El nuevo libro de Roberto Saviano: un compendio de reflexiones sobre literatura y mafia, dos polos opuestos.La belleza y el infierno son los dos polos opuestos que señaló Albert Camus como eje de su pensamiento, y entre ellos se extiende el campo de fuerza que frecuenta Roberto Saviano. Presentados por una introducción del autor, los textos recogidos trazan un recorrido rico y variado como reconocible y coherente. Del joven que da sus primeros pasos en el ámbito de la literatura y de la militancia anti-mafia, al escritor consagrado invitado por la Academia Nobel de Estocolmo, Saviano sigue siendo el mismo, para así dar testimonio de la certeza de que «la verdad, pese a todo, existe».«No puedes escribir pero debes hacerlo, no puedes vivir pero debes hacerlo. Mientras estés vivo, nada está perdido.»Roberto Saviano

Che fine ha fatto il giornalismo?

Saviano è diventato un fenomeno del suo genere. Ma la considerazione che mi ha spinto a fare, dopo aver letto questo libro a seguito di "Gomorra", è che vorrei ci fosse più giornalismo come il suo. Non cronaca pura e semplice, non racconto letterario e basta, ma giornalismo vivo come questo. In questo libro, ancor più che nel precedente, lui parla anche di molti autori grazie ai quali è diventato lo scrittore che è: Michael Herr, William T. Vollmann, Frank Miller, Varlam Salamov, cronache di guerre, tutte uguali, come quella che si svolge quotidianamente nella nostra terra, perchè non si spara soltanto con i fucili. E poi l'esperienza del Nobel, i nomi e cognomi di chi ha distrutto e inquinato, le logiche economiche, le radici di una mentalità distorta. Il potere della parola, la parola che fa della storia di uno la storia di tutti, di parole raccolte in un libro e destinate a tramutarsi in qualcosa che duri. Scrivere per Saviano incarna la sua sfida quotidiana per scardinare la realtà. Attraverso le storie di personaggi veri, attraverso la sua storia, traccia un percorso netto e riconoscibile del suo impegno. Una vita all'insegna della "bellezza" e dell' "inferno", che, come ama ricordare citando Camus, "ha un tempo solo, la vita un giorno ricomincia".

La moindre des chose que l'on puisse faire pour Saviano, c'est de le lire. Un livre particulièrement dur et facile, sombre et encourageant. Grazzie mille ( )

Beauty and The Inferno is a series of essays that illustrates the high price that can be paid for courageous writing.
In this book, Saviano goes into politics, corruption, drugs, sport and music, sharing a variety of articles.
The book can tease, shock, anger, entertain and educate you, all at the same time.
The book is also about hope and the power of art and talent to overcome difficulties. It also provides some unique insight into Saviano's life in hiding, while under permanent police protection since Gomorrah's publication in 2006. ( )

"We discussed...how everything you seem to see is not the real story. How you always end up understanding less of what is happening rather than more."

This excerpt was from a conversation between two journalists, Saviano, and the Italian legend Enzo Biagi. Saviano's thoughts on Biagi fill a chapter in this collection of essays from Saviano's experiences as a journalist --work that would probably never be printed or aired in the United States.

First off, it's important to know that because of his work, Saviano is a wanted man. His journalism doesn't use the typical references to "an unnamed source" or an "anonymous tip". Instead, he fully exposes the names of organizations, politicians, and individuals that are involved with criminal activity in Italy, even if it endangers his life. Thus he's in hiding because of tell-all stories about the mob, and the way his articles explain not only who is committing the crimes, but also the structure of power and the methods (or businesses) they use to manipulate politicians, sell drugs, or launder money.

I'm not sure the difference in legalities that allows for such focused criticism that is relatively unheard of here. Even stating that a suspect is "alleged" is frowned upon here, whereas Italian newspapers can indicate full names and addresses. It makes reading his essays shockingly different from what a US reader may be used to, and makes his living in hiding completely understandable. Many times I had to pause and ask, "can he say that?" Seriously, I would not want to be his bodyguard.

Beyond the exposure though is a real intent to educate citizens in Italy about their government and what is happening around them. In describing Enzo Biagi, as mentioned above, parallels are seen between his goals and that of Saviano's: "Biagi was capable of looking at fragments of the daily news. He examined things bit by bit. He never jumped to a solution, but always advanced slowly...He examined our daily concerns about taxes, terrorism, schools and health and used them to ask bigger questions. He wanted to explain, freely and to spread information and make it known, but to do this with discipline and control" (127).

This is the model Saviano uses as he writes, at all times attempting to avoid both the cynicism that marks many reporters and the focus on elegance and style that detracts others. His reporting is for ordinary people and he tries to reveal it without frills. Like Biagi, he wants to motivate his readers to take notice, especially of the scores of unsolved deaths occurring around them:

"Can you really believe that none of this depends on you, or on your want of indignation? Do you really think that worrying about your everyday life is enough? Are you satisfied by the answers to these questions? Does saying "I'm not doing anything wrong; I'm an honest person," allow you to feel innocent? Can you let the news wash over you, over your soul?"

From that he describes the sixteen people who have been murdered by a mafia gang called the Casalesi who run businesses that profited more than 500 million Euros, while the rate of congenital birth defects increased 84% due to their illegal dumping of toxic waste. Their profit equates to 7172 deaths from cancer per year. So this lovely countryside in the South of Italy, namely around Lake Patria, has become an almost Wild-West type of region where the carabinieri and others trying to fight the criminals are threatened or killed, along with many innocents in the way.

In other essays he looks at similar issues facing the South of Italy, and at many times incorporating details of the culture of Italy, both ancient and current. Saviano is well-read: he references operas, plays, poetry, and literature in his writing. The pace of the essays are fast even while the details are disheartening. Seeing how crime is perpetuated as a business, focused on efficiency and results, is hard to accept.

One thing that alienated me a bit at first is his Preface, where he describes his efforts to live in hiding. It's off putting at first, as he seems to dwell on his imminent danger and how unafraid he is, given his important sacrifice. Since I'd never heard of him, it felt like a bit of bravado instead of reality. Yet, after I read the essays, I totally get it. I would hide too, and I now can respect that he has made tremendous, unimaginable sacrifices in the pursuit of truth. I just think it would have appeared better as an Epilogue than hitting the reader with all that indignation right up front. ( )