The Periodic Table
Books can not only have their own stories to tell, but can also choose how to frame those stories. It may be that the range of my reading is very limited, but I don’t think it is very easy to find non-fiction books that tell personal stories based on a concrete theme, especially a theme as concrete as the study of matter: chemistry. The Periodic Table is the second book by Primo Levi that I have read. Given that the first book was about his experiences as a prisoner at the Auschwitz concentration camp, I did not head into this one expecting it to be equally compelling. However, it was more than I had bargained for. Although few things can match the pathos of a Holocaust survival story, there is something empowering about getting a glimpse of Primo Levi the man, as opposed to Primo Levi the prisoner of the Lager, and the way he saw the world. If this is a man, this book is his abridged diary.
The book is a collection of stories, some autobiographical, some collected from others, and some purely fictional. The one thing they have in common is chemistry and Levi’s perception of it. His narration of being a student brought back my own memories of titrations and ion tests, and particularly of making hydrogen gas (by dissolving zinc in sulfuric acid) so that we could hear a pop when it was lit. Levi’s interest in chemistry becomes apparent as he fondly narrates exploits such as sneaking into a makeshift lab owned by his friend’s brother. The title of each chapter is an element that corresponds to its contents, and the tale primarily relate to four segments in his life: his years as a chemistry student, his work as a chemist for companies, his work as the proprietor for an independent laboratory, and his imprisonment in Auschwitz. Among the main attractions of the book are his witty and philosophical remarks about life as well as the properties of various substances and chemical reactions.
There is no specific chapter or story devoted to anti-Semitism or fascism, but a constant thread of those twin ideas run through the length of the book. In one of the more poignant tales, Levi comes into contact by mail with a German scientist who supervised his work in the chemical lab in Auschwitz. This chemist, Dr. Müller, is contrite and attempts to come to terms with his past. Levi regards his efforts aa clumsy but sincere. A planned face-to-face meeting between the two does not happen due to Müller’s untimely death.