Abstract

The essay objectives to share some reflections about poetry and catastrophe, with focus on the reading of passages from the testimonial works of Primo Levi and Varlam Chalámov. We discuss the (non)possible meanings for artistic creation in contexts of extreme violence, such as the Nazi Concentration Camps and the Soviet Gulags where, respectively, the two authors were imprisoned.

Keywords:
Testimony; Poetry; Primo Levi; Varlam Chalámov