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A review by nothingforpomegranted
The Reawakening: The Companion Volume to Survival in Auschwitz by Primo Levi
This is a book that I don’t feel totally comfortable rating with stars. I feel that way often with memoirs, especially Holocaust memoirs, because I would hate to devalue the experiences of the author simply because of my reading experience.
Admittedly, Levi’s writing style is not particularly to my tastes. It is extraordinarily descriptive, creating a complete picture of a landscape and characters that goes beyond my personal interests. Intriguingly, I actually felt that this memoir, a story of Levi’s own journey home upon the liberation of the Camp (an Auschwitz affiliate), had many parallels in style to Dante, that fellow Italian writer. I wasn’t expecting the similarities, but I appreciated the nicknames of the characters that Levi met along the way and felt that each stop on the journey was something of a descent into the next circle, complete with guides to lead the way.
Levi’s experiences, as those of all Holocaust survivor’s, are important to bear witness to, and I particularly valued the interview in the afterword. Levi’s reflections on the process of writing this book and on what it means to be a survivor are profound, and I admire his ability to look at the situation with a certain objectivity that is not clouded by well-deserved anger.
I am not convinced that the specific episodes from this memoir will stay with me (as I said, the rather florid writing style is less accessible to me), but I am glad to have read it nonetheless.
Admittedly, Levi’s writing style is not particularly to my tastes. It is extraordinarily descriptive, creating a complete picture of a landscape and characters that goes beyond my personal interests. Intriguingly, I actually felt that this memoir, a story of Levi’s own journey home upon the liberation of the Camp (an Auschwitz affiliate), had many parallels in style to Dante, that fellow Italian writer. I wasn’t expecting the similarities, but I appreciated the nicknames of the characters that Levi met along the way and felt that each stop on the journey was something of a descent into the next circle, complete with guides to lead the way.
Levi’s experiences, as those of all Holocaust survivor’s, are important to bear witness to, and I particularly valued the interview in the afterword. Levi’s reflections on the process of writing this book and on what it means to be a survivor are profound, and I admire his ability to look at the situation with a certain objectivity that is not clouded by well-deserved anger.
I am not convinced that the specific episodes from this memoir will stay with me (as I said, the rather florid writing style is less accessible to me), but I am glad to have read it nonetheless.