Michael Lewis

Author and journalist Michael Lewis was born in New Orleans in 1960. He studied Art History at Princeton University and then Economics at the London School of Economics. At the age of 24, he was hired by Salomon Brothers and, as a bond salesman, he quickly found himself managing multi-million dollar accounts. Having experienced the "culture" of financial giants from the inside, a few years later he chose to leave his well-paid position and, as an author, to openly share his experiences on Wall Street. His first book, "Liar's Poker" (1989), offered a ruthless look at the financial world of the 1980s and became the definitive reference book for that era of excess (similar to Oliver Stone's film "Wall Street"). In his subsequent best-selling books, Lewis continues to focus with the same analytical and critical spirit—and with biting humor—on various aspects of American society and economy. Alongside his writing, Lewis contributes as a columnist specializing in economic topics to publications such as "The New York Times Magazine" and "Portfolio." In our country, his recent article titled "Beware of Greeks Bearing Bonds," published in the October 2010 issue of "Vanity Fair," caused quite a stir.