ABSTRACT
The Human Race (1992) marks the first translation of L'Espece humaine, written in 1946–7 and published by Gallimard in 1957. Most of The Human Race concentrates on the fascinatingly complex hierarchy of human relationships in the camp, as well as on the debilitating routines and brutal living conditions. Had the Robert Antelme contented himself with a mere factual account, The Human Race would remain one of the most precise and perceptive documents ever written about internment. However, like Primo Levi and Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, the author uses observed facts to re-examine what it means to be human. The Human Race offers a profound lesson in how far exact observation, reasoning and sympathy can take one toward understanding others, from fellow prisoners to Nazi henchmen. Indeed, the overall tone of the book is analytical, but also compassionate. Despite his suffering, Antelme remains inquisitive, cogent, and perspicacious.
