I am happy to find this monstrously large subreddit and hope to both learn about new (to me) books and perhaps introduce people to authors with which they in turn may be unfamiliar.
As for The Truce, I think a better or at least certainly more optimistic and humorous of works about the Holocaust.
It deals with Primo’s experiences being rescued by the gallant Red Army who not only chased away the scoundrels running the camp but did their best to help many people near death with medical assistance and food. Moreover, in their own way, the Soviets helped with morale and even provided assistance to foreign nationals in returning home.
**Mild Spoilers:**
I think the funniest and bitter/sweet material deals with Primo meeting the Greek, a man about whom little is known (a bio of Levi gives his name as Mordo Nahum but I do not recall his real name in The Truce) beyond what Primo describes. The man bullies Primo but also helps him survive as they wander through the post-ww2 (in Europe) landscape. Perhaps the best line of the book is when Mordo shares this piece of wisdom with Levi: “A man without shoes is a fool.” I will leave to potential readers discovering the context of this very true statement.
by relesabe
2 Comments
Thanks for sharing! I recently read the Auschwitz testimonies. It was harrowing.
Primo Levi was an absolute treasure, and is seriously underrated as a writer.