Describe Based On Books If Not Now, When?
Title | : | If Not Now, When? |
Author | : | Primo Levi |
Book Format | : | Paperback |
Book Edition | : | Anniversary Edition |
Pages | : | Pages: 331 pages |
Published | : | September 7th 2000 by Penguin Classics (first published 1982) |
Categories | : | Fiction. Historical. Historical Fiction. War. World War II. Holocaust. European Literature. Italian Literature |
Primo Levi
Paperback | Pages: 331 pages Rating: 4.25 | 2703 Users | 161 Reviews
Narration To Books If Not Now, When?
Primo Levi was among the greatest witnesses to twentieth-century atrocity. In this gripping novel, based on a true story, he reveals the extraordinary lives of the Russian, Polish and Jewish partisans trapped behind enemy lines during the Second World War. Wracked by fear, hunger and fierce rivalries, they link up, fall apart, struggle to stay alive, and to sabotage the efforts of the all-powerful German army. A compelling tale of action, resistance and epic adventure, it also reveals Levi's characteristic compassion and deep insight into the moral dilemmas of total war. It ranks alongside THE PERIOD TABLE and IF THIS IS A MAN as one of the rare authentic masterpieces of the 20th century.Define Books Supposing If Not Now, When?
Original Title: | Se non ora, quando? |
ISBN: | 014118390X (ISBN13: 9780141183909) |
Edition Language: | English |
Setting: | Russian Federation Germany |
Literary Awards: | Premio Viareggio (1982), Premio Campiello (1982) |
Rating Based On Books If Not Now, When?
Ratings: 4.25 From 2703 Users | 161 ReviewsJudge Based On Books If Not Now, When?
The story of Jewish partisans in occupied Russia during the last years of WW2.A group of people including some who escaped from camps, others that escaped pogroms and some Jewish Russian soldiers. People of different age, different background and different purposes.Some just want to live and return to their houses, others want to fight and revenge their loved ones and others want to fight in order to immigrate to Palestine.They are hunted by the Germans with their collaborators (Ukrainian,Primo Levi is one of my 10 or so favorite authors of all time. Every single book of his I've read has been essential.
"If not like this, how? And if not now, when?"This line is said by Gedale, one of the main characters of the novel towards the end of the book, but its meaning is wider.While reading many good and dramatic accounts from the Shoah there's a question that often comes to mind and mouth:"Why did all these Jewish people let themselves being humiliated, robbed, prisoned and killed by Nazis and anti-semites without trying to resist?"After all, most of the times, they had numbers on their side."Maybe -
"If I'm not for myself, who will be for me?If not this way, how? And if not now, when?" This is an amazing book, detailing the experiences and journey of a group of Jewish Partisans fighting behind the German Lines on the Russian Front. The book, written by Primo Levi, a Jewish concentration camp survivor, despite being a fictional work, is based around historical fact and that there were small groups or bands of Jewish Partisans who did disrupt the Nazis behind their lines, who worked
Mid 5. A matchless and heart-rending portrait of the fight to overcome unimaginary hardships by a group of the disposessed, forced to rely on the basest survival instincts on the edge of humanity by the horror and devastation caused by the Nazi onslaught of the Second World War. This band of Jewish, Polish, and Russian partisans are peopled by unforgettable characters, such as Mendel, the watchmaker, who has survived the decimation of the Red Army, and whose wife, neighbours, and community have
Rather an unusual book I think as it deals with the events of the Holocaust by focusing on a group of Jewish partisans fighting back with limited weapons but plenty of spirit. It's not a happy book, the life is hard and death is common both from violence and from more prosaic things like the weather and poor food, but these people steadfastly refuse the label of 'victim'. They know their very existence is a miracle, they know they are standing mounds of fellow Jewish corpses, but they live in
I really wanted to give this book a higher mark, but it never totally engaged me at any point. The situation is very interesting, however; Jewish Red Army partisan groups working their tricky way through Eastern Europe in the closing 18 months of WW2. A ragtag, ever changing band of dissimilar folk, from different armies and who often dont even speak the same language. Unwanted and often attacked by their allies as well as the enemy.The novel convincingly portrays the life: boredom, hunger,
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