"With the novel, I wanted to show that anything is possible when you are forced to fight. Abandoned children, unable to change anything, fall into the abyss of self-destruction, vices and deviance. I understand, I was one of those kids and I will always be, "said Mattie Camberi, author of “The City of Pain.”
From a 12-year-old child who didn't even know how to read, Matthew reached his first written novel at the age of 19.
He was born in Nis in the heart of the Gypsy neighborhood. The earliest memories link him to the three-story house, where he lived with his mother and brothers, the asphalt on the winding streets where he tried to investigate a couple of money, because he was not allowed to return home without a certain amount of money.
His earliest childhood could not even be called childhood. He doesn't remember having a favorite toy, and all he remembers is hunger, fear, bullying, and pain.
Before reaching home for abandoned children, he was placed in a foster family for several years. He says that he was unlucky with the guardians and says that that period of his life did not bring him anything nice.
"As time went on, I, especially thanks to my educator Emilia from an abandoned children's home, got rid of myself and opened my mind to some things she doesn't even know about. . Thanks to her, I learned to read and write. Otherwise, the novel "The City of Pain" is completely autobiographical, the characters are real and the names are fictional.
"Content for the novel I was not forced to look for. I have been carrying it with me for eighteen years, I carry it now and I will carry it forever "he describes his novel and adds:" With this novel I wanted to show that anything is possible when you are forced to fight. "
After fulfilling his dream of dreaming as a child at home and making a novel, Matthew has a new wish. He plans to graduate from college and become a social worker. His goal is to dedicate his life to street children.
