Te abraza con todo fervor revolucionario: Epistolario de un tiempo 1947-1967 (The Che Guevara Library)

by Ernesto Che Guevara, Maria del Carmen Ari Garcia (Editor), Disamis Arcia Muñoz (Editor)

La primera edición de las cartas del Che Guevara, la mayoría nunca antes publicadas en inglés.

"El Che no era solamente un intelectual, era el ser humano más completo de nuestra época." -- Jean Paul Sartre

"En el presente, cuando para muchos la ética y otros profundos valores morales se consideran fácilmente comprados y vendidos, el ejemplo del Che Guevara toma una dimensión aún mayor." --Rigoberta Menchú

"Los poderosos del mundo deben prestar atenció profundamente dentro de la remera en la que hemos tratado de atraparlo los ojos del Che Guevara permanecen llameantes con impaciencia." --Ariel Dorfman

Ernesto Che Guevara fue un viajero --y por lo tanto un escritor de cartas-- a lo largo de su vida de adulto. Las cartas coleccionadas aquí incluyen un amplio rango, de cartas a sus padres durante su viaje en motocicleta a la extensiva carta a Fidel luego del éxito de la revolución cubana a comienzos de 1959, de lo más personal a lo intensamente político, revelando a alguien que no solo ahondaba a través del pensamiento en todo lo que encontraba, pero para quien el proceso de transformación social fue un compañero constante desde su juventud hasta poco antes de su muerte. Sus cartas nos dan al Che hijo, amigo, amante, guerrillero, líder político, filósofo y poeta. En estás cartas el Che es juguetón, gracioso, a veces sarcástico y profundamente cariñoso. Su vida fue corta, y estos veinte años, desde los 19 hasta días antes de su muerte, muestran que también fue increíblemente valiosa e intensa.
Su hija Aleida Guevara, también doctora como su padre, escribe en el prólogo, "Cuando escribes un discurso, prestas atención al lenguaje, la puntuación y demás. Pero cuando escribes una carta a un amigo o a un miembro de tu familia, no te preocupan esas cosas. Eres tú quién habla, en tu voz autentica. Por eso me gustan estas cartas; muestran quien era realmente el Che y cómo pensaba. Este es el verdadero testimonio político de mi padre."

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Politics, Biography, Memoir, Theory, Audiobook

368 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2021

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

[The Conspiracy is Capitalism · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Revolutionary Embrace…

Preamble:
--Last year, I went through a stretch where I was bogged down with work and a mind-numbing data analysis course. Deflated, I resorted to biographies as “lighter” inspirational reads (rather than my top priority of geopolitical economy tomes).
--While I’m glad to be past that, 2 remarkable lives stood out:
1) This intimate collection of Che’s letters to family/comrades covering 20 tumultuous years (age 19 to his death age 39).
2) Frederick Douglass’ My Bondage and My Freedom.

Highlights:

1) Youth (1947-56):
--I can appreciate why 23-year-old (pre-“Che”) Ernesto’s memoir The Motorcycle Diaries: Notes on a Latin American Journey (covering 1952) is so popular, as it’s an accessible tale of a sheltered, idealistic student traveling to experience the material realities of poverty/oppression and becoming politicized. However, it barely scratches the surface of this collection.
--Only a couple years later, “Che” was born: experiencing the US’s coup of Guatemala’s fledging new democracy (on behalf of the United Fruit Company which Che calls “capitalist octopuses”, reminiscent of the “giant vampire squid” depiction of today’s Goldman Sachs) influenced not only Che but the world.
…The Jakarta Method: Washington's Anticommunist Crusade and the Mass Murder Program that Shaped Our World considers how Che learned from Guatemala’s (liberal) president Arbenz’s failure to not prepare and arm the people, as part of a growing recognition by decolonization projects. The other side of arming the people is the recognition of the conservative/reactionary tendency of the military (note: a major topic in the Indonesian genocide: The Killing Season: A History of the Indonesian Massacres, 1965-66). In Che’s words [emphases added]:

Reality is knocking on many doors and the gunfire rewarding the most fervent devotees of the old regime is beginning to be heard. Treason continues to be the birthright of the army, and once again we have proof of the aphorism that the liquidation of the army is a fundamental principle of democracy (even if that aphorism doesn’t exist, I believe it to be true). […]

[…] planes began to bomb the city. We were completely defenseless, without planes, antiaircraft guns, or shelters. There were some deaths, not many. But panic took hold, especially among the “brave and loyal army” of Guatemala. A US military mission met the president and threatened a bombing campaign that would reduce Guatemala to ruins, and then there was declaration of war from Nicaragua and Honduras, which the United States would have to join under the terms of its mutual-aid pacts. The military stood up and gave Árbenz an ultimatum.

