| 1969 | The Godfather. After two previous critically acclaimed but unpopular novels, Puzo produces what has been described as the fastest-selling novel in American history. The story of Don Vito Corleone's career as a Mafia don remains number one on the bestseller list for sixty-seven weeks and sells eight million paperback copies. Puzo would share the Academy Award with Francis Ford Coppola for their screenplays for The Godfather (1972) and The Godfather, Part II (1974), the first two films based on the novel. Puzo would follow up his success with other popular novels about organized crime: The Sicilian (1984), The Last Don (1996), and Omerta (2000). |
The Chronology of American Literature, edited by Daniel S. Burt. Copyright © 2004 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
