The Financier

Theodore Dreiser

⏱ 8 minAmerican classic

A cold, brilliant, amoral boy who learns from a lobster devouring a squid that the strong eat the weak rises to a titan of Civil-War-era Philadelphia finance, is ruined and jailed when a panic and his enemies close in, and recoups a new fortune, always by his creed: I satisfy myself. Dreiser's massive study of American capitalism.

Listen to the whole of The Financier in about 8 minutes — professionally narrated, with Apple-Music-style synced subtitles. One book free every day; Folio Premium unlocks the entire library.