%0 Journal Article
%T Primo Levi, from shame to suicide: an attempt of classification for an unbearable feeling
%A Bertrand‐Luthereau, Lucie
%J Cahiers ERTA
%V 2017
%R 10.4467/23538953CE.17.013.6907
%N Numéro 11 Acédie / Honte, malaise, inquiétude, ressentiment
%P 231-246
%K Primo Levi, shame, genocide
%@ 2300-4681
%D 2017
%U https://ejournals.eu/en/journal/cahiers-erta/article/primo-levi-quarante-ans-decriture-de-la-honte-du-sentiment-de-honte-du-detenu-a-la-honte-metaphysique-du-rescape
%X Shame 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?