Ian McEwan Vs. the Mafia

Roberto Saviano should be sitting on top of the world. His expose of the Neapolitan mafia, the Camorra, is a runaway bestseller in Italy, and has been made into a film that Italy has submitted to the Oscars. One problem: His success has provoked the Camorra to put a price on his head. Ian McEwan is the latest author to sign a petition in support of Saviano. Its 200,000 signatories include Martin Amis, Jonathan Lethem, Paul Auster, and Jose Saramago. “I personally make no distinction between the Camorra and certain extremist religious groups,” McEwan said, “which try to close down discussions with threats of violence.”