An Arabic and Farsi version of Primo Levi’s famed "If This Is a Man" will be available for the first time. The riveting tale is based on his horrible experiences at Auschwitz, widely known as one of the worst Nazi concentration camps, during the Holocaust.
The Aladdin Library commissioned the translations and publishes the book through online French publisher Le Manuscript.
Human Rights Foundation Executive Director Abe Radkin edited the translated versions and said the book was chosen because testimonies by survivors from death camps like Auschwitz are often far more powerful in countering the allegations of Holocaust deniers than testimonies by survivors from labor camps.
"We needed a book that would be able to communicate the horror of the Holocaust to people who have no previous knowledge of the Holocaust and may even be prejudiced against Jews; someone who would speak of his experience not only with the authority of a survivor, but with the precision of a scientist, the gentleness of a poet, and the humility of a sage," Radkin said in a statement.
The editors chose "If This Is a Man" because it has all those qualities, and can therefore make a profound impact on people from different cultures and religions.
There are also free downloadable versions online. Local publishers in Egypt, Tunisia, France, Morocco and Turkey will sell the books. Lebanon will soon join that list.
