News World B'day Special: Mario Puzo, the author best remembered for his mafia-centric novels

B'day Special: Mario Puzo, the author best remembered for his mafia-centric novels

Mario Puzo the unforgettable man who introduced us to the world of Italian - American mafias, Don Corleone, Michael and Sunny. Puzo in his own way defined “family, loyalty, and how "men of honor" live

Puzo was born to a humble family from Avellino, Naples on October 15, 1920 in Hell's Kitchen in New York.

He was yet a teenager when his father deserted his mother. So she took him along with her six other children to settle in Bronx. Life was difficult for the family but his mother struggled to provide them with basic necessities. She wanted him to become a rail road clerk. But Puzo's heart was in literature. Hence he consumed his time glued to books in government libraries.

He graduated from Commerce High School and worked as a railroad switchboard attendant to support his family, soon after which he was stationed in Germany and East India during World War II while serving for the US Air Force.

He also served as a civilian public relations man for the Air Force in Germany after the war.

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