Joseph Olshan

Joseph Olshan, a distinguished novelist known for exploring trauma and cultural understanding, dives deep into the life and tragic death of Primo Levi. He discusses the paradox of Levi's survival in Auschwitz contrasted with his later suicide, raising questions about the limits of human understanding. Olshan reflects on personal experiences shaping his literary themes, like witnessing a drowning as a child. The conversation further probes the complexities of suicide, self-knowledge, and how even intimate narratives can leave us unable to fully grasp another's inner world.