Marx & Engels: A Biographical Introduction

by Ernesto Che Guevara

This new Che Guevara book makes an insightful contribution to the revival of interest in Marxism. Commenting on Marx’s humanism, Che “Such a humane man, whose capacity for affection extended to all those suffering throughout the world, offering a message of committed struggle and indomitable optimism, has been distorted by history and turned into a stone idol.” A thoughtful and provocative introduction to the lives and work of Marx and Engels by a famous revolutionary practitioner of Marxism, this book includes Che’s recommended reading list of essential Marxist classics, making it a popular choice for students and political activists.

Genres: Nonfiction

100 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2007

About the author

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.

Reviews

[Adrirwin · Rating 2 out of 5]

might be a good introduction to Marx and Engels life, but actually nothing more. If it weren't written by Che it would not be ever published.

[Ryota · Rating 5 out of 5]

Che Guevara wrote this booklet as a draft to complete as part of a political economic writing project for both Karl Marx and Fredrich Engels during 1965 to 1966 in Tanzania, Prague, and Congo. In short, Che Guevara dealt with two major concerns in this booklet about the subjects, Marx and Engels, which are 1) ideological purity; 2) quality and dilemma of the revolutionary moral. Thus, it is unlike mediocre Marxist introductory books written by parasitic ideologues in the capitalist establishment. It’s highly recommended for readers to understand why Marx, Engels, and Che themselves are still esteemed by the people of the world in 2023.

A simple, exact answer is that those true revolutionaries sacrificed themselves and died for ideas, not for properties.

[chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

an odd relic

[Janine Gertz · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you want to learn about Marx and Engels in an easy to understand and accessible political biography written by Ernesto Che Guevara - read this book.

Guevara intended this biography to be an outline - a simple introduction to Marx’s work “for those not acquainted with Marxist economics and who may not know of the vicissitudes of its founders.”

“Such a humane man whose capacity for affection extended to all those suffering throughout the world, offering a message of committed struggle and indomitable optimism, has been distorted by history and turned into a stone idol” - Ernesto Che Guevara.