Árbenz didn’t consider the fact that the city was full of reactionaries, and that the homes being destroyed would belong to them rather than the people, who have nothing and who were defending the government [a reminder to consider the class dimensions of protests and how they are covered by various media]. He didn’t consider that an armed people is invincible, despite the recent examples of Korea and Indochina. He could have armed the people, but he chose not to, and this is the result.

--Interesting to note Che’s observations on Guatemala’s free speech and propaganda leading up to the coup [emphases added]:

[…] there is no country as democratic as this one [Guatemala]; both extremes [of the political spectrum] and everyone in between say what they want without fear.

My personal viewpoint is that this will have to come to an end at some point, as United Fruit (a company that cultivates bananas but has piles of money) is able to spend a lot of cash on this type of propaganda. Each day, the opposition newspapers carry entire transcripts of speeches by democrats sent by the company or statements from the United States government, and the “stew” appears to be being concocted in conferences in Caracas, where the Yankees are pulling on all their strings to try to impose sanctions on Guatemala. It is true that all the governments have bowed before them […] the most fascist and anti-popular of the reactionary governments. Bolivia was an interesting country, but Guatemala is even more so because it has stood up to everyone, despite not having an ounce of economic independence and having had to endure armed insurrections of all types (President Arévalo had to overcome about forty of them), and without attacking freedom of expression in any way.

--Such intense on-the-grounds recollections are interspersed with some delightful moments [bold emphases added]:

So I’ll now talk about la chamaca [the kid]. I am so happy with her; my communist soul is bursting with happiness because she looks just like Mao Tse Tung. You can already see the incipient receding hairline across the middle of her head, the kind-hearted eyes of a leader and a protuberant double chin. For now, she weighs less than the leader as she’s only 5 kilos, but give her time. She is far more spoilt than other children and eats like I used to eat, according to grandmother’s stories (her grandmother), sucking without breathing until the milk pours out her nose.

2) Guerilla War in Cuba (1956-59):
--In the previous review I wrote, I unpacked Vijay Prashad’s critique of the globalization of ideas, where theory comes from the Global North while the Global South is assumed to only provide guerilla manuals. Indeed, I got very little from this section compared to the others.

3) Leader of Revolutionary Government (1959-65):
--You could tell Che was swamped with responsibilities in this period by the many brief letters, heading industry/the National Bank/party politics/diplomacy. I did chuckle at several where Che directly refuses to grant favors.
--While there wasn’t further explanation, the letters were organized based on the revolutionary program:
-1959 “Year of Liberation”
-1960 “Year of the Agrarian Reform”
-1961 “Year of Education”
-1962 “Year of Planning”
-1963 “Year of Organization”
-1964 “Year of the Economy”

The people of the Revolution, beyond the different tactics that might exist at certain moments, are firmly united and no threat, no maliciousness, will be able to divide them in their struggle to achieve together the great goals of the Cuban people: Agrarian Reform, Tariff Reform, Fiscal Reform, which means the industrialization of the country and the resulting improvements in the people’s standard of living, national liberation and international dignity.

--The final letter in this period is one dated March 1965 to Castro, shortly before Che left for the Congo; this letter deserves a book of its own with extensive contextual commentary as it’s difficult to follow along Che’s direct communication to Castro (diving into Marxist theory/application and Cuba’s application, with many leaps from point to point), so I can only provide highlights:

i) Marxist theory/application:
--Che breaks this into (1) Socialist period of transition, and (2) Communism.
--For (1), Che seems to start with the theory of Marx’s Critique of the Gotha Program and Lenin’s The State and Revolution before considering the major gaps in political economy theory (of the transition) applied to the USSR.
…Che considers the shifts in Lenin, and seems particularly critical of Lenin’s 1921 NEP (New Economic Policy) “state capitalism”, which Che describes as “pre-monopoly capitalism” adopting certain “old capitalist relations” while still limiting market competition/Marx’s law of value (like driving with the brakes on). This stalled technological automation (after the “brilliant successes” of the initial years’ “revolutionary spirit” wore off).
…Thus, the USSR lagged behind the technology of US’s (presumably) “monopoly capitalism”, which managed to fuse (i.e. “twin businesses”) its military with general production (i.e. military industrial complex); even though the military is not driven by the “norm of profitability” (driven instead by social survival):

[…] all the big advances obtained in the science of war are immediately passed on as technologies of peace, and consumer goods take truly gigantic steps forward in terms of quality. In the Soviet Union, however, this does not happen; these are two discrete compartments and the military scientific developments have little application to peace.

These errors, excusable in Soviet society, the first to initiate this experiment [with socialism], were transplanted to much more developed, and quite different, societies, leading them down a dead end and provoking reactions from