If Not Now, When?

by Primo Levi

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In the final days of World War II, a band of Jewish partisans makes its way from Russia to Italy, moving toward the ultimate goal of Palestine. Based on a true story, the novel chronicles their adventures as they wage a personal war of revenge against the Nazis: blowing up trains, rescuing the last victims of concentration camps, scoring victories in the face of unspeakable devastation. Primo Levi captures the landscape and the people of Eastern Europe in vivid detail, depicting as well the show more terrible bleakness of war-ridden Europe. But finally, what he gives us is a tribute to the strength and ingenuity of the human spirit. show less

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21 reviews
Primo Levi started his writing career before his incarceration in Auschwitz although it would seem only two short stories, which later appeared in The Periodic Table, survive. His ouvre consists mainly of memoirs and poetry. It wasn't until 1984 when "If Not Now, When?" was written that Levi as a writer emerged. In this towering book we finally hear his proper authorial voice.

His sentences are beautiful and his paragraphs so well balanced that reading this work is almost effortless and at the same time almost endlessly satisfying and while the book ostensibly chronicles the wanderings and adventures of a group of mainly Jewish partisans in the rubble of the rout of Third Reich forces in Europe at the end of WWII there are other ways to show more read it. It is only when Levi finally turned to the novel form that he grudgingly gave the reader a valid role in his writing.

Although Levi was lionised for his memoirs and essays the justification for such heavy praise was, in this writer's opinion, chiefly based in the guilt that the non-Jewish readership felt after WWII and a fellow feeling among literary critics but this late work shows Levi in a more reflective and less polemical mind.

Where his previous work concentrated on memorialising the horrors of the German project to annihilate Jewry "If Not Now, When?" examines the nature of resistance and integrity in the face of overwhelming circumstances and emphasises the humanity of its characters - the rich, the generous, the flawed, and sometimes hateful humanity of them.

I was left wondering as I read this superb work whether Levi had finally come to terms with the reality that the holocaust had been something other than the unique, singularly evil, historically anomalous event that he had always portrayed. By 1984 Vietnam and the Cambodian genocide were already historically attested. By 1984 the disgraceful treatment of the Palestinians was into its third decade and the first Lebanon War was over. The Sabra and Shatila Masacre was history by 1984.

For this reader the regular references throughout "If Not Now, When?" to Palestine as the ultimate escape destination for his brave partisans are signifiers. His partisans talk of Palestine but never the Palestinians. Palestine is theirs by right. In Palestine the horrors of the holocaust can finally be laid to their proper historical resting place - burnt into the racial memory of mankind, never to be repeated and in this light the title and its context is oddly, macabrely ironic.
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"Each of them, man or woman, had a different story behind him… If the war and three terrible winters had left them the time and breath, each should have mourned a hundred dead." (pg. 131)

It's a semi-regular feature of my reading life that when I finally get around to reading a book that's been on my shelf for a while, I fall in love with it and chastise myself for leaving it so long. But even allowing for this, the emergence of this quirk once again when reading Primo Levi's If Not Now, When? seemed almost ridiculous. This book has been unread on my shelf for almost ten years, after I bought it on a whim in a charity shop while killing time before a nearby job interview in 2013. Since then, it's never made its way to the top of my show more ever-expanding reading list, even though – being rejected for that job, and many others – I often found myself with time on my hands. But something in my brain aligned for me in recent days and I pulled the book down from my shelf and thought: if not now, when?

It was, as I said, ridiculous: not only the vast length of time between buying it and reading it, but that my enjoyment of it was also outsized. While I'd always been fairly confident that the book would have quality (even though it never pushed its way up my reading list, I'd never really considered re-donating it to the charity shop either), I'd never really expected to be charmed by it. I imagined it would be painful and relentless, filled with carnage and atrocity. Brutal and wearying, but solemn and essential. In short, it would be Holocaust literature.

