Dealings A Political & Financial Life

It was a German soldierand#8217;s chance decision to reach for a cigarette and absently wave a car through a checkpoint outside Marseille in 1940 that allowed Felix Rohatyn and his Jewish family to escape from Nazi-occupied France. In the States, a chance summer job led him to the small, private investment bank of Lazard Frand#232;res, where he came under the tutelage of legendary financier Andrand#233; Meyer. The summer job turned into an extraordinary fifty-year career. andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Hailed as "the preeminent investment banker of his generation," Rohatyn was a creator of the merger-and-acquisition business that revolutionized investment banking and transformed the worlds of finance and entertainment. In this very personal account, Rohatyn takes us behind the headlines to offer readers a telling look at some of the eraand#8217;s most renowned figures in the worlds of finance, entertainment, and politics. We are alongside Rohatyn as he meets Steve Ross in the back of the funeral parlor Ross is managing as they strategize to take control of Warner Brothers, and in Andrand#233; Meyerand#8217;s art-filled apartment as they negotiate with Frank Sinatra. andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;We are with Rohatyn as he assists Harold Geneen of ITT weather a series of congressional investigations, and as he stays one step ahead of the canny Michael Ovitz as Matsushita attempts to win control of Lew Wassermanand#8217;s Universal Pictures. We also watch Rohatyn defending shareholdersand#8217; interests as the RJR-Nabisco buyout becomes a cautionary tale of executive greed. andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;We have a front-row seat as Rohatyn and Governor Hugh Carey forge a desperation plan to save New York City from bankruptcy. And we accompany Rohatyn when he returns to Paris as the U.S. ambassador to the country he barely escaped alive as a young boy. andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Full of headline-making revelations, insider stories, keen personal observations, and relevant financial wisdoms, andlt;Iandgt;Dealings andlt;/Iandgt;is the page-turning story of a life well lived.

A veteran investment banker and the man who saved New York City from its 1970s fiscal crisis tells his rags to riches story in this energetic but uneven memoir. After a narrow escape from Nazi occupied Paris Polish born Rohatyn (Bold Endeavors) currently chairman and CEO of the investment firm Lazard Ltd. scrambled for an American education and found work as an assistant and tutor to Edith Piaf. When that gig dried up he began working at the small investment bank of Lazard Frères thus beginning his storied financial career. Rohatyn tells the story of his journey with fastidious detail from fighting in the Korean War enduring a difficult stretch (and an SEC investigation) on the board of ITT through his invitation to join the board of governors of the NYSE at a young age his 18 years as chairman of New York City's Municipal Assistance Corporation and finally his ambassadorship to France. Though he's lived in turbulent times and accomplished much this memoir feels one note and suffers from dry storytelling; not even the financial wheeling and dealing and celebrity cameos (Frank Sinatra Bennett Cerf Jack Welch) will retain the reader's interest. (Nov.) " Publishers Weekly Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved."

"A veteran investment banker--and the man who saved New York City from its 1970s fiscal crisis--tells his rags to riches story in this energetic but uneven memoir. After a narrow escape from Nazi-occupied Paris, Polish-born Rohatyn (Bold Endeavors), currently chairman and CEO of the investment firm Lazard Ltd., scrambled for an American education and found work as an assistant and tutor to Edith Piaf. When that gig dried up, he began working at the small investment bank of Lazard Frères--thus beginning his storied financial career. Rohatyn tells the story of his journey with fastidious detail--from fighting in the Korean War, enduring a difficult stretch (and an SEC investigation) on the board of ITT, through his invitation to join the board of governors of the NYSE at a young age, his 18 years as chairman of New York City's Municipal Assistance Corporation, and finally his ambassadorship to France. Though he's lived in turbulent times and accomplished much, this memoir feels one-note and suffers from dry storytelling; not even the financial wheeling and dealing and celebrity cameos (Frank Sinatra, Bennett Cerf, Jack Welch) will retain the reader's interest. (Nov.)" Publishers Weekly (Copyright PWyxz LLC)

andlt;bandgt;and#8220;How Wall Street came to this not-so-pretty pass is the subtext of this fascinating memoir by one of Americaand#8217;s greatest deal-makers. Read it for profit and pleasure alike.and#8221; andlt;/bandgt;andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;andlt;bandgt;--James Grant, editor, andlt;iandgt;Grantand#8217;s Interest Rate Observerandlt;/iandgt;andlt;/bandgt;

andlt;bandgt;and#8220;In andlt;iandgt;Dealingsandlt;/iandgt;, Felix Rohatyn shows that he is a master story-teller, bringing us deep inside the worlds of Wall Street and Washington. Others have written about the art of the deal, but no one does it better or with more verve than Felix Rohatyn.and#8221;andlt;/bandgt;andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;andlt;bandgt;--Madeleine K. Albright, U.S. Secretary of State, 1997-2001 andlt;/bandgt;

"While Felix Rohatyn was perhaps the preeminent insider in the New York financial world for decades, in Dealings he manages an outsider's perspective that makes the book all the more valuable.

