In a story by this author, a narrator who resides on the fictional island of Desolation must extract a mysterious substance from Holywell Cave so that four other men don’t desire his wife Maggie. An anecdote by this author describes his surprise at the corporate bureaucracy that left a recipe for varnish unchanged. In an autobiographical story, this author recognizes his former colleague Müller based on his characteristic spellings and is shocked when Müller innocently asks this author “Why are you so perturbed?” This author is given courage by a companion with whom he partners to steal supplies to make cigarette lighters. The final story in this author’s most famous collection narrates the cyclical journey of a single carbon atom. For 10 points, name this Italian chemist, Auschwitz survivor, and writer of The Periodic Table. ■END■
ANSWER: Primo Levi (The story in the first line is “Silver,” the second story is “Vanadium,” the third story is “Cerium,” and the fourth story is “Carbon.”)
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