So it was a great surprise when If Not Now, When? humbly abdicated most of the bleak tropes of Holocaust writing in favour of something more hopeful, adventurous and, surprisingly, fun. It's a breath of fresh air in a sub-genre that usually has just the one mould to pour into. This is not to say that the novel is a romp, or that it sanitises the atrocities endured by the Jews in World War Two. Primo Levi was himself a survivor of Auschwitz, and the novel has its brutalities, and writes them without gloss. But it also has some indefinable warmth at its core, even if the people of its story have had their outer layers flayed into a cold and toughened shell.

This warmth, perhaps, is Palestine. The novel follows a ragtag band of mostly Jewish partisans as they travel through the German-occupied territories of eastern Europe towards Italy, with a vague dream of starting anew in Palestine. The book is tender and epic – there are various characters joining and leaving the band, various groups and cliques forming and breaking; there are battles and ambushes, sabotage missions and foraging expeditions. The plot, insofar as there is one, is to "shoot the Germans, as long as there are any left, and then go to the land of Israel and plant trees" (pg. 213). Rather than Elie Wiesel or Schindler's List, Primo Levi's novel felt closer to early post-apocalyptic fiction like Alas, Babylon by Pat Frank or Earth Abides by George R. Stewart. It shares their same animating principle: people trying to rebuild a community when their world has been destroyed by an unfathomable holocaust – there, nuclear armageddon or global pandemic, but here, the actual Holocaust.

The most engrossing elements of the book are driven by this same anima. Our band of partisans mesh well with one another: there is conflict and compassion, and each character brings their qualities and their hindrances. "It doesn't make much sense to say that one man is worth more than another," Mendel, the closest we have to a protagonist, says at one point. "One man can be stronger than another but less wise… a man can be very good at his job, and worthless if you set him to do some other job" (pg. 92). In this, Levi not only solidifies the bond of his partisan band but refutes the destructive racial absolutism of their Nazi enemies. The book develops what we might now call in fiction a "found family", but with more robustness and less complacency than the use of that trope (mostly in lame YA guff) today. "We're assorted goods," the band leader, Gedaleh, says with a smile when introducing the band to a Russian lieutenant (pg. 230).

If there is criticism of the book, it could be regarding its general plotlessness, or its tendency towards reportage rather than storytelling. (Though he wrote plenty of non-fiction and some short stories, If Not Now, When? was Primo Levi's only novel.) But this is fine when we are deep in the forests of eastern Europe, with our band fighting, sabotaging, scrounging and surviving. They disperse and reunite; they are distrustful and sometimes so desperate they are compelled to trust. Even if there's no plot arc, their situation as Jewish outlaws against a powerful and pitiless enemy gives the book a regenerative cycle that compels even when it doesn't seem to be moving forward. They are fighting not only the Germans but also winter and hunger – and rival partisan bands, including some who hate the Jews almost as much as the Einsatzgruppen do. Our Jewish partisans hide not only from the German invaders but often from the local civilians who might inform on them, for Levi reminds us how anti-Semitism was not just a new-fangled National Socialist ideology but an ancient and widespread poison. "They've never been fond of us around these parts," one Jewish partisan declares. "Before the Germans burned their houses, they burned ours" (pg. 189).

The weakest part of the novel is its end. This is a surprise, because this was the part that was closest to Levi's own experience. As he writes in his Author's Note at the end of the book, he witnessed the partisan bands arrive in Italy as refugees from the east, and a friend of his worked in the humanitarian camps that processed them. Levi wanted to write about one of these close-knit bands and everything they must have been through to get to that point – which he does, ably – but once in Italy the novel just sort of ends. That ultimate animating goal of Palestine is not reached, but it's not thwarted either; rather, the book ends anti-climactically in the ward of an Italian hospital. It's so lacking in message, so unliterary, and a more natural storyteller would have recognised Palestine was the true reward for those of us who have followed the characters through their trials. And though the characters' Jewishness is essential to understanding the story – they are, after all, the "wandering Jews" (pg. 192) and comparisons are made to the story of Moses and his clan "in the midst of the desert, on the march for forty years towards the promised land" (pg. 57) – part of the charm of Levi's book is that it doesn't get myopic or propagandistic about Zionism. The book is commendably non-politic and readers can forget their own opinions on the rights and wrongs of Israel, whatever they might be. Unless they're actually looking for an argument, the reader can instead simply enjoy the eternal storytelling appeal of a band of people trying to find a home, a place of their own, which can be found in writing from The Aeneid through to Lonesome Dove.

