Guevara, Ernesto Che. Episodes of the Cuban Revolutionary War, 1956-58. Pathfinder, NY, 1996. 483p index ISBN 0-87348-823- 7, $65.00; ISBN 0-87348-824-5 pbk, $23.95
This new and expanded edition of the writings of Che Guevara
is a convenient addition to the literature on the Cuban
revolution. Many of the articles covering the difficult and
precarious campaign to overthrow Fulgencio Batista were included
in previous collections of Guevara's writings. But this edition
has some previously unpublished material, a very good
introduction, a chronology of events, a series of excellent
photographs, and a detailed list of individuals mentioned in the
Guevara writings. It is not hard to understand why Guevara
became a Cuban and international hero during the late 1950s and
early `60s. His writings convey an unusual intelligence, a
romantic idealism, an uncompromising candor, and a good eye for
details. He wrote gracefully, with considerable wit and wisdom,
reminiscent of the companion of Hernán Cortés in New Spain,
Bernal Diaz del Castillo. These articles bare the early days of
the revolution, showing its nobility and sacrifice as well as
its crass venality and personal rivalry. The experience in Cuba
was heady and educational for the young Guevara, although as the
Bolivian diaries would later indicate, his was an incomplete
education. All levels. - F.W. Knight, Johns Hopkins University
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