copyright Jillian Edelstein

HOFSTRA CULTURAL CENTER presents:

Answering Auschwitz:
Primo Levi's Science and Humanism After the Fall

An international conference commemorating the 20th anniversary of Primo Levi's death.

April 26-27, 2007

Primo Levi (1919-1987) is now acknowledged as one of the 20th century's greatest writers. His memoir, Survival at Auschwitz (If This Is a Man), has claimed a place among the masterpieces of Holocaust literature. Levi's last work, The Drowned and the Saved, is arguably the most profound meditation on the Shoah. In his lifetime, Levi forged an impressive body of work and his writings remain a powerful reminder of what transpired in the extermination camps of Europe and what it means to be human after Auschwitz.

The conference will feature a keynote address "Beyond Testimony: Levi's Vocabularies," by the Joseph G. Astman Distinguished Conference Scholar, Robert S. C. Gordon, Professor of Italian at the University of Cambridge in England, on Thursday, April 26, during the luncheon. There will also be a special address by Ann Goldstein, an editor at The New Yorker, who will give readings of newly translated material. Panel topics include "Memory and Biography," "Philosophy and Theology," and "Levi and Anti-Fascism."

But When We Started Singing..., a performance inspired by the life and works of Primo Levi, conceived and performed by Bob Spiotto, with musical accompaniment and original compositions by Herb Bradensten, will take place at 8 p.m. on Thursday, April 26.

A complete schedule of panels and events, as well as information about registration fees, can be found in the Registration Program.

For more information please contact:
Hofstra Cultural Center
200 Hofstra University
Hempstead, NY 11549-2000
Tel: (516) 463-5669
Fax: (516) 463-4793
Send an Email

Conference Director

Stanislao G. Pugliese, Ph.D.
Professor of History
Hofstra University

Conference Coordinator

Deborah Lom
Assistant Director for Conferences and Special Events
Hofstra Cultural Center