In commemoration of the 12th annual International Holocaust Remembrance Day, 67 years after the opening of the gates of Auschwitz by the Red Army, we remember The Wrench, a novel by Primo Levi published in 1978 and awarded with the Strega Prize, the most prestigious Italian literary award, in 1979.
This work by Primo Levi is included in the industrial style of literature that was in vogue during the 1960s. The story revolves around the adventures of a specialised labourer, Libertino Faussone, who represents the image of a wilful man, doing demanding and strenuous work, and who realises himself and finds his spirit through exertion and pride in his work.
“If we exclude the single prodigious instants that destiny can give us, to love one’s own work (which is, unfortunately, a rare privilege) constitutes the best concrete approximation of happiness on Earth.”
Primo levi, La chiave a stella (1978)
