The latest volume of the Northeast Modern Language Association Journal of Italian Studies, “Reading Primo Levi: Essays in Dialogue with Nicholas Patruno,” co-edited by Professor Roberta Ricci, chair of the Transnational Italian Studies Department, and Chiara Benetollo, is now available in open access.
In addition to Ricci and Benetollo, contributors include Luca Zipoli, assistant professor in the Transnational Italian Studies Department. The volume also includes an appendix with a non-peer-reviewed essay by Peter Kurtz (HC '19) and an original musical composition, "To Compose a Life: The Periodic Table’s Musical Translation," by Jessi Harvey '09. Harvey performed the work for the first time at a Transnational Italian Studies event last April.
The department held a roundtable event in 2024 to celebrate the initial publication of the volume, which represents the continuation and expansion of a successful symposium held at Bryn Mawr College on April 22, 2022 — a gathering of scholars, students, and alumnae/i who honored the legacy of Professor Emeritus Nicholas Patruno (1941-2020), by continuing to investigate one of the main subjects of his research, Primo Levi.
Levi, a Jewish Italian chemist and writer from Turin, remains a pivotal figure in modern literature. His enduring relevance is underscored by major recent publications, including the complete edition of his works (U.S., 2015; Italy, 2016–2018 under Marco Belpoliti) and the 2022 Bibliografia di Primo Levi by Domenico Scarpa, which highlights the breadth of Levi’s output. In addition, an ever-growing body of scholarly essays, exhibitions, theatrical adaptations, and academic theses continues to testify to the deep and widespread interest in Levi’s work.
“Reading Primo Levi contributes to this ongoing discourse, emphasizing Levi’s compulsion to bear witness, as well as his creative range,” says Ricci. “More than 35 years after his death, Levi’s voice continues to resonate, inspiring new scholarship, pedagogy, and creative adaptations. This volume not only reinvigorates academic dialogue but also speaks to contemporary concerns about the persistence of fascism and antisemitism, affirming Levi’s enduring cultural and ethical significance.”
The volume has been recognized by the Centro Internazionale di Studi Primo Levi in Turin a reflection of the international reach of Bryn Mawr’s Transnational Italian Studies faculty and alums.
