Primo Levi's "Periodic Table" at 50: Scientists and Writers Speak
NOVEMBER 13, 2025 - 11:00 p.m. - 01:00 a.m. (New York City time zone)
Teatro, Italian Academy (1161 Amsterdam Avenue, NYC 10027), first floor - Columbia University
50th anniversary of Primo Levi's Periodic Table
Produced by The Italian Academy for Advanced Studies in America, Columbia University
Co-sponsored by the Creative Writing Program of the Barnard College English Department and by the Barnard Chemistry Department
Click here to register
Primo Levi's "Periodic Table" at 50: Scientists and Writers Speak.
On the fiftieth anniversary of the publication of The Periodic Table, the event promoted by The Italian Academy for Advanced Studies at Columbia University gathers professors, scientists, and translators to reflect on the impact and significance of this unique work.
On the 50th anniversary of Primo Levi's Periodic Table, a celebration of the book from many perspectives.
Scientists, translators, and writers come together to address the impact of this influential memoir/collection of stories.
"The triumph of human identity and worth over the pathology of human destruction glows virtually everywhere in Levi’s writing"
said Toni Morrison
Speakers:
Elena Aprile (Centennial Professor of Physics; Director of the Italian Academy, Columbia)
Andrea Capra (Assistant Professor of Italian Studies, NYU)
Cristiano Galbiati (Professor of Physics, Princeton)
Ann Goldstein (Translator; Editor of The Complete Works of Primo Levi)
Jhumpa Lahiri (Millicent C. McIntosh Professor of English and Director of Creative Writing, Barnard; Winner of the Pulitzer Prize)
Christian M. Rojas (Professor of Chemistry, Barnard)
Registration does not guarantee a seat.
Check-in for registrants begins 30 minutes before the event (and any open spots are offered to the stand-by line 10 minutes before the event).
This event is in-person only; there will be no video recording for publication.