Roberto Saviano and "Gomorrah"

THE italian journalist roberto saviano has become famous for his book blowing the roof off the neapolitan mob, which is bigger, older and likely more deadly than the sicilian mafia.

Here is my interview with saviano, who has been under police protection since late 2006. his book is pretty incredible, and full of ideas and analysis in the way some of these tough you-are-there books arent. we talked a bit about his literary influences -- truman capote, primo levi, the journalists who reported on the nazi concentration camps.

dude had old neighbors in southern italy push him out of his house for "bringing shame" to his native region, he's survived a death threat from a mob that wanted him dead by last christmas, he's been abandoned by many of his friends.

(i will never again complain about my life as a struggling freelance writer.)

the film of "gomorrah," a cannes grand prix winner, opened in LA and New York yesterday.

Photo credit: Flickr user 23