Despite a few flaws, If Not Now, When? succeeds as a reading experience because of what it does with what it has. The partisan band is a joy to be with, whether they're planning an ambush or simply talking while doing their chores in their forest camp. The writing style is simple and rolls along effortlessly. Some of the actions, like the hijacking of a German supply train, could almost be a Call of Duty mission, and some of the quieter adventures, like the exploration of abandoned watermills and other buildings, have something about them that just rests well in the soul. Levi and his characters can surprise us: at one point early on in the story, I was sure the band would abandon one of their older members who had become injured during a long, exposed winter march. The leader stops and turns to the old man – though not to cast him out, but instead to lend him his snow skis (pg. 88). It's scenes like this, which Levi has done so well to draw for us, that keep us in touch with their humanity even as war and genocide destroys everything they've known. The ending of the novel might show its limits as a literary piece, but If Not Now, When? is something I quickly became very fond of, and made a nonsense of that almost ten-year wait on my bookshelf.
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"If I'm not for myself, who will be for me?
If not this way, how? If not now, when?"

'If Not Now, When' is based on a true story and pays tribute to those Eastern European Jews who fought back during the holocaust and the moral struggles they faced.

Russian artilleryman Mendel finds himself separated from his regiment and joins a band of refugees made up predominantly of Russian and Polish Jews led by the violin-playing Gedaleh. With their families dead and homes destroyed, and with nothing left to live for but to fight for survival the group become partisans. Heading west the group journey across Byelorussia and Poland, into conquered Germany, and eventually to Italy attacking German supply lines when they can.

The novel draws on Levi's show more own experiences in Auschwitz and as a displaced person after the end of the war along with the stories of partisans he met. It gives readers a feel for the scattered skirmishes of a spread-out war, and the uneasy relationships between civilians and the different partisan groups with Russians and Poles, civilian and military, not always friendly to Jews.

Individuals rather than historical events are at the centre of this book, Mendel first and foremost but others in the group are also given substance. Some struggle with doubt and despair, and through Mendel's musing we see the philosophical quandary facing those who have lost everything and must find new life goals and purposes.

"The sea of grief has no shores, no bottoms; no one can sound its depths."

This isn't a fast-moving novel but rather a powerful story of human endurance in a hostile world that shows a part of the Jewish WWII story that isn't widely written about. Strangely, given that these were the closest to Levi's own experiences, I found the final few chapters something of a let down but overall I enjoyed this novel, my first by the author, and feels that it deserves to be more widely read.
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I must confess that I had always steered clear of Primo Levi, mostly because of the sadness of his story - the Italian chemist, deported to Auschwitz, survived, wrote, killed himself. But this is an extraordinary book and - bizarrely - not depressing. Sad, certainly, angering, thought provoking - but also extraordinarily exhilerating. Levi writes about an eclectic and changing band of Jewish partisans passing through central Europe during the second half of the War. Their back stories are of devastating loss and horror, but also of survival, determination, humour and life. This is a book with some brilliant Jewish jokes, tales of adventure and grim survival, a primer into how to survive (and how to die) and an eye-opening depiction of show more the chaos on the ground in central Europe where partisans of different colours wander across shifting front lines, villages are over-run and over-run again, and the marginalised European Jew becomes a devastated species. The partisans are wandering Jews, looking for their homeland in Palestine - and again this is a brilliantly illuminating demonstration of the power of the concept of Israel to people who have lost everything, a power that still shines brightly today in a very different world. This is a book I would strongly recommend to anyone. show less
This was in many ways a breath of fresh air in Holocaust literature; reflective of the horrors yet focusing more on WWII itself and all the other things that were happening to the Jews outside of the camps. It was nice learning about the partisans and the underground survivors, and how Italy drew all the Jews from everywhere in preparation for a new life. In a way, it was a period that I already knew a lot about from previous literature, but delivered in a different way, focusing on a different perspective. It was also surprisingly balanced for a book by a Holocaust survivor; Levi didn't sink too deeply into despair, or condemn everything for the rest of time for what happened. His style of writing is very straightforward, and spends show more just as much time on the good as on the bad. Surprisingly pleasant, as well as informative. show less
The Truth-in-his-Novel follows a band of Jewish, Polish, and Russian men and women as they fight to survive from the savagery of World War II Germans
and the abiding hatred of Jewish people.

