"The Godfather" trilogy is often considered to be the greatest film franchise in the history of American cinema. The movies probably deserve that honor, considering both "The Godfather" and its sequel, "The Godfather II," won Academy Awards for best picture. When most people think of "The Godfather," though, they don't think of the book that spawned the films.
After giving up on being a comic-book writer because he deemed it too challenging, according to comic legend Stan Lee, Mario Puzo decided to try his hand at writing a novel instead. What emerged with Puzo's third novel was the 1969 bestseller, "The Godfather." Deemed by Salon as the first "blockbuster" novel, it sold 21 million copies before the first film adaptation came out and made the story of the Corleone family one of the most widely known in American literature.
The book's true impact spans far beyond the dollars and awards, though. It launched America's obsession with the idea of the mafia family. Since "The Godfather," there have been countless books and films made to quench the world's thirst for stories about the underworld of organized crime. It can be argued that without "The Godfather," there would not be "Scarface" or "The Sopranos."
Although Puzo went on to write half a dozen other books and several screenplays, he will always be remembered for being, as a New York tabloid once referred to him as, the "Father of 'The Godfather.'"
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