Primo Levi – 174517 – Damjano Malabajla

Abstract

The study examines the origins of the various names of Primo Levi and the extent to which the proper name and pseudonym influenced his writing career. Levi’s name is known in connection with his memoirs If This is a Man, we are well aware from his recollection of the number 174517 tattooed on his arm, which gave him a new identity, though the name of Damiano Malabaila does not sound so familiar. We know of many analyses and recollections of the life of the chemist writer, however, the first book specifically dealing with the choice of a pseudonym and its origin was not published until 2019. Carlo Zanda’s book Quando Primo Levi diventò il signor Malabaila revolves around the birth of Malabaila. In the first part of the study, I focus on what it means to live and write under multiple names, already relying mostly on Italian sources. The second part deals with Levi’s “pseudonyms” and the publishing of Storie Naturali, a collection of science fiction stories. My goal is to interpret the boundaries and transitions between the chemist–writer, Levi–Malabaila, and the memoir–science fiction writer.