Uma introdução à poesia de Primo Levi

The essay is an overall introduction to Primo Levi’s poetry (1945-1987). In the first part, it is proposed to study Levi’s poetry as an independent work of art yet taking into account the writing process of each poem and exploring subjects, forms of expressions and contradictions in Levi’s poetics. After some remarks about the controversial dating of some poems in the 1970s, it is proposed to separate Levi’s poetry into two time periods: from 1945 to 1975 (release date of the book L’osteria di Berma) and from 1978 to 1987. The essay contains a close reading of the peculiar modes of quoting and translating in Levi’s poetry. A thematic itinerary about one of the strongest issues in Levi’s poetry across four decades (his evolving relation with the lager experience) concludes the article.