Liar's Poker
一句话:Michael Lewis 写自己在 Salomon Brothers 债券交易台的亲历见闻,本意是华尔街乱象的警世寓言,却意外成了整整一代年轻人奔赴华尔街的"励志灯塔"。
简介
1986 年,刚从 Princeton 毕业、立志当作家的 Michael Lewis 进入 Salomon Brothers 债券销售交易台,本意只是记录经历,写出来的却成了一部揭露华尔街乱象的警世寓言。节目里,David 用一段较长的原文朗读还原了 41 层交易大厅的气质:那里聚集着公司里最有野心的一群人,没有规则约束对利润和荣耀的追逐,"吃人或被吃",人人带着被猎杀者的神情互相提防——"这里是资本主义最原始的形态,而它是自毁性的"。这层楼正是 1987 年 Gutfreund 在 Buffett 与 Munger 签约投资 Salomon 优先股当天,带两人参观过的那层楼——楼下是 David 口中"沸腾的角斗场"。
推荐理由
David 自曝在 Princeton 毕业、即将奔赴华尔街之际读过这本书,并把它类比为"20 年后的 The Social Network":
"I remember reading the book when I was graduating from Princeton and about to go work on Wall Street myself. It's like the Social Network 20 years later. This was meant to be, at best, a show all sides of a complicated situation and, at worst a cautionary tale. And instead, a whole generation of young people just look at it and they say, I want me some of that."
Ben 的评价更直接:
"I love Michael Lewis. I can make every single one of his books a carve-out at some point."
David 随后逐字读出书中对 41 层的描写作为例证,其中最出名的一句是:"Here it was capitalism at its most raw, and it was self-destructive."(这里是资本主义最原始的形态,而它是自毁性的。)
出处
[acquired-berkshire-2]:41 层阳台一节,David 引用 Michael Lewis 对该楼层的描写并朗读较长段落;"《Liar's Poker》的意外后果"一节,David 与 Ben 讨论这本书如何从警世寓言变成华尔街新人的精神图腾,David 自述个人读过此书的经历。