Reminiscences of the Cuban Revolutionary War
3.95(1799 readers)
Che Guevara's definitive account of the Cuban revolutionary war, in an updated edition with a new foreword and photos.
There is no better account of the Cuban revolutionary war than this little book by guerilla leader Che Guevara. Assembled from his campaign diary, first published in 1963, later corrected and edited by Che, and published here finally in an authoritative edition that includes not only his corrections, but also a number of short essays and articles published just after the revolution's triumph. As always, Che's writing is intimate, searching, and self-critical.
Having initially joined the Cuban expedition as troop doctor, Che describes his dilemma in having to choose between a backpack of medicines and a box of ammunition (he chose the box of ammunition). In another justly famous chapter of the book, "The Murdered Puppy," Che describes how he had to give the order to have a dog killed. Throughout this book, the sweep of history and matters of life and death are rendered in small and intimate ways.
There is no better account of the Cuban revolutionary war than this little book by guerilla leader Che Guevara. Assembled from his campaign diary, first published in 1963, later corrected and edited by Che, and published here finally in an authoritative edition that includes not only his corrections, but also a number of short essays and articles published just after the revolution's triumph. As always, Che's writing is intimate, searching, and self-critical.
Having initially joined the Cuban expedition as troop doctor, Che describes his dilemma in having to choose between a backpack of medicines and a box of ammunition (he chose the box of ammunition). In another justly famous chapter of the book, "The Murdered Puppy," Che describes how he had to give the order to have a dog killed. Throughout this book, the sweep of history and matters of life and death are rendered in small and intimate ways.
Publisher
Penguin
Publication Date
10/7/2021
ISBN
9780141994031
Pages
0
Categories
About the Author
Ernesto Che Guevara
Ernesto "Che" Guevara, commonly known as El Che or simply Che, was a Marxist revolutionary, physician, author, intellectual, guerrilla leader, diplomat, and military theorist. A major figure of the Cuban Revolution, since his death Guevara's stylized visage has become an ubiquitous countercultural symbol and global icon within popular culture.
His belief in the necessity of world revolution to advance the interests of the poor prompted his involvement in Guatemala's social reforms under President Jacobo Arbenz, whose eventual CIA-assisted overthrow solidified Guevara's radical ideology. Later, while living in Mexico City, he met Raúl and Fidel Castro, joined their movement, and travelled to Cuba with the intention of overthrowing the U.S.-backed Batista regime. Guevara soon rose to prominence among the insurgents, was promoted to second-in-command, and played a pivotal role in the successful two year guerrilla campaign that topled the Cuban government.
After serving in a number of key roles in the new government, Guevara left Cuba in 1965 to foment revolution abroad, first unsuccessfully in Congo-Kinshasa and later in Bolivia, where he was captured by CIA-assisted Bolivian forces and executed.
Guevara remains both a revered and reviled historical figure, polarized in the collective imagination in a multitude of biographies, memoirs, essays, documentaries, songs, and films. Time magazine named him one of the 100 most influential people of the 20th century, while an Alberto Korda photograph of him entitled "Guerrillero Heroico," was declared "the most famous photograph in the world" by the Maryland Institute of Art.
His belief in the necessity of world revolution to advance the interests of the poor prompted his involvement in Guatemala's social reforms under President Jacobo Arbenz, whose eventual CIA-assisted overthrow solidified Guevara's radical ideology. Later, while living in Mexico City, he met Raúl and Fidel Castro, joined their movement, and travelled to Cuba with the intention of overthrowing the U.S.-backed Batista regime. Guevara soon rose to prominence among the insurgents, was promoted to second-in-command, and played a pivotal role in the successful two year guerrilla campaign that topled the Cuban government.
After serving in a number of key roles in the new government, Guevara left Cuba in 1965 to foment revolution abroad, first unsuccessfully in Congo-Kinshasa and later in Bolivia, where he was captured by CIA-assisted Bolivian forces and executed.
Guevara remains both a revered and reviled historical figure, polarized in the collective imagination in a multitude of biographies, memoirs, essays, documentaries, songs, and films. Time magazine named him one of the 100 most influential people of the 20th century, while an Alberto Korda photograph of him entitled "Guerrillero Heroico," was declared "the most famous photograph in the world" by the Maryland Institute of Art.
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