A Man of Few Words: The Bricklayer of Auschwitz Who Saved Primo Levi

Author: Carlo Greppi Translator: Howard Curtis “Nobody knows how much I owe that man,” Primo Levi said of the bricklayer who saved his life at Auschwitz. “I could never repay him.” Levi was referring to Lorenzo Perrone, who—at great personal risk—smuggled food, letters, and clothing to Levi and other prisoners. The soup might contain sparrows’ wings, prune stones, or even fragments of pulped newspaper, but it provided Levi with the 500 extra calories he needed to survive each day. Perrone said nothing as he left the mess tin by a half-constructed brick wall. In A Man of Few Words, Carlo Greppi pieces together Levi’s savior, a near-destitute laborer with minimal formal education. Despite their stark differences, Levi and Perrone’s friendship survived the Holocaust and continued until Perrone’s tragic death. Levi never forgot Perrone. As his friend withdrew from the world, Levi tried persistently to preserve the memory of this man of few words who had saved his life, but who left few traces of his own behind. Hardback 256 pages