Mario Puzo Books In Order

Publication Order of Godfather Books

Publication Order of Standalone Novels

Publication Order of Non-Fiction Books

Publication Order of Anthologies

Mario Puzo was one of the well known authors from America who has written some very popular novels based on the crime fiction genre. The subject of most of his crime novels was usually the Mafia. The most notable novel written by author Mario is titled as The Godfather, which was released in the year 1969. Later, author Mario co-adapted the novel into a three part film series of the same name. The films were directed by the well known director Francis Ford Coppola. The first and second parts of the film series helped author Mario to win the Academy Award in the category of the Best Adapted Screenplay in the years 1972 and 1974 respectively. Apart from being a well known novelist, Mario was also a popular journalist and screenwriter. He has also written the original screenplay of the Superman movie in the year 1978. The last book written by author Mario was published posthumously in the year 2001. Author Mario was born as Mario Gianluigi Puzo in the neighborhood of Hell’s Kitchen in New York City. He was born on October 15, 1920, and died on July 2, 1999 in West Bay Shore, New York, United States. The family of Mario was very poor and had migrated from Pietradefusi, Campania, Italy.

A number of books written by him depict the heritage of this place. After completing his graduation from the City College, New York, author Mario joined the Air Force of the U.S. Army to serve in the World War II. He had a poor eyesight because of which he was not allowed to undertake the combat duties. However, the military gave him the post of a public relations officer and stationed him in Germany. The first story written by author Mario was published in the year 1950 under the title ‘The Last Christmas’. After the war got over, Mario wrote his first novel titled ‘The Dark Arena’, which was released in the year 1955. During the time between the 1950’s and the early 1960’s, author Mario mainly worked as a writer and editor for the Magazine Management Company of the publisher Martin Goodman. He also worked with other popular authors like Bruce Friedman for writing pulp tiles like Swank, Male, and True Action. Author Mario used the pen name of Mario Cleri for writing the adventure features of World War II in True Action. The publisher of author Mario’s book, The Fortunate Pilgrim, once told him that if the book had more descriptions about the mafia in it, then it would have become more successful. This suggestion encouraged him to go on and develop his most famous work, The Godfather.

The initial story line of the book was rejected by a number of publishers in the beginning. It was the editors of Putnam publication who heard a few stories from Mario without reading the story outline and immediately approved it. They also provided him an advance amount that helped him to get on with the huge project. Author Mario had heard some anecdotes about the Mafia organizations at the time of his stay pulp journalism. In an interview given to Larry King, author Mario said that the critical reception of the previous couple of books written by him without its monetary success made it a bigger issue. This helped him to become successful in his next works and therefore, he was able to support his 5 children on the salary of a government clerk. At the time of writing The Godfather, author Mario was looking for something that would appeal to the masses. He was able to do so as the novel went on to become the number one bestseller in the New York Times and remained on top for a several months. Even the movie adaptation of the novel was very much successful as it received a total of 11 nominations at the Academy Awards and won 3 out of them. The success allowed author Mario and director Francis Coppola to collaborate for the two sequels of the film. Author Mario died due to a heart failure in his home located on Manor Lane, West Bay Shore, New York. He is now survived by his family members who live in East Slip, New York.

The book, The Godfather, written by author Mario Puzo forms a part of the Mario Puzo’s Mafia series of novels. It is considered to be an epic story of betrayal and crime that went on to become a global phenomenon. The central plot of the book is set in New York, United States, and Sicily, Italy, and features a number of primary characters, including Don Vito Corleone, Constanzia Corleone, Michael Corleone, Santino Corleone, Fredo Corleon, etc. The story depicted in the book showcases a searing portrayal of the underworld of the Mafia. It introduced the readers to the first American family of crime fiction, the Corleones. As the novel progresses, author Mario has depicted the powerful legacy of blood, honor, and tradition of the Corleone family. The themes including the seduction of power, family allegiance, and greed pitfalls was liked by millions of readers all over the world and it is still resonating in their minds. These elements helped the novel to develop into a definitive one. The violent subculture of the book steeped in controversy and intrigue, and still remains etched in the collective consciousness of the readers all around the world.

One of the other books in this series is titled as ‘The Last Don’. It was released by the Ballantine Books in the year 1986. At the start of this book, it is depicted that Domenico Clericuzio is the last don. He is quite a brutal and wise man, and seems to be determined to get his heirs well established in the legitimate society. But, the visions of Domenico Clericuzio get threatened when the past secrets of the family cause the outbreak of a vicious war between a couple of blood cousins in his family. This mesmerizing story takes the readers inside the corrupt world of the movie industry, the mob, as well as the casinos. The novel shows that the ruthless and beautiful actresses are ruled by violence and lust. Event the greedy producers and the sleazy studio heads are driven by power. Author Mario has also depicted that the desperate gamblers and crooked police officers play the dangerous betrayal game and all the activities are controlled by a single man.