His revealing insights into the Italian Camorra organized crime syndicate brought him global fame — and death threats. Now, bestselling author Roberto Saviano presents a novel on the Mafia's ruthless next generation.
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Roberto Saviano, Italian journalist and bestselling author under constant police protection, is sure to draw crowds on Friday when he presents his brand new book, "La paranza dei bambini" (The children's clan), at the 18th edition of the renowned Cologne-based LitCologne literature festival on Friday.
Following the release of the German version of his novel, the author is currently on a book tour.
"They're 15 and want it all — money, power, women. Ten boys race through the alleys of Naples on their motor scooters to conquer new turfs. [...] Their law: eat or be eaten," the festival organizers describe the novel on the LitCologne website.
No date has been announced for an English version of the book Image: Hanser Literaturverlag
Roberto Saviano's new novel depicts "compellingly, brutally and unflinchingly the mechanisms that pave the way from small-time dealer to stone-cold killer. A book about youth without God in a city that has become only more infernal since Gomorrah was published."
The 38-year-old Sicilian journalist and writer rose to fame worldwide with his groundbreaking 2006 non-fiction bestseller "Gomorrah," an investigative report about organized crime and more particularly the powerful, violent Camorra organized crime syndicate that deal in drugs, construction and toxic waste in the area surrounding Naples.
Translated into many languages, "Gomorrah" has sold millions of copies worldwide, won literary prizes, appeared on bestsellers' lists in many countries, been turned into a play, a film and a TV series by the same name.
Great mafia movies — from 'The Godfather' to 'The Sopranos'
Drama, action, crime, violence and iconic bosses — organized crime makes for great films. Here is a selection of absolute mob movie classics.
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'Gomorrah'
The 2008 Italian film "Gomorrah" is based on the book by Roberto Saviano, which describes the clandestine business of a clan within the powerful Sicilian Camorra crime syndicate. Saviano has been under police protection because of death threats following the publication of his bestselling non-fiction investigative work in 2006.
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'The Godfather'
Francis Ford Coppola was one of the first filmmakers to focus on the structures of organized crime with his 1972 hit feature film "The Godfather," a veritable mafia classic. Marlon Brando masterfully plays Don Vito Corleone, the head of a New York mafia family. Part II of the saga followed in 1974, part III in 1990.
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'Goodfellas'
Martin Scorsese's 1990 mafia blockbuster starring Robert de Niro is a classic mob movie. Based on a true story, it's the film adaptation of Nicholas Pileggi's non-fiction book entitled "Wiseguy" that chronicles the life of a mafia mobster. Pileggi co-wrote the screenplay with Scorsese. "Goodfellas" is regarded as one of the greatest mafia films ever made.
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'The Departed'
Martin Scorsese (center), himself the son of Italian immigrants, directed numerous mafia films over his career. "The Departed," starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon and Jack Nicholson as a Boston crime boss, won four Oscars. Two of the characters are loosely based on a real-life famous gangster and a corrupt FBI agent.
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'Mean Streets'
Still a classic gangster film today, "Mean Streets" (1973) was Martin Scorsese's first mafia film, and the first time he worked with actor Robert De Niro. Set in New York City's Little Italy neighborhood — some of the greatest gangster films of all times take place in NY's gritty atmosphere — the film is about the daily struggles of a young Mafioso.
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'Al Capone'
Al Capone was a Chicago crime boss notorious during the prohibition era. He was known for always wearing a fedora hat, a loud tie and never leaving the house without his bodyguards. The above photo is a rare picture of the mobster taken at a football game in Chicago in 1931. Richard Wilson directed the 1959 film starring Rod Steiger as Al Capone.
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'The Untouchables'
In Brian de Palma's "The Untouchables" (1987), based on the book of the same name, a team of four officers brings down Al Capone. Sean Connery won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of Jimmy Malone, a Bureau of Prohibition officer fed up with corruption.
Image: imago/United Archives
'The Sopranos'
"The Sopranos" (six seasons, 1999-2007 on HBO) is a superb TV series starring the late James Gandolfini as New Jersey mob boss Tony Soprano. The show revolves around Tony's personal and business life, and the complex problems that land him in the office of a therapist. According to a US studio, a prequel to the hit mafia drama is being developed as a movie.
The downside of fame came on the heels of the book. Having received numerous death threats, the writer has been under strict police protection for years — the price he still pays for exposing the crime network.
It's hard to describe how hard his life is, Saviano recently told the IFEX global human rights network of organizations defending the right to freedom of expression. "I exist inside four walls, and the only alternative is making public appearances. I'm either at the Nobel academy having a debate on freedom of the press, or I'm inside a windowless room at a police barracks."
It hasn't stopped him from speaking out on all matters concerning Italian organized crime, however — also on the death of a Slovak investigative reporter.
