The King of Oil

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The King of Oil: The Secret Lives of Marc Rich
The King of Oil (bookcover).jpg
Hardcover edition
AuthorDaniel Ammann
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
SubjectMarc Rich, commodity trading
GenreNon-fiction
PublishedOctober 13, 2009
PublisherSt. Martin's Press
Media typePrint, e-book
Pages320 pages
ISBN978-0312570743
OCLC695771883

The King of Oil: The Secret Lives of Marc Rich is a non-fiction book by Swiss investigative journalist Daniel Ammann.[1][2][3][4][5] The book was initially released on October 13, 2009 by St. Martin's Press. It became an international bestseller and was published in nine languages.

Synopsis[]

The book focuses on the biography of Marc Rich, a prominent international financier and commodity trader, who became a billionaire in the 1970s, arguably inventing the spot market for oil, grain, and metals. His Switzerland-based corporation Marc Rich + Co. AG actively traded with the apartheid regime of South Africa, Iran under Ayatollah Khomeini, Cuba, Nigeria under dictator Sani Abacha, China, the Soviet Union, and later Russia.[6][7] Indicted on some 65 criminal counts, including income tax evasion, wire fraud, racketeering, and trading with Iran during the oil embargo, Rich, nevertheless, received a widely criticized presidential pardon from U.S. President Bill Clinton on his last day in office.

Reception[]

Bloomberg named the book one of the best business books of the year and called it a "must-read".[8] The Daily Beast called it a "journalistic coup".[9] A reviewer of The New York Times wrote "the usually tight-lipped Mr. Rich gave an extensive account of his oil trading".[10] Le Monde commented "The book reads like a thriller".[11] A reviewer of Kirkus Reviews stated "A walking-on-eggshells attempt to shed light on arguably the most influential oil trader of our time... A flawed biography that reveals more about capitalist societies’ willful ignorance and ethical conundrums than the secret lives of its inscrutable subject."[6] A reviewer of Publishers Weekly commented "An empathetic look at the notorious Marc Rich, one of the most successful and controversial commodities traders in recent history and a key figure in the invention of the spot market... This meticulous account sets the record straight on a reluctant public figure who lost in the court of public opinion, but escaped being tried in a court of law."[7]

Film[]

The book is rumoured to be cinematized by Universal Pictures with Matt Damon slated to portray the fugitive billionaire. John Krasinski will be a producer through his Sunday Night Productions.[12]

References[]

  1. ^ MOUAWAD, JAD (October 15, 2009). "Book on Marc Rich Details His Iran Oil Deals". The New York Times. nytimes.com. Retrieved 5 July 2017.
  2. ^ DODDS FRANK, ALLAN (12 November 2009). "Marc Rich Spills His Secrets". Daily Beast. thedailybeast.com. Retrieved 5 July 2017.
  3. ^ "'King Of Oil' Being Primed For Big Screen By BB Film Productions". deadline.com. Retrieved 5 July 2017.
  4. ^ Collins, Art (24 June 2010). "The King of Oil: The Secret Lives of Marc Rich". Futures. futuresmag.com. Retrieved 5 July 2017.
  5. ^ Rothholz, Peter L. "The King of Oil: The Secret Lives of Marc Rich by Daniel Ammann". Jewish Book Council. jewishbookcouncil.org. Retrieved 5 July 2017.
  6. ^ a b "THE KING OF OIL The Secret Lives of Marc Rich by Daniel Ammann". Kirkus Reviews. kirkusreviews.com. Retrieved 5 July 2017.
  7. ^ a b "The King of Oil: The Secret Lives of Marc Rich". Publishers Weekly. publishersweekly.com. Retrieved 5 July 2017.
  8. ^ Top 50 Business Books
  9. ^ DODDS FRANK, ALLAN (12 November 2009). "Marc Rich Spills His Secrets". Daily Beast. thedailybeast.com. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
  10. ^ MOUAWAD, JAD (October 15, 2009). "Book on Marc Rich Details His Iran Oil Deals". The New York Times. nytimes.com. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
  11. ^ Le roi du pétrole sent le soufre
  12. ^ McNary, Dave (2 July 2018). "Matt Damon to Star in Marc Rich Movie at Universal". Variety. Retrieved 25 May 2019.

External links[]

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