things that are happening just a few decades ago nobody would have ever dreamed, even in the worst nightmares. We live in a society where it is grown to hate the 'different' and it seems that even children are taught that there is nothing strange about wanting to burn the place where they stop people homeless, without well-defined social support, no security whatsoever. But it is not easy to speak of today. That's when you need to use old words, written by those who lived on their own skin and very strong experience that I share in the comment. I want to mention
Primo Levi and the words read in a rendition of 'If This Is a Man ', a milestone in the history of the twentieth century. In particular, the version published by Einaudi in 1976, lent by the President of Lev Chadash, Ugo I wanted. Unlike the volume which I had read, this has an appendix in which the same Primo Levi explains that he wanted to include the questions that were constantly targeted by readers students. As you know, Levi accepted the comparison with the young people organized by the schools. "I wrote this appendix in 1976 for the school edition of 'If This Is a Man' ... However, as these questions are largely consistent with the questions I receive from adult readers, it seemed entirely appropriate to set out my answers also on this issue. "
Levi recalls that the book had a strange destiny, being written right there, "the German laboratory that n full of frost, war and prying eyes, though I knew that I could not in any way to keep those notes scribbled rather, I should throw them away immediately, because if I were I found him would have cost the lives . "But, miraculously just come home alive, he jumps in writing to calm the memories that the 'burn in', yet full of vivid memories. Only a small press in 1947 the public but after the war, few want to know horrible truth: they prefer to forget, start over from scratch.
In 1958, however, the publisher Einaudi buy it and making it a reprint book translated into 6 languages, reduced to the theater and radio . It was accepted by students and teachers "c on a favor that has far exceeded the expectations of the publisher and my ," says Levi. " Hundreds of schools in all regions of Italy mi hanno invitato a commentare il libro, per iscritto o possibilmente di persona ". Molte le domande rivoltegli, ingenue o consapevoli, commosse o provocatorie, superficiali o fondamentali, afferma lo scrittore-testimone. " Mi sono accorto presto che alcune di queste domande ricorrevano con costanza, non mancavano mai. Dovevano dunque scaturire da una curiosità motivata e ragionata a cui il testo del libro in qualche modo non dava una risposta soddisfacente ".
Non intendo riportare questa appendice ma chiarire chi è la persona capace di dire certe cose e perché. Gli viene chiesto, ad esempio, come mai non sembra aver nutrito un odio feroce verso i tedeschi. Primo Levi risponde che nel 1946, quando scrisse il libro, " Nazism and Fascism seemed truly faceless as anything in return, vanished like a dream ... so monstrous as the ghosts vanish at cock-crow. How to Grow grudge or want revenge against a host of ghosts? The hatred is personal , is grown against a person, a name, a face .
" But, not many years later, Europe and Italy have noticed that this was a naive illusion: fascism was far from ' be dead. It was just hidden, encysted and was doing his pack to reappear later in a new outfit, a little 'less recognizable, a little' more respectable, more suited to the New World, released by the catastrophe of World War II that fascism itself had caused . I must confess that before certain faces are not new to some old lies, to certain figures in search of respectability, to certain indulgences, a certain complicity, the temptation of the test and also with a certain violence. But I'm not a fascist, I think the reason is because hatred prepend justice.
( ...) However, I do not condone any of the guilty, nor are they willing now or in the future to forgive anyone, unless it has demonstrated (with deeds, not words, not too late) to be become aware of the faults and errors of our own and foreign fascism and decided to condemn them, to uproot from his consciousness and that of others. In this case, yes, I'm not Christian, I am willing to follow the precept of the Jewish and Christian to forgive my enemy. But an enemy who repents, he ceased to be an enemy .
Behold, I have not experienced anything of the horrors being born in the second half of the twentieth century, but what happens today in our country should be violently rejected, isolated, repressed and never, as it unfortunately happens very often, shows how just revenge against 'invaders'. It seems too close to a return to an era that was hoped for death.
