To mark the 70th anniversary of the publication, on 30 April 2017 A.L. Kennedy and Philippe Sands led a live reading of Primo Levi’s powerful account of survival at Auschwitz, If This Is A Man at Southbank Centre.

A remarkable insight into one of history's darkest chapters, Levi's book offers an unflinching portrait of life, death and survival in a concentration camp.

The performance was directed by Nina Brazier and the cast included Niklas Frank, son of Hans Frank, the Nazi Governor General of occupied Poland and lawyer of Adolf Hitler; actor Henry Goodman; Patrick Lawrence QC, grandson of Sir Geoffrey Lawrence who was the presiding judge at Nuremberg; actor Emma Pallant; broadcaster Robert Peston; survivor of the Omarska death camp Kemal Pervanic; survivor of Auschwitz, Susan Pollack; Professor of Chemistry at the University of Nottingham Sir Martyn Poliakoff; former editor of The Guardian, Alan Rusbridger; playwright Tom Stoppard; Rwandan Genocide survivor Liliane Umubyeyi; actor Samuel West; and featuring music by Bloch, Haas, Klein, Krasa, Mendelssohn, Mahler, Schubert, Laks, Puccini, Shostakovich, Liszt, Bartok, Ullman and Ben-Haim, under the direction of Tomo Keller, leader of the Academy of St Martin in the Fields.

Performers
Raphael Wallfisch cello
Tomo Keller violin
Robert Smissen viola
Simon Wallfisch baritone, cello
Lada Valesova piano

Is This A Man - Live Reading Podcast 02

Some of the biggest and most influential names in modern literature, art, music and performance share their stories, thoughts and ideas.

Listen to the people shaping arts and culture today in podcasts which reflect our richly diverse events, exhibitions and festivals programme from the Southbank Centre and Hayward Gallery.