The Godfather, Page 55

  In fact, neither Puzo nor Coppola would ever top, or even match, this level of work. The Godfather and the movie version’s sequel represented the zenith of their careers. In his later years, Puzo took on the gravitas of his invented character, as he dispensed advice and philosophy to young writers and filmmakers, commenting on the ills of society and on life’s ironies. Like most authors, he still felt unappreciated and misunderstood. His early work, he reiterated, was still underestimated on its literary merits, and his high-profile novels were perhaps overpraised. “Writing, like gambling, was always a big part of my life,” he used to say. “Both gave me sanctuary from the world. And you never really had to kill someone to get what you wanted. You just had to beat fate.”

  And that indeed is what Mario Puzo managed to achieve.