Influence of Dostoyevsky
Puzo's favorite writer was Fyodor Dostoyevsky. He was deeply influenced by his books, particularly The Brothers Karamazov which Puzo quoted in his books, The Dark Arena, Fools Die, The Fourth K, and The Family. The character Stefano Andolini, in The Sicilian, was derived from Dostoyevsky's major character Stepan Trofimovich Verkhovensky in The Possessed. Luca Brasi, in The Godfather, came from Raskolnikov. Puzo referred to Dostoyevsky as his "personal favourite" to the editor Jonathan Karp.
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