'Nobody knows how much I owe that man,' Primo Levi said of the bricklayer who saved his life at Auschwitz-Birkenau. For six months, Lorenzo Perrone risked his own life to smuggle food, letters and clothing to prisoners. Without Perrone, Levi could not have survived and the world would have been deprived of his writing.





In A Man of Few Words, Carlo Greppi pieces together the life of Perrone, a near destitute labourer with little formal education. Despite their stark differences, Levi and Perrone's friendship continued until Perrone's tragic death. Levi never forgot Perrone. He tried persistently to preserve the memory of this man of few words who had saved his life, but who left few traces of his own behind.





Compassionate, worldly and prescient, Greppi brings to light a universal story about an individual who kept hope alive in one of the darkest times and places known to man.



'Much to admire ... an intriguing study of Lorenzo Perrone, the bricklayer who helped the famous author survive Auschwitz.'



'Lucid, carefully researched pages ... Greppi's biography, from start to finish a marvel of sympathetic insight, is a valuable addition to Levi's writings on the human infamy that was Auschwitz.'



'This is a great book: scrupulously researched and superbly written.'



'Read it twice, this splendid book: the first time to get to know Lorenzo and his story; the second time to get to know yourself and your memory.'



'A thoroughly moving read. Out of utter degradation, this inspiring story emerges to remind us that the spark of human decency can never be crushed.'



'Sheds light on an unsung hero … a fluent retelling.'



'Levi's greatest piece of luck in Auschwitz was meeting Lorenzo, who kept him alive when he was hanging on to life by a thread.'



'[A Man of Few Words] is a meticulously researched biography.'