Il testimone di fede: verità e spiritualità nella narrativa di Saviano

Abstract

Witness to faith. Truth and spirituality in Saviano’s narrative

Literary critics of Saviano’s narrative have often discussed issues such as truth and witness stance. These subjects have usually been studied and synthesized through the fiction/reality antinomy, an established position that this article will try to challenge. Taking as a starting point what recent sociologists of religion have termed “the passage from religion to spirituality”, and connecting this with Foucault’s reflections on the link between truth and spirituality, it proposes a substantially different view on one of the most discussed literary works of the last ten years: Gomorra by Roberto Saviano. Following a brief introduction, it summarizes sociological reflection − especially that of Ulrich Beck − and rethinking of the secularization process. The focus then shifts to Foucault’s study of truth in his 1981-1982 lectures, integrating the concept of spirituality in the post-secular scheme. Perceived as such, it seeks to demonstrate that the truth exposed in Gomorra is therefore to be considered a “spiritual truth”, recounted by a witness that is, above all, testament to his own faith, soul, or conscience.