"It is neither easy nor agreeable to dredge this abyss of viciousness, and yet I think it must be done, because what could be perpetrated yesterday could be attempted again tomorrow…" writes Italian Jewish author Primo Levi in his well-known memoir of survival, If This is a Man (Se questo è un uomo). Join us for a conversation with Dr. Kristin Stasiowski who will introduce us to Levi’s detailed and moving account of his life as a prisoner in the Nazi concentration camp, Auschwitz. More than a memoir, Levi’s autobiography is a novel of the self. It places readers at the center of enduring philosophical and moral questions about the nature and meaning of human dignity in the face of evil and asks us to find humanity even in the most horrific and terrifying circumstances. Levi’s work also distinguishes itself as unique in the genre with literary references to Dante’s Inferno, Coleridge’s Rime of the Ancient Mariner and more. Participants will discover not only the literary importance of Primo Levi, but will also gain an appreciation for the power of language to address, represent, and memorialize this period of the 20th century.

Kristin Stasiowski, Ph.D is the Assistant Dean of International Programs and Education Abroad for the College of Arts and Sciences and is also an Assistant Professor of Italian Language and Literature in the Department of Modern and Classical Languages at Kent State University. She received her Ph.D from Yale University in Italian Language and Literature and has taught Italian language, literature, cinema, history and culture in both Florence, Italy and at Kent State. She recently published a chapter entitled A Divine Comedy for All Time: Dante’s Enduring Relevance for the Contemporary Reader in Italian Pop Culture: Media, Product, Imageries. Rome, Italy: Viella Editrice s.r.. Her current research is focused on Dante, Boccaccio, and the modern poet Clemente Rebora.