SE NON ORA, QUANDO? | I EDIZ. 1982 | PRIMO LEVI

Se non ora, quando? is a historical novel-epic by Primo Levi, first published in 1982. The narrative follows a group of Jewish partisans—Polish and Russian—who, between July 1943 and August 1945, fight against Nazism and Fascism across Eastern Europe, through forests, snow, mud, through Poland, Germany and finally reaching Milan. Levi combines documentary inspiration with imaginative reconstruction, exploring themes of identity, resistance, solidarity, and the personal effects of war. The style alternates between harsh realism—battle, suffering—and reflective passages on faith, camaraderie, betrayal, and moral ambiguity. The title—drawn from Rabbinic tradition—underscores urgency and responsibility.