Soros
The Life and Times of a Messianic Billionaire
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- $14.99
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- $14.99
Publisher Description
A penniless émigré who made a fortune and became one of the great philanthropists of the twentieth century, George Soros has led a remarkable life. This biography brings forth his story in unprecedented depth, from his childhood as a Jew in occupied Budapest during World War II to his conquests on Wall Street and the establishment of his philanthropic Open Society foundations. Soros offers exclusive glimpses at an often misunderstood man, revealing a shy character whose own struggle to escape the Nazis left him with the adamant belief that people of the world are entitled to live without the fear of oppression.
Enigmatic, contradictory, and inspiring, George Soros is one of the most intriguing and globally influential men of our time. In this accomplished biography, written with Soros’s cooperation, Michael T. Kaufman fully illuminates the man, his motivations, and his legacy.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
At the age of 14, in Hungary, George Soros was pulled from his Jewish class at the gymnasium to work as a courier for the local Jewish Council, which had been set up by the invading Nazis to identify Jews. His first job was to deliver internment notices to local Jewish lawyers. The experience shaped Soros's sense of outrage at injustice and laid the foundation for his celebrated philanthropic efforts in later life. This thorough biography (written with his cooperation) of the world-famous investor is less hagiographic than comprehensive. By far the most exciting narrative sections are the earlier chapters detailing Soros's childhood in Nazi-occupied Hungary, his family seeking safety by passing as Christians, life under the Soviet occupation and Soros's escape when he fled to England to study at the London School of Economics. The book starts to explore more fully its subject's inner life when Soros moves to New York in 1956 and begins to make his billions on Wall Street the importance of games, sports and competition in his life and career; his initial disenchantment with philanthropy ("foundations corrupt the impulse that led to their foundation"); and his desire to become a serious philosopher. At the age of 33, he wrote a critique of Freudian thought, which he sent to Karl Popper, and his book The Alchemy of Finance is devoted to his theory of "reflexivity." Kaufman, a journalist and author of Rooftops and Alleys, has researched his subject well and treats him with respect. While there is nothing shocking or surprising here, this biography offers a complete portrait of the private life of a complicated man who has made a huge mark on the world. Photos.
