The Drowned and the Saved Book

"The drowned and the saved" is a thoughtful, lucid reflection on the Holocaust phenomenon.
Primo Levi tries to find answers for different aspects of the concentration camps. He explains the behavior of the inhabitants and of those who guard them.
This book tries to explore the psychology of this tragedy, and to offer insight in the human condition.
It is very different from his memoir Survival in Auschwitz (and his second book The Reawakening) which gave a more thorough, detailed account of his life and experiences in the Lager. Although Survival in Auschwitz was written several decades before this book, It should be read first, as Levi refers to it often.


Kenzaburō Ōe already stated in his book Hiroshima Notes, that he regards the victims of the A-bomb as moralists, as 'interpreters of human nature' and that they have unique powers of observation and expression concerning what it means to be human.
This can also be applied to the victims of the Holocaust, especially to Primo Levi.
In each of his essays in this book, Levi offers an intellectually stimulating viewpoint of the human condition. His writings go far beyond just a depiction of life in the Lager.

Primo Levi argues that the survivors, who were the opportunists, are not the true witnesses. The true witnesses were the ones who suffered the most but did not survive. The survivors only speak in stead of these true witnesses.

Only by listening to them, we can remain true human beings.


The only regret I had after reading this book, is that I don't understand Italian well enough to read the original version. I don't know if it was the Dutch translation, but some parts were hard to read because of uncommon word combinations and unusual, complicated sentences.


8/10