When He Got Out Of School, The First Thing He Started To Do Is Write Short Stories

If he had time, he'd likely be writing them, too. That's the interesting thing to me. I think that he's as literary a president as we ever had, and more literary than probably anybody since Lincoln anyway.

The written word means a lot to him ... This isn't in the [Vanity Fair] piece, but I can remember talking to him about this a bit. He was an indifferent student in high school up til the end, and he had a very late awakening in his mind. And I kind of identify with this, because I was a very late bloomer in high school, and I had the same sort of experience with books.

He was passing by a church yard sale in Hawaii when he was a junior in high school and he saw all these novels. And they were available for a nickel apiece. It was "Moby Dick," it was Dostoyevsky, it was Saul Bellow. He thought, a nickel? You know, I'll get these books. And he took them, and he started reading them and just in a kind of innocent way he got very absorbed. ... He just kind of blended with the books. And when he got out of school, the first thing he started to do is write short stories. And I don't know if anybody knows that. I didn't put this in the piece, but he tried to submit short stories to literary magazines, and they're very literary short stories. So it's an unusual trait in politics, in someone who ends up being a political person. - in Global Public Square

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, Home Game: An Accidental Guide to Fatherhood and Boomerang.

Reuters Video: Eurozone Crisis, Barack Obama, Breaking Up Banks & Goldman's Role In EU Crisis

Michael Lewis on his exclusive with President Barack Obama in Vanity Fair. Lewis tells Impact Players host Robert Wolf what makes Obama tick and how Goldman Sachs played a role in Europe's financial crisis. The author of "Moneyball" and "Boomerang" also says the thought of a CEO being president would be disastrous. (September 14, 2012)

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, Home Game: An Accidental Guide to Fatherhood and Boomerang.

The Reason That His Team Had Won

And he had kind of orchestrated himself to - he had worked very hard to get to the point where he could take the shot and get a good shot. He also screams at you if you - if you're on his team and you take bad shots, he doesn't put up with it. He was hollering at me.

In fact, he hollered at me so much - he hollered at me - he was so - I was so embarrassed by being outclassed and feeling like he was going to be pissed off at me if we lost, that I, at some point, I kind of snuck out of the game and went and sat with the scorekeeper. But the first time I jacked up a shot that he thought I shouldn't take, he started screaming at me.

And at that the - when the game was over and it was clear his team had won four of the six games, you could see that the reason that his team had won was that the players on his team didn't take stupid shots because they were afraid the president was going to scream at them if they did. - in Yahoo Sports

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, Home Game: An Accidental Guide to Fatherhood and Boomerang.

Weird Disjuncture Between His Powers And His Powerlessness

The office of the presidency has these god-like powers especially with regard to our foreign affairs. The president can be so powerful in some ways and in other ways, particularly with regard to domestic affairs, he's hamstrung, so this weird disjuncture between his powers and his powerlessness is really striking. - in NPR.org

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, Home Game: An Accidental Guide to Fatherhood and Boomerang.

Video: Obama a 'Natural' Guy in an Unnatural Job

Obama a 'Natural' Guy in an Unnatural Job:  Michael Lewis joins CNBC's "Power Lunch" after having unprecedented access to President Obama. He tells Tyler Mathisen the President's greatest desire is to be "normal," to do things like drive his own car when he leaves the White House. It upsets him, Lewis says, that he'll never be able to go back to a "normal" life.

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, Home Game: An Accidental Guide to Fatherhood and Boomerang.

Obama`s Basketball: Is Tactical And Sees Ahead A Few Steps

I would call it "a long game." Obama is tactical and sees ahead a few steps and tries to look down the horizon and not take "stupid shots" - his team tends to win because they are less risky. He is almost "sniper-like" in his decisions on the court and very, very, very competitive. Wow. He's 51, and he's not young, but he has got game and desire to "win." - in Yahoo Finance

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, Home Game: An Accidental Guide to Fatherhood and Boomerang.

Obama's Big Short Moneyball

Video Summary: It's a special edition of the "Power Rundown" with author Michael Lewis. CNBC's Sue Herera & Tyler Mathisen weigh in.

Obama: The Personality Of A Sniper

He plays a game that seems very risk-averse but then all of a sudden, when there’s a risk to take, it’s 'boom. He’s got the personality of a sniper. - in Today On The Trail

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, Home Game: An Accidental Guide to Fatherhood and Boomerang.

A Week Into It You’re On The Job

In next month’s issue of the magazine, President Obama talks with Vanity Fair‘s Michael Lewis about his occupation in the White House. “There is such an element of randomness in who gets this job,” he says. “What am I here for? Why am I walking around the Lincoln Bedroom? That doesn’t last long. A week into it you’re on the job.” - in The Blaze

Luck & Success

"People really don't like to hear success explained away as luck, especially successful people." - Michael Lewis