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This is Slater's 1994 bio of Soros, with its contents "refreshed" and another 25 percent or so of updated material added. Slater, who gained greater cooperation from and access to Soros and his colleagues for this edition, continues to portray him as a man of contradictions, a Jewish Hungarian survivor of the Holocaust who is ambivalent about his religious roots and makes public pronouncements but appears shy of publicity. A fabulously successful pioneer in hedge funds, Soros says he regrets not becoming a philosopher. Slater ascribes much of Soros's trading success to his ability to recognize economic trends, jump on them aggressively, and retreat when wrong before suffering irretrievable losses. He explains that Soros has emerged, since 1994, more focused on philanthropy and changing the world. Soros has donated over $5 billion to various causes and, says Slater, became active in American politics owing to his opposition to the Bush administration. It is only since 1994 that Soros has come close to fulfilling his ambition to be considered a man of ideas. Unfortunately, Slater's post-1994 section seems rushed or tacked on, and his subject's personal life remains in shadows. Nonetheless, Soros's stature makes Slater's work a required and recommended purchase for all libraries.
—Lawrence Maxted
Ch. 1 The World's Greatest Investor 1
Ch. 2 A Boy and His Parents 17
Ch. 3 The Cellars of Budapest 27
Ch. 4 Like Freud or Einstein 35
Ch. 5 The Blind Leading the Blind 41
Ch. 6 Fascinated by Chaos 47
Ch. 7 Invest First and Investigate Later 59
Ch. 8 Putting My Money Where My Mouth Was 69
Ch. 9 A Quantum Leap 79
Ch. 10 The Identity Crisis 85
Ch. 11 The Imperial Circle 91
Ch. 12 The Killing of a Lifetime 99
Ch. 13 A Philosophical Speculator 109
Ch. 14 A Cheap Price for Freedom 117
Ch. 15 An Urge to Reveal Oneself 135
Ch. 16 The Big Crash 143
Ch. 17 It Takes Courage to Be a Pig 149
Ch. 18 Taming the Snake 157
Ch. 19 The One-Way Bet 167
Ch. 20 Black Wednesday 175
Ch. 21 The King of the Hedge Funds 185
Ch. 22 The Guru 191
Ch. 23 A Common Virus Known as Hubris 199
Ch. 24 I'm a Hungarian Jew 211
Ch. 25 The St. Valentine's Day Massacre 221
Ch. 25 Mr. Soros Goes to Washington 225
Ch. 27 Richer Than 42 Countries 233
Ch. 28 A Shift Toward America 243
Ch. 29 Financial Woes and a Foretaste of Politics 259
Ch. 30 George Bush in Soros's Crosshairs 279
Ch. 31 Investor, Philanthropist, Philosopher, and 78 Years Old 297
Notes 319
Index 329
Overview
George Soros has been making headlines for more than four decades, yet he remains as much an enigma as ever - especially to those who would divine the secrets behind his phenomenal success as a global investor. Now, in this thoroughly updated, substantially expanded edition of his 1996 bestseller Soros, biographer Robert Slater goes beyond the headlines and the oft-told tales to reveal the man behind the legend. Working from extensive interviews with Soros himself, as well as Soros's business associates and friends, Slater traces his subject's life across two continents and more than seven decades.