The Periodic Table

'So it happens, therefore, that every element says something to someone' Inspired by the rhythms of the "Periodic Table", Primo Levi assesses his life in terms of the chemical elements he associates with his past. From his birth into an Italian Jewish family through his training as a chemist, to the pain and darkness of the Holocaust and its aftermath, Levi reflects on the diff...

'So it happens, therefore, that every element says something to someone' Inspired by the rhythms of the "Periodic Table", Primo Levi assesses his life in terms of the chemical elements he associates with his past. From his birth into an Italian Jewish family through his training as a chemist, to the pain and darkness of the Holocaust and its aftermath, Levi reflects on the difficult course of his life in this heartfelt and deeply moving book.

普里莫·莱维（1919-1987），意大利化学家，也被誉为意大利国宝级作家。他是奥斯维辛幸存者，第174517号囚犯，也是二十世纪最引人注目的公众喉舌，备受索尔·贝娄，菲利普·罗斯、卡尔维诺以及安伯托·艾柯等文学大师的推崇。

莱维1947年出版回忆奥斯维辛经历的处女作《这是不是个人》时，卡尔维诺为他撰写书评，直至该书于1958年推出修订版，莱维才终获文坛认可。从此，他的创作如源泉喷涌，涉及诗歌、小说、回忆录等各个领域。1963年出版的《终战》，描述他从集中营得救回到意大利的经过，这部作品被选入意大利语文教材，并于1997年被改编为电影《劫后余生》。

出版于1975年的《元素周期表》是莱维最为著名的作品之一，并在2016被BBC出于教育公众的目的，改编成两集广播剧。