Dov was my favorite, while main character Mendel stuns with his decision to betray his friend by sleeping with his lover.
The resultant depression eventually causes Leonid's death.
Well written story about a group of Jews who band together to continue fighting the war as an outlaw group of partisans as they make their way towards Italy. Interesting that much of the content was so devasatating, yet told in such a dispassionate way. Still had a large impact.

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Author Information

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167+ Works 25,333 Members
Primo Levi was born on July 31, 1919 in Turin, Italy. He pursued a career in chemistry, and spent the early years World War II as a research chemist in Milan. Upon the German invasion of northern Italy, Levi, an Italian Jew, joined an anti-fascist group and was captured and sent to the Auschwitz concentration camp in Poland. He was able to survive show more the camp, due in part to his value to the Nazis as a chemist. After the war ended, Levi did chemistry work in a Turin paint factory while beginning his writing career. His first book, If This Is a Man (title later was changed to Survival in Auschwitz) was published in 1947 and its sequel, The Truce (later retitled The Reawakening) came out in 1958. These two books recount Levi's story of surviving concentration camp life. Levi also published poetry, short stories, and novels, some under the pen name Damianos Malabaila. His 1985, largely autobiographical work, The Periodic Table, cemented his world fame. Awards in tribute to his writing included the Kenneth B. Smilen fiction award, presented by the Jewish Museum in New York. Ironically, despite his surviving Auschwitz, Primo Levi appears to have died by suicide, in Turin on April 11, 1987. (Bowker Author Biography) show less

Some Editions

Howe, Irving (Introduction)
Peters-Collaer, Lauren (Cover designer)
Weaver, William (Translator)

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Common Knowledge

Canonical title
If Not Now, When?
Original title
Se non ora, quando?
Alternate titles*
Zo niet nu, wanneer dan? : roman
Original publication date
1982 (Original) (Original); 1985 (English translation) (English translation)
Important places
Milan, Lombardy, Italy
Important events
World War II; Holocaust
First words*
Luglio 1943 - Al mio paese, di orologi ce n'erano pochi. Ce n'era uno sul campanile, ma era fermo da non so quanti anni, forse fin dalla rivoluzione: io non l'ho mai visto camminare, e mio padre diceva che neanche lui. Non av... (show all)eva orologio neppure il campanaro.
Last words*
(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)Tutti si alzarono in piedi. Mendel e Line abbracciarono Isidor, i cui occhi, arrossati dalla veglia, erano diventati lucidi: Uscì anche il dottore, battè la mano sulla spalla di Isidor e si avviò per il corridoio, ma si imbattè in un collega che stava avanzando col giornale spiegato e si fermò a discutere con lui. Intorno ai due si raggrupparono altri medici, suore, infermiere. Si avvicinò anche Mendel, e riuscì a vedere che il giornale, costituito da un solo foglio, portava un titolo in corpo molto grande, di cui non capì il significato. Quel giornale era del martedì 7 agosto 1945, e recava la notizia della prima bomba atomica lanciata su Hiroshima.
Original language
Italian
*Some information comes from Common Knowledge in other languages. Click "Edit" for more information.

Classifications

Genres
Fiction and Literature, General Fiction
DDC/MDS
853.914Literature & rhetoricItalian, Romanian & related literaturesItalian fiction1900-20th Century1945-1999
LCC
PQ4872 .E8 .S413Language and LiteratureFrench, Italian, Spanish and Portuguese literaturesItalian literatureIndividual authors, 1961-2000
BISAC

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ISBNs
46
ASINs
10