University of Notre Dame

 

Hesburgh Libraries

Rare Books & Special Collections

The Primo Levi Collection

Italian writer and chemist Primo Levi (1919-1987) was the author of fiction, poetry, essays and memoirs, and is best known for his first work, Se questo è un uomo, an account of his detention at Auschwitz in 1944/1945.

This collection includes all first editions of Levi’s works published within his lifetime as well as first editions of notable translations of Levi's writings that document his importance outside of Italy. Also present are first editions of Levi’s own efforts as a translator of both literary and non-literary works. A bibliography of significant editions of Levi’s publications available at Notre Dame can be downloaded in PDF format.

Additionally, the Library’s general collection contains a significant quantity of secondary materials to facilitate research on Primo Levi and on Holocaust literature and testimony.