Albert Tseng
While talking about someone perished I'm writing a review on a poem of Primo Levi. if i want to say... the author who i later found out was called Primo Levi. is it grammatically correct? should i use past tense because the author is already dead? or should i use present tense because Primo Levi is still his name? Thanks in advance for any comments and answers! Have a good one Albert.
Apr 27, 2015 2:38 PM
Answers · 5
3
Albert... First, it would be better to write "I'm writing a review OF a poem BY Primo Levi. Second, because the author (the poet) is deceased (is dead) (deceased has a softer, more gentle term used to say someone has died), we would use the simple past tense. Therefore, "the author, (comma) AS I later found out (discovered = found out), (comma) was called Primo Levi.
April 27, 2015
1
Another soft way to say it is to refer to "the late Primo Levi." It is used for people who died within the fairly recent past, and would be appropriate for Primo Levi (1919-1987). In fact, on checking I find that a reviewer of a book "Primo Levi's Universe: A Writer's Journey," said, "Commemorating the late Primo Levi's 90th birthday, this extended essay interweaves the writer's tragic life with his work."
April 28, 2015
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