PRIMO LEVI
33
After ninety years of psychoanalysis, and successful or failed
attempts to pour the unconscious directly onto the page, I have an
acute need for clarity and rationality, and I think that the majority of
readers feel the same way. A clear text is not perforce elementary; it
can
be read at several levels , but the lowest level, in my opinion,
should be accessible to a broad public . Do not be afraid of doing an
injustice to your id by gagging it, there is no danger; "the tenant on
the floor below" will find a way to show up in any case, because
writing means laying oneself bare: even the most fastidious writer
bares himself. If you do not like to bare yourself, be satisfied with
your present job. Oh, I forgot to tell you that , in order to write, one
must have something to write .
With best regards, your
Primo Levi
Translated from the Italian
by
Raymond Rosenthal
