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If This Is a Man / The Truce

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If This Is a Man / The Truce

By: Primo Levi, Stuart Woolf - translator
Narrated by: Henry Goodman
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About this listen

Translated by Stuart Woolf.

'With the moral stamina and intellectual poise of a twentieth-century Titan, this slightly built, dutiful, unassuming chemist set out systematically to remember the German hell on earth, steadfastly to think it through, and then to render it comprehensible in lucid, unpretentious prose. He was profoundly in touch with the minutest workings of the most endearing human events and with the most contemptible. What has survived in Levi's writing isn't just his memory of the unbearable, but also, in The Periodic Table and The Wrench, his delight in what made the world exquisite to him. He was himself a magically endearing man, the most delicately forceful enchanter I've ever known.' (Philip Roth)

©2014 Primo Levi (P)2014 Hachette Audio World Heartfelt Inspiring Thought-Provoking

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Critic reviews

"The death of Primo Levi robs Italy of one of its finest writers...One of the few survivors of the Holocaust to speak of his experiences with a gentle voice." ( The Guardian)
"A life-changing book." ( Daily Express
"One of the greatest human testaments of the era." (Philip Roth)
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An outstanding autobiography, written very matter of factly but with beautiful emotion. I find that most books written about the holocaust put a lot of focus on the perpetrators, while this is a very human and very sad recollection of Levi's time in the camp which dwells on his story and those of the other remarkable people around him.
It is a book which I always recommend to others as it is not only an interesting history but a beautifully written one.

The narrator conveys the at times quite detached way in which Levi writes, but also brings great emotion when appropriate.

A book everyone should read, with great narration

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The story of one man of many's ordeal. Important that we still keep remembering and learning so that we don't allow hatred of a race to decimate the world again.

Powerfully moving

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If you only read/listen to one book about the Holocaust, let it be this one. Honest, measured, humane, beautifully observed and written. Also read The Truce, the story of Primo Levi’s return journey home. These books are for everyone - they were set texts for my undergrad students, who always appreciated them. This audible version is excellent - Henry Goodman’s narration is superb. Primo Levi added a postscript that answered frequently-asked questions; it would have been helpful for many listeners if that afterword were also included in this audio version.

Superb

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amazing shocking testement of the holocaust. with the extra bonus of getting to know Primo, the most hypnotic scientist and humanitarian Italian.

a must read. perfect complement to 'night' by Visel

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A very moving and powerful account, beautifully read, and in which there is much to reflect on.

powerful and absorbing.

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An important reminder of the brutality of man, especially as the world flirts with the right wing once more. Have we not learnt our lessons from history? Never again.

Such bravery in the face of such extreme adversity. Wonderfully told. A must add to your audio library.






More relevant now than ever

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I am actually at a loss for words (rare!). This is book can be described technically, factually, literally, and so on, but words don't injustice.

Please please please just do yourself and all of humanity a massive favour and read it. On one level Primo predicted a lot of things including current events (as of December 2023) in the middle East. As he taught me in the book, it's not to take sides but to understand how the darkness within man can so easily be uh unleashed, even without their own explicit knowledge.

Peace and love to all beings. May you have a peaceful and happy Life

Speechless, spellbound, and stupefied

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gripping and informative story in these two books. The narrator was very good as well.

A unique...

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a superb classic of survival, brilliantly translated and sensitively narrated with changes of tone and emphasis

insightful moving stories, superbly narrated

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Levi's writing style is often clear and profound in equal measure. I found myself blindsided many times by his ability to cut through the chaff and hit straight upon the heart of the matter. The narration is expertly done. The cadence and rhythm of the narrator alongside the personality of accents renders the memoir vivacious.

Beautiful writing brought to life by excellent narration

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