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If Not Now, When?

Primo Levi, translated by William Weaver, with an introduction by Mark Mazower

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Founder connections

  • Brunello CucinelliRecommended in his published three-book selection
    Cucinelli selects Primo Levi’s If Not Now, When? in the complete original Air Mail list preserved in its public 2022 archive. He praises Levi’s attention to human nature and the opening passage. His reading edition and extent of reading are unknown.
    Source

Summary

Primo Levi follows Russian, Polish and Jewish partisans behind German lines during the Second World War. Based on a true story, the novel places their efforts to survive alongside their attempts to resist and disrupt the German army.

Hunger, fear and rivalries strain the group as its members join, separate and find new ways to carry on. The adventure gives those pressures a human scale, asking how people judge and act during a war that threatens both their lives and their sense of purpose.

  • SourceIf Not Now, When? — original publisher description and paperback edition · Description: Russian, Polish and Jewish partisans behind German lines, hunger, fear, rivalries, resistance and moral dilemmas; credits William Weaver translation and Mark Mazower introduction; ISBN 9780141183909, September 7, 2000.

Why read it Our view

For founders reading fiction to reflect on human judgment, attend to how fear, loyalty and rivalry affect the group’s choices. Consider how the novel presents moral dilemmas through the actions and changing ties of its characters.