If I'm not for myself, who will be for me? If not this way, how? If not now, when?' So runs the Song of the Partisan. This enthralling novel pays tribute to the Jews who fought back during the holocaust. Based on a true story, it chronicles the adventures, crises and moral struggles of a group of Russian and Polish refugees as, stranded in occupied territory, they offer what resistance they can to the German army.
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This book achieves many things - too many, really, to itemise ... yet one is left with an enormous sense of optimism and gratitude to the author (LISTENER )
Levi is a master whose hand never slips... I was convinced by every detail, and absurdly shaken to realise at the end that it was indeed fiction, however well grounded in fact. I knew these people, and I wanted to know more (THE TIMES )
Levi writes of unimaginable hardships ... and of exhilaration... (FINANCIAL TIMES )
A novel full of horrors, but wonderfully uplifting and optimistic in its tribute to the human spirit. (SUNDAY TIMES )
Levi is a master whose hand never slips... I was convinced by every detail, and absurdly shaken to realise at the end that it was indeed fiction, however well grounded in fact. I knew these people, and I wanted to know more (THE TIMES )
Levi writes of unimaginable hardships ... and of exhilaration... (FINANCIAL TIMES )
A novel full of horrors, but wonderfully uplifting and optimistic in its tribute to the human spirit. (SUNDAY TIMES )
Book Description
*The story of a group of Partisan guerillas in Poland during WW2 - by the master of holocaust writing.
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"In my village there weren't many clocks. Read the first page
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46 of 47 people found the following review helpful
By Medea Dingo
Format:Paperback
This work of fiction from Primo Levi documents the journey accross Europe of a band of partisans caught behind enemy lines during World War Two. The story is based upon truth, after Levi himself encountered young, hopeful Zionists whilst trying to get back to Italy after his internment in Auschwitz. The novel pulls no punches; it gives an honest account of the conditions the partisans find themselves in; often starving and hungry, living in underground camps or shot down aeroplanes, they are relentlessly brave and determined to survive. It may be a work of fiction, but as an insight into the war of the largely unsung heroes of the resistance movement of Eastern Europe, and the survival story of the Jewish community that lived upon their wits in the woods of Poland and Russia, it is noteworthy. It took Primo Levi over a year to return home to Italy after the war, and on the way he was to hear many stories of survival, as well as having his own adventures.It is written in a style those who have previously read Levi will be familiar with, it is both compelling and compassionate, whilst retaining the distance a scientist puts between himself and his work. Levi addresses one of the recurring themes of his work - how does man act during adverse circumstances? What happens to our morality during war? Relationships are forged and broken, and both the best and the worst of human nature is depicted and, ultimately, that is what makes Levi one of the most important writers of the twentieth century: his examination of the human condition. I would recommend this book, and all his other works, to anyone.
18 of 19 people found the following review helpful
By Gareth Smyth
VINE™ VOICE
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
'If Not Now, When?' is a novel from a man better known for non-fiction, and Primo Levi shows awesome ability to build character, describe landscape and develop atmosphere. His subject is the Jewish partisans who harried German forces in eastern Europe - perhaps, as Mark Mazower suggests in his introduction - to recall a history of resistance that is less well-known than the history of suffering and in effect to mark an alternative life that Levi himself did not have the chance to live.
Levi has taken much trouble in his historical research (and includes a short bibliography for further reading) but it is the selfsame piercing humanity that lifts his non-fiction to such heights that also makes this fiction so compelling. 'If Not Now, When?' remains very much a book about the Jews while expressing wider human truths about friendship, compromise and survival.
22 of 24 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
Of all his books, this is the one I found the most heart wrenching. How such a small group of people, Russians and Poles, in an extremely dangerous situation i.e. trapped in occupied territory, found the courage to continue the fight of resistance. It is all the more remarkable because it is based on a true story.
This is a heart wrenching yet inspiring story of courage and solidarity and my favorite Primo Levi book, with some of the most poignant lines of poetry . . .'If not now when, if not this way how? if I am not for myself who will be for me . . . '
7 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
My review of 'Mila 18' by Leon Uris seems to have got lost somewhere in cyberspace. Never mind. If you want to read a book about a group of Jews fighting back during WWII, this one is much better, anyway. It starts rather slowly, but as more characters are introduced, a tapestry of pictures and stories emerge from what begins as a rather grey fabric. By the end of the book they had become my family. They are a small band of men and a few women who carry on small scale guerilla warfare on the German side of the eastern front during the Russian advance across eastern Europe. They tramp from White Russia, through the Pripet Marshes, through Poland and Germany, eventually ending up in post-war Italy. They fight no great battles, and are under no illusions about their place in history. They are poor, ordinary people. Neither their sex lives nor the horrors they have witnessed are dwelt on in detail, so if you want a 'blockbuster' maybe you should try Leon Uris in stead. But for me this is the greater book. Although a novel, it seems nevertheless to be 'true'.
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful
By K. Martin
Format:Hardcover
I think that this book is incredibly profound. It jumped off the bookshelf into my hands many years ago and because I found so thought provoking and challenging I lent it to many friends and eventually it didn't come back. This is my second copy and it comes highly recommended. This is a challenging book, never an easy read but life changing in way that doesn't happen with many books or authors.
0 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
This is a well crafted book from someone who knows the skill in writing well. I guess whether you like a book or not is down to personal choice; I'm a critical so and so, but I thought this was pretty superb.
0 of 2 people found the following review helpful
By ajk77
Format:Paperback
This novel is thoroughly researched by a highly sympathetic author. The writing is compelling and the subject matter less familiar than his holocaust material.
0 of 3 people found the following review helpful
By Audax Joe
Format:Paperback
Primo Levi wrights a good story and this is no exception. The horror of war is told in a gentle none judgemental way and the characters warmth always shines.
It is not a book for those who like war stories and blood and guts.
It is not a book for those who like war stories and blood and guts.
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