Lucie Bertrand‐Luthereau
Cahiers ERTA, Numéro 19, 2019, pp. 103-116
https://doi.org/10.4467/23538953CE.19.023.11070This article aims at analyzing the hiatus between the physical return of the survivors of the Nazi concentration camps and the psychological bond they keep on feeling deep inside with the time and place of their detention.
Lucie Bertrand‐Luthereau
Cahiers ERTA, Numéro 11 Acédie / Honte, malaise, inquiétude, ressentiment, 2017, pp. 231-246
https://doi.org/10.4467/23538953CE.17.013.6907Shame is definitely a key notion in Primo Levi's work. In his last book, entitled The drowned and the saved, Primo Levi tries to analyze the difference between the shame he felt as a prisoner in Auschwitz, and another type of shame, which he experienced back in the free world. His attempt is way less clear than first meets the eye: it reveals the bitter struggle taking place in the depth of his identity, and leads to what could be called a destructive metaphysic of shame. This raises the question: how to read Primo Levi's masterpieces knowing they are infected by the “Auschwitz poison” which was lethal for the writer himself?