The enthralling story of an extraordinary individual Rewarding reading on several levels--as an adventure story, as food for serious philosophical speculation, and as a peek into the world of high financial wheeling and dealing.

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Apenniless emigre 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 of 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.

Introduction

     PART I: ORIGINS

Erzebet and Tivadar

Family Values

War

Peace

Down and Out in London

The London School of Economics

Work

 PART II: MAKING MONEY

America

Fallibility

Philosophizing

Getting Back to Business

A Quantum Leap

Midlife

 PART III: GIVING IT AWAY

Into Philanthropy

Human Rights

Hungary

Domestic Reforms

China

Russia

Black Wednesday

Branching Out

Deeper Pockets

Rescue Missions

Death of a Hero

Having Impact

Baltimore

Soros at Seventy

Acknowledgments

Index