I always wondered if Mario Puzo based the Michael Corleone character in some degree on himself.

As a matter of fact, both were born in 1920 in Hell's Kitchen. And both also participated in World War II. Could he also based Michael's personality in some way on his own personality?

What do you guys think?

Puzo said the only things about the GF novel that he experienced himself were a woman being evicted because of a dog, and guns being passed through windows. But, there's a long literary tradition of leading characters being authors' alter-egos. Not impossible, Sonny.

It made me think that this was probably the reason why Mark Winegardner thought he had a license to create his own character in his sequel.

"Difficult -- not impossible."