Autobiography
Levi's book is a work of non-fiction, and falls into the Autobiography genre. So, he's telling his own story. He describes how he ended up in Auschwitz: "I was captured by the Fascist Militia on December 13, 1943" (1.1) and "We are at Monowitz, near Auschwitz, in Upper Silesia, a region inhabited by both Poles and Germans. This camp is a work-camp" (2.15). Recounting events as they happen in time, Levi gives readers a snapshot of daily life in the camp.
Through this autobiography, we also get glimpses of some other significant WWII events. For instance, even though Primo doesn't know what's going on at the time, the prisoner he sees hanged is one of the people who participated in the Sonderkommando Revolt, in which some prisoners tried to blow up one of the crematoria. Primo also tells us where the Russian Army is in relation to Auschwitz—he hears the bombs approaching. These details add historical authenticity to the book.