"Dealings is no ordinary memoir, as befits its author, Felix Rohatyn.

andlt;divandgt;andlt;bandgt;Advance Praise forandlt;/bandgt;andlt;BRandgt;

DEALINGS

"Once, Wall Street bankers focused on serving clients. Once, they were called Wise Men, who proferred advice seemingly unmotivated by

andlt;bandgt;Advance Praise forandlt;/bandgt;andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;andlt;bandgt;andlt;iandgt; andlt;/iandgt;andlt;/bandgt;andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;andlt;bandgt;andlt;iandgt;DEALINGSandlt;/iandgt;andlt;/bandgt;andlt;bandgt; andlt;/bandgt;andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;andlt;bandgt; andlt;/bandgt;andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;andlt;bandgt; andlt;/bandgt;andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;andlt;bandgt;and#8220;Once, Wall Street bankers focused on serving clients. Once, they were called Wise Men, who proferred advice seemingly unmotivated by greed. An investment banking Hall of Fame would include Felix Rohatyn as one of these Wise Men, and this candid, fast-paced memoir vividly recounts tales of the many mergers he both engineered and avoided, the unvarnished advice he gave many CEOs, the brilliant way he engineered the rescue of New York City from near bankruptcy. This book is a treat.and#8221;andlt;/bandgt;andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;andlt;bandgt; --Ken Auletta, author of andlt;iandgt;Googledandlt;/iandgt; and andlt;iandgt;Greed and Glory on Wall Streetandlt;/iandgt;andlt;/bandgt;

andlt;bandgt;and#8220;While Felix Rohatyn was perhaps the preeminent insider in the New York financial world for decades, in andlt;iandgt;Dealings andlt;/iandgt;he manages an outsiderand#8217;s perspective that makes the book all the more valuable. Still the discreet banker, he reveals enough juicy stories to make his book both important and fun to read.and#8221;andlt;/bandgt;andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;andlt;bandgt; --Connie Bruck, author of andlt;iandgt;The Predatorand#8217;s Ball, Master of the Game, andlt;/iandgt;and andlt;iandgt;When Hollywood Had a Kingandlt;/iandgt;andlt;/bandgt;

andlt;bandgt;andlt;iandgt;"Dealingsandlt;/iandgt; is no ordinary memoir, as befits its author, Felix Rohatyn. Looking back on his extraordinary life, from a chance reprieve from a Nazi death camp to the heights of finance, politics and diplomacy, his story is an American saga, well-written and thoughtful.and#8221;andlt;/bandgt;andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;andlt;bandgt; --Henry A. Kissingerandlt;/bandgt;

The legendary banker recounts his adventures on the Street, the biggest and most controversial deals of the last 50 years, and the men who made them.

It was a German soldier’s chance decision to reach for a cigarette and absently wave a car through a checkpoint outside Marseille in 1940 that allowed Felix Rohatyn and his Jewish family to escape from Nazi-occupied France. In the States, a chance summer job led him to the small, private investment bank of Lazard Frères, where he came under the tutelage of legendary financier André Meyer. The summer job turned into an extraordinary fifty-year career.

Hailed as "the preeminent investment banker of his generation," Rohatyn was a creator of the merger-and-acquisition business that revolutionized investment banking and transformed the worlds of finance and entertainment. In this very personal account, Rohatyn takes us behind the headlines to offer readers a telling look at some of the era’s most renowned figures in the worlds of finance, entertainment, and politics. We are alongside Rohatyn as he meets Steve Ross in the back of the funeral parlor Ross is managing as they strategize to take control of Warner Brothers, and in André Meyer’s art-filled apartment as they negotiate with Frank Sinatra.

We are with Rohatyn as he assists Harold Geneen of ITT weather a series of congressional investigations, and as he stays one step ahead of the canny Michael Ovitz as Matsushita attempts to win control of Lew Wasserman’s Universal Pictures. We also watch Rohatyn defending shareholders’ interests as the RJR-Nabisco buyout becomes a cautionary tale of executive greed.

We have a front-row seat as Rohatyn and Governor Hugh Carey forge a desperation plan to save New York City from bankruptcy. And we accompany Rohatyn when he returns to Paris as the U.S. ambassador to the country he barely escaped alive as a young boy.

Full of headline-making revelations, insider stories, keen personal observations, and relevant financial wisdoms, Dealings is the page-turning story of a life well lived.

Felix Rohatyn, a frequent contributor to The New York Review of Books, was a managing director at the investment banking firm Lazard Freres and Co. LLC and served as the U.S. ambassador to France. From 1975 to 1993, Mr. Rohatyn was chairman of the Municipal Assistance Corporation of the State of New York, where he managed the negotiations that enabled New York City to resolve its financial crisis.