Michael Lewis (author)
Encyclopedia
Michael Lewis is an American non-fiction
author and financial journalist. His bestselling books include The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine
, Liar's Poker
, The New New Thing
, Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game
, The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game
, Panic and Home Game: An Accidental Guide to Fatherhood. He is currently a contributing editor to Vanity Fair
.
in New Orleans. He attended Princeton University
where he received a BA
degree in Art History
in 1982 and was a member of the Ivy Club.
He went on to work with New York art dealer Daniel Wildenstein
. He enrolled in the London School of Economics
, and received his MSc
degree in Economics
in 1985. Lewis was hired by Salomon Brothers
and moved to New York for their training program. He worked at their London office as a bond salesman. He resigned to write Liar's Poker
and become a financial journalist.
(1989). In The New New Thing
(1999), he investigated the then-booming Silicon Valley
and discussed obsession with innovation. Four years later, Lewis wrote Moneyball, in which he investigated the success of Billy Beane
and the Oakland A's. In August 2007, he wrote an article about catastrophe bond
s entitled "In Nature's Casino" that appeared in The New York Times Magazine
.
Lewis has worked for the New York Times Magazine, as a columnist for Bloomberg
, as a frequent contributor to The New Republic
, and a visiting fellow at the University of California, Berkeley
. He wrote the Dad Again column for Slate
. Lewis worked for Conde Nast Portfolio
but in February 2009 left to join Vanity Fair
, where he became a contributing editor.
In an interview at the 2010 National Book Awards, Tom Wolfe
called Lewis one of two "writers to watch" (the other was Mark Bowden
).
correspondent Kate Bohner
, before marrying the former MTV
reporter Tabitha Soren
on October 4, 1997. The couple have two daughters and one son.
Non-fiction
Non-fiction is the form of any narrative, account, or other communicative work whose assertions and descriptions are understood to be fact...
author and financial journalist. His bestselling books include The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine
The Big Short
The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine is a 2010 non-fiction book by Michael Lewis about the build-up of the housing and credit bubble during the 2000s...
, Liar's Poker
Liar's Poker
Liar's Poker is a non-fiction, semi-autobiographical book by Michael Lewis describing the author's experiences as a bond salesman on Wall Street during the late 1980s...
, The New New Thing
The New New Thing
The New New Thing : A Silicon Valley Story is a book by Michael M. Lewis published in 1999 about the founder of several Silicon Valley companies, James H. Clark, and the entrepreneurial culture that dominated the area during the height of the Internet boom....
, Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game
Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game
Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game is a book by Michael Lewis, published in 2003, about the Oakland Athletics baseball team and its general manager Billy Beane. Its focus is the team's modernized, analytical, sabermetric approach to assembling a competitive baseball team, despite...
, The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game
The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game
The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game is a book by Michael Lewis released in 2006 about American football.-Plot:It features two dominant storylines...
, Panic and Home Game: An Accidental Guide to Fatherhood. He is currently a contributing editor to Vanity Fair
Vanity Fair (magazine)
Vanity Fair is a magazine of pop culture, fashion, and current affairs published by Condé Nast. The present Vanity Fair has been published since 1983 and there have been editions for four European countries as well as the U.S. edition. This revived the title which had ceased publication in 1935...
.
Early life
Lewis was born in New Orleans to corporate lawyer J. Thomas Lewis and community activist Diana Monroe Lewis. He attended the college preparatory Isidore Newman SchoolIsidore Newman School
Isidore Newman School is a private, nondenominational, co-educational college preparatory school located on an campus in the Uptown section of New Orleans, Louisiana.-History:...
in New Orleans. He attended Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
where he received a BA
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
degree in Art History
Art history
Art history has historically been understood as the academic study of objects of art in their historical development and stylistic contexts, i.e. genre, design, format, and style...
in 1982 and was a member of the Ivy Club.
He went on to work with New York art dealer Daniel Wildenstein
Daniel Wildenstein
Daniel Leopold Wildenstein was a French art dealer and scholar, as well as a leading thoroughbred race horse owner and breeder....
. He enrolled in the London School of Economics
London School of Economics
The London School of Economics and Political Science is a public research university specialised in the social sciences located in London, United Kingdom, and a constituent college of the federal University of London...
, and received his MSc
Master of Science
A Master of Science is a postgraduate academic master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is typically studied for in the sciences including the social sciences.-Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay:...
degree in Economics
Economics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
in 1985. Lewis was hired by Salomon Brothers
Salomon Brothers
Salomon Brothers was a bulge bracket, Wall Street investment bank. Founded in 1910 by three brothers along with a clerk named Ben Levy, it remained a partnership until the early 1980s, when it was acquired by the commodity trading firm Phibro Corporation and then became Salomon Inc. Eventually...
and moved to New York for their training program. He worked at their London office as a bond salesman. He resigned to write Liar's Poker
Liar's Poker
Liar's Poker is a non-fiction, semi-autobiographical book by Michael Lewis describing the author's experiences as a bond salesman on Wall Street during the late 1980s...
and become a financial journalist.
Writing
Lewis described his experiences at Salomon in Liar's PokerLiar's Poker
Liar's Poker is a non-fiction, semi-autobiographical book by Michael Lewis describing the author's experiences as a bond salesman on Wall Street during the late 1980s...
(1989). In The New New Thing
The New New Thing
The New New Thing : A Silicon Valley Story is a book by Michael M. Lewis published in 1999 about the founder of several Silicon Valley companies, James H. Clark, and the entrepreneurial culture that dominated the area during the height of the Internet boom....
(1999), he investigated the then-booming Silicon Valley
Silicon Valley
Silicon Valley is a term which refers to the southern part of the San Francisco Bay Area in Northern California in the United States. The region is home to many of the world's largest technology corporations...
and discussed obsession with innovation. Four years later, Lewis wrote Moneyball, in which he investigated the success of Billy Beane
Billy Beane
William Lamar "Billy" Beane III is a former Major League Baseball player and the current general manager and minority owner of the Oakland Athletics...
and the Oakland A's. In August 2007, he wrote an article about catastrophe bond
Catastrophe bond
Catastrophe bonds are risk-linked securities that transfer a specified set of risks from a sponsor to investors...
s entitled "In Nature's Casino" that appeared in The New York Times Magazine
The New York Times Magazine
The New York Times Magazine is a Sunday magazine supplement included with the Sunday edition of The New York Times. It is host to feature articles longer than those typically in the newspaper and has attracted many notable contributors...
.
Lewis has worked for the New York Times Magazine, as a columnist for Bloomberg
Bloomberg L.P.
Bloomberg L.P. is an American privately held financial software, media, and data company. Bloomberg makes up one third of the $16 billion global financial data market with estimated revenue of $6.9 billion. Bloomberg L.P...
, as a frequent contributor to The New Republic
The New Republic
The magazine has also published two articles concerning income inequality, largely criticizing conservative economists for their attempts to deny the existence or negative effect increasing income inequality is having on the United States...
, and a visiting fellow at the University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
. He wrote the Dad Again column for Slate
Slate (magazine)
Slate is a US-based English language online current affairs and culture magazine created in 1996 by former New Republic editor Michael Kinsley, initially under the ownership of Microsoft as part of MSN. On 21 December 2004 it was purchased by the Washington Post Company...
. Lewis worked for Conde Nast Portfolio
Condé Nast Portfolio
Portfolio.com is a website published by American City Business Journals that provides news and information for small to mid-sized businesses. It was formerly the website for the monthly business magazine Condé Nast Portfolio, published by Condé Nast from 2007 to 2009.Portfolio.com is continually...
but in February 2009 left to join Vanity Fair
Vanity Fair (magazine)
Vanity Fair is a magazine of pop culture, fashion, and current affairs published by Condé Nast. The present Vanity Fair has been published since 1983 and there have been editions for four European countries as well as the U.S. edition. This revived the title which had ceased publication in 1935...
, where he became a contributing editor.
In an interview at the 2010 National Book Awards, Tom Wolfe
Tom Wolfe
Thomas Kennerly "Tom" Wolfe, Jr. is a best-selling American author and journalist. He is one of the founders of the New Journalism movement of the 1960s and 1970s.-Early life and education:...
called Lewis one of two "writers to watch" (the other was Mark Bowden
Mark Bowden
Not to be confused with Mark Bowden, U.N. Resident & Humanitarian Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative for Somalia.Mark Robert Bowden is an American writer and a contributing editor at Vanity Fair. Born in St. Louis, Missouri, he is a 1973 graduate of Loyola University Maryland...
).
Personal life
Lewis's first marriage was to Diane de Cordova Lewis. He was briefly married to former CNBCCNBC
CNBC is a satellite and cable television business news channel in the U.S., owned and operated by NBCUniversal. The network and its international spinoffs cover business headlines and provide live coverage of financial markets. The combined reach of CNBC and its siblings is 390 million viewers...
correspondent Kate Bohner
Kate Bohner
Kate Bohner is an American journalist and writer. Bohner's father was an English literature professor which led her to spend some of her early years living in Europe...
, before marrying the former MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
reporter Tabitha Soren
Tabitha Soren
Tabitha Soren , married name Tabitha Soren Lewis, is a former reporter for MTV News. She is perhaps best known as the public face for MTV's "Choose or Lose" campaign designed to inspire young people to vote.Soren was born in San Antonio, Texas...
on October 4, 1997. The couple have two daughters and one son.
External links
- CBS's 60 Minutes, interview w/ Lewis on The Big Short, March 14, 2010
- Comedy Central's The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, 6 min interview w/ Lewis on The Big Short, March 15, 2010
- NPR's All Things Considered, 9 min interview w/ Lewis on The Big Short, March 15, 2010
- The Future Just Happened
- Birnbaum v. Michael Lewis, an interview at The Morning NewsThe Morning News (online magazine)The Morning News is a U.S.-based daily online magazine founded in 1999 by Rosecrans Baldwin and Andrew Womack. It began as an email newsletter and in the fall of 2000 evolved into a news-oriented weblog with a New York focus...
- Unofficial archive of Michael Lewis