‘I Am Not Afraid’

Roberto Saviano's best-selling novel "Gomorra," a play on words about the Neapolitan Camorra, has won him much more than accolades and literary prizes. He has also received death threats from the Camorra, one of the bloodiest criminal groups on the planet. Saviano studied volumes of court documents and infiltrated the mob, working odd jobs to research his book. Now he lives in hiding and has armed guards protecting him 24 hours a day. His book has sold 900,000 copies in Italy and was just published in English in the United States and will soon be released in the United Kingdom, France and Germany. Saviano, 28, came out of hiding and, flanked by his bodyguards, spoke with NEWSWEEK's Barbie Nadeau, walking through the Villa Borghese in Rome. Excerpts:

NEWSWEEK: The Neapolitan Camorra say they want to kill you. Are you afraid?
Roberto Saviano: No, I am not afraid. This is simply something I have to deal with. I have certain apprehensions, and certainly there are things I have to do differently from before. I have to move in certain ways with the bodyguards. Maybe another person would be afraid, but I understand clearly that this goes with what I am doing.

You live under cover; you change houses frequently. What is that like?
It's strange. It's absolutely bizarre. Every day is different. I remember when it started; Oct. 13 last year was the day that my life changed. I suddenly had to go with bodyguards, ride in an armored car. It also made me realize that people I might meet may want to harm me. I was lucky to have great solidarity behind me. There were many who supported my work and believed in what I was doing.

Why do they want you dead?
It was when I had sold 100,000 copies of the book. This, fundamentally, bothered the clan [the Camorra], who prefer to disseminate their own information how they want rather than having someone do it for them. Essentially, these groups don't pay much attention when someone says something. If you say something, no one says anything. The clan does not have a big problem with freedom of speech. When they decided they wanted to take me out, it was because I didn't just say it, I wrote something, and when the book started selling more, it angered them because their story would be discovered by a larger audience. Traditionally, the clan's story is never heard. Their history is known only in local circles. You know, among the Camorra the death rate is one or two a day. The deaths don't even make the news unless they reach five or six in a day. But for me the visibility surrounding the book is a form of protection. The more famous I may become, the less likely they will want to create a scandal over my blood. But they also won't ever forget.

Do you ever regret writing this book?
No. The only thing I regret is that these threats have also affected my family. But my position remains firm and my belief in what I am trying to do is undivided.

What kinds of death threats have you received?
In reality, the most important threat was when the carabinieri of Naples discovered a plan to take me out through an informer. That's when they gave me the police escort. I didn't ask for it, but I understand based on the threats to me why I need them.