Purely Puzo..
Silvio Alfonso was at the peak of his anger.. An anger which was inhuman for a 6 yr old.. But then, he has all rights to be at his peak.. As his family, The Alphonsos, have been mercilessly killed.. None from his family's blood have survived except him..The killers had made a grave mistake by letting him live.. They had not followed the golden rule of mafia - If you kill a father, kill his male child too.. Bcos, a child grows to be a man and man doesnt forget revenge.. Their bad luck was his good luck.. But for now, his anger has to wait as he must secure himself before he plans to avenge his family's brutal assault.. He could go to the 'polizia' but that is not how he had been brought up by his dad, Stephan Alfonso.. He has been a sicilian by birth, a sicilian by blood and brought up to live in Sicilian style.. And so his revenge would also be in Sicilian style.. He is bound by Omertà, the sicilian code of silence.. He cannot go to the polizia.. He is a man of honour.. only the weak go to the police.. he will avenge them with his own hands.. Even if that means it will take him 20 yrs to end their lives.. He can wait.. He will join the Cosa Nostra(Mafia family in USA).. Revenge is a dish that tastes best when served cold.. he can start a family to tell his name, then he can avenge his family's murderers..
Welcome to the world of MAFIA popularized by our very own "MARIO PUZO".. He had said "Great men are not born great, they grow great.." And he himself had been the paragon of it..
The definition of Cosa Nostra from their point of view:
These men aren't criminals. The police will murder to uphold the law. These men kill to uphold their own laws. They're only on opposite sides of the fence. Then again, the government and laws claim it is wrong. If you think about it, the government is composed of men and women just like you and me. Just because the government states what is right and wrong doesn't make it so. They don't necessarily own this land, but every individual living here owns this land. The government only exists to maintain the safety of people. In reality, no man has more power over another man.
Puzo is the writer who has made an eternal impression on me.. His words are poisoning to say the least.. It is powerful, thought provoking, profound and merciless.. he has written only 11 novels.. Yet he is rated as one of the best ever to have had a mightier sword in his hands.. Thanks to his masterpiece, The Godfather..
His words include:
My last read was "The last Don".. and i would say it was a near equal to "The Godfather".. A complete thriller and i m waiting to read these 2 books again..
I was often fascinated by this term "Godfather" and as much about the importance given for the same.. My queries were settled in Puzo's usual succinct style - "The world is so hard a man must have two fathers to look after him, and that's why we have Godfathers."
When i read about Dons, Mafia, Caporegime, Buttons - I dont see them as people who have malicious ideas.. but people who have excellent proficiency to manage people around them.. how they command respect from people.. They are perfect managers u could ever come across.. though these stories are fictional they seem to be very real.. thats wat puzo does to u!!
Most of his books give some insights into human behavior and a lot about the pattern of thinking of humans.. A clear example is when they plan a murder of a pezzovanté(a kingpin) for a million dollars.. the deal is like half will be paid before the killing and the other half after.. It is always very difficult to get the second half.. the human mind starts to think the other way round.. Many clear examples like this..
Some of the most famous punch lines to savour:
Welcome to the world of MAFIA popularized by our very own "MARIO PUZO".. He had said "Great men are not born great, they grow great.." And he himself had been the paragon of it..
The definition of Cosa Nostra from their point of view:
These men aren't criminals. The police will murder to uphold the law. These men kill to uphold their own laws. They're only on opposite sides of the fence. Then again, the government and laws claim it is wrong. If you think about it, the government is composed of men and women just like you and me. Just because the government states what is right and wrong doesn't make it so. They don't necessarily own this land, but every individual living here owns this land. The government only exists to maintain the safety of people. In reality, no man has more power over another man.
Puzo is the writer who has made an eternal impression on me.. His words are poisoning to say the least.. It is powerful, thought provoking, profound and merciless.. he has written only 11 novels.. Yet he is rated as one of the best ever to have had a mightier sword in his hands.. Thanks to his masterpiece, The Godfather..
His words include:
- The Dark Arena (1955)
- The Fortunate Pilgrim (1965)
- The Runaway Summer of Davie Shaw (1966)
- Six Graves to Munich (1967)
- The Godfather (1969)
- Fools Die (1978)
- The Sicilian (1984) sequel to The Godfather
- The Fourth K (1991)
- The Last Don (1996)
- Omertà (2000) sequel to The Godfather
- The Family (2002) (completed by Carla Gino)
Puzo tasted success after 1969, the year in which "The Godfather" was published.. So what was he doing before that.. He had already written two books that had received great reviews, yet had not amounted to much. As a government clerk with five kids, he was looking to write something that would appeal to the masses. With a number one bestseller for months on The New York Times Best Seller List, Mario Puzo had found his target audience. The book was later developed into the film "The Godfather" directed by Francis Ford Coppola. The movie received 11 Academy Award nominations, winning three, including an Oscar for Puzo for Best Adapted Screenplay.. Puzo, the writer, the screenplay writer was born.. Rest was history..
My last read was "The last Don".. and i would say it was a near equal to "The Godfather".. A complete thriller and i m waiting to read these 2 books again..
I was often fascinated by this term "Godfather" and as much about the importance given for the same.. My queries were settled in Puzo's usual succinct style - "The world is so hard a man must have two fathers to look after him, and that's why we have Godfathers."
When i read about Dons, Mafia, Caporegime, Buttons - I dont see them as people who have malicious ideas.. but people who have excellent proficiency to manage people around them.. how they command respect from people.. They are perfect managers u could ever come across.. though these stories are fictional they seem to be very real.. thats wat puzo does to u!!
Most of his books give some insights into human behavior and a lot about the pattern of thinking of humans.. A clear example is when they plan a murder of a pezzovanté(a kingpin) for a million dollars.. the deal is like half will be paid before the killing and the other half after.. It is always very difficult to get the second half.. the human mind starts to think the other way round.. Many clear examples like this..
Some of the most famous punch lines to savour:
- I'm gonna make him an offer he can't refuse.
- Friendship is everything. Friendship is more than talent. It is more than the government. It is almost the equal of family.
- Never get angry. Never make a threat. Reason with people.
- Blood is thicker than water and holy water.
- Human mind doesnt recognize gratitude.
- A friend should always underestimate your virtues and an enemy overestimate your faults.
- It's just business nothing personal.
- The man with the briefcase can steal more money than the man with the gun.
- Power isn't everything.. it's the only thing.
- Love is not a reliable emotion.. It can bring u down anytime.. Women are more dangerous than shotguns.
- You cannot say 'no' to the people you love, not often. That's the secret. And then when you do, it has to sound like a 'yes'. Or you have to make them say 'no.' You have to take time and trouble.
- Many young men started down a false path to their true destiny. Time and fortune usually set them aright.
- We are all honorable men here, we do not have to give each other assurances as if we were lawyers.
- Even the strongest man needs friends.
- Finance is a gun. Politics is knowing when to pull the trigger.
- True love imperils a man, and empowers a woman.
P.S The proposal from Michael Corleone to Appollonia's dad is one of the best ever i have ever come across and I m sure that if I try the same in our country I m already dead..
P.P.S Some of my friends told me that you read about mafia and say that they are an excellent race but u dont follow their golden rule: Do not reveal urself.. I felt it was an apparent contradiction with me which i couldnt refuse because i basically like expressing myself.. Hmmm.. I, being a media frenzy guy, cannot refrain from doing things which make me what I am.. So I decided that a few exceptions need to be made and a few corrections to wat i decide to write about.. So that should set things even..
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