Writers discuss death threats

2008-11-26 10:00

Stockholm - Besides death threats from zealots and mobsters, writers Salman Rushdie and Roberto Saviano said on Tuesday that questions about their integrity hurt the most.

The two authors found common ground as they compared reactions to their work at a panel discussion in Stockholm.

Rushdie was forced to live in hiding two decades ago because of his book The Satanic Verses, while Saviano faces death threats over a 2006 book about an Italian organised crime syndicate.

Saviano said he was bothered by critics accusing him of being a "show-off" and dragging Italy's reputation in the mud for his own advancement.

"I'm hurt when I'm portrayed as someone who vilifies his own country," Saviano said in Italian comments that were translated to English. "In a way I'm trying to honour the healthy part of my country."

Police protection

His best-selling 2006 book Gomorra describes in grisly detail how the Camorra mob infiltrates nearly every facet of life around Naples, in southern Italy. A movie based on the book is Italy's entry for the best foreign film Oscar.

The Indian-born Rushdie said he, too, was troubled by critics who called him an opportunist trying to stir outrage for the sake of fame and money.

"I remember very well identical allegations being made against me, not by the Islamic extremists who were attacking The Satanic Verses, but by... Western civil society," he said. "That was very hard to deal with... particularly when your life is in physical danger."

At least 10 security guards monitored the crowd of about 400 people following the discussion at the Swedish Academy, famous for selecting the winners of the Nobel Prize in literature.

Saviano has been under police protection for two years and has suggested that he might leave Italy in fear he could be slain.

Rushdie, who lived in hiding and under guard for years after Iran's spiritual leader called for his death, suggested that may not be a bad idea.

"I'm not sure how long the arm of the Camorra is, but I suspect that however long its arm, it cannot reach into every corner of the world," Rushdie said.

- AP