Levi introduced a whole bunch of Jewish terminology and characters that have nothing to do with anything. It was awful to get through but I am glad I stuck with it because the rest of the book was very good.
Levi writes in a very intelligent way and has a humorous tone. He weaves his experience as a chemist into the events of his lifetime and it ends up being an intriguing look at both science and life of that era. I really enjoyed it and it brought back excellent memories of my college chemistry work. I could also easily relate to some of his later product troubleshooting stories.
Overall this was an intriguing, entertaining, and accessible memoire on science in the WWII era and one man’s journey through that time. I would recommend to those interested in the 1940’s and chemistry and how the two collided during that time.
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bit.I listened to this on audiobook and Jason did a perfect job in reading it. He sounded exactly like I though Levi would sound and did a great job with all the different languages and accents in here. I would definitely recommend listening to this on audiobook if you listen to audiobooks.
This book is a collection stories with each one being named after a chemical element. Some how the element name ties into the story named after it. The stories jump between renditions of Levi’s life and stories that he has written throughout his life. Because of that, things jump around a bit and it can be a bit hard to remember if you are reading about Levi’s life or if you are in the middle of a story that he created about fictional characters.
My other complaint is that the first 40 minutes were really a drag; in this portion of the story Levi introduced a whole bunch of Jewish terminology and characters that have nothing to do with anything. It was awful to get through but I am glad I stuck with it because the rest of the book was very good.
Levi writes in a very intelligent way and has a humorous tone. He weaves his experience as a chemist into the events of his lifetime and it ends up being an intriguing look at both science and life of that era. I really enjoyed it and it brought back excellent memories of my college chemistry work. I could also easily relate to some of his later product troubleshooting stories.
Overall this was an intriguing, entertaining, and accessible memoire on science in the WWII era and one man’s journey through that time. I would recommend to those interested in the 1940’s and chemistry and how the two collided during that time.
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LibraryThing member copyedit52
Fantastic book. I toyed with giving this book four stars because several chapters veered away from the first person tone of the Primo Levi narrator and into uncomfortable (to me) make-believe; and because the final chapter, "Carbon," was barely comprehensible. But all told, the writing, the
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insights, the character portraits, and the chemistry lesson(!)--which, to my surprise, was enlightening--were too riveting to give The Periodic Table any less than five stars. Show Less
LibraryThing member JBD1
One of the better autobiographies I've read in a long time. Witty, funny, and very well written.
LibraryThing member b.masonjudy
As a concept The Periodic Table may come across as lofty or even obtuse. Upon reading there is a depth that overwhelms these trite notions of judgement. Levi's wit, candor, existential musings, and heartache are all rendered in a constellation of essays that define strict genre categorization. Levi
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writes that all writing is autobiography, and he's mapped out himself in this book in a way that is bare and buried, much like the elements that guide the reader through his life and memories. Show Less
LibraryThing member Paul_S
Never heard of this book and I was actually expecting to read about chemistry. I spent the first few chapters scratching my head but I quickly accepted and liked what I found there instead. The best kind of life story. Not a linear chain of events but a series of flashes and tangents.
LibraryThing member piefuchs
When I read this book - which was admittedly over a decade ago - I was deeply moved by its orginality. Wonderful.
Awards
Language
Original language
Italian
Original publication date
1975
Physical description
233 p.; 7.8 inches
ISBN
0349121982 / 9780349121987
Local notes
Donated by Adele Rosalky from the Earle Hoffman Private Library, February 2014.
Translated from the Italian by Raymond Rosenthal.
Translated from the Italian by Raymond Rosenthal.