ŽIVOT U „PERIODNOM SISTEMU“ PRIMA LEVIJA

Abstract

In the predominantly autobiographical collection of short stories The Periodic Table, Primo Levi gives a framework for his life starting from the memories of his ancestors and his early youth, which is why the work provides an insight into the formation of the chemist’s character, which will later be decisive for Levi’s survival in the concentration camp. Through the analysis of The Periodic Table, we will establish elements that are also significant for the interpretation of Levi’s work If This is a Man, for which The Periodic Table can be a kind of introduction, even though it was written much later. In the short stories, the chemist’s way of thinking stands out, for whom chemistry is a connection with life. Through the analysis, we also arrive at an answer to the question of why Levi essentially remained a chemist and when he became a famous writer, which is inextricably linked to the events during his stay in the camp. The results we arrive at reveal to us what image of himself Levi needed to leave behind, in which his literature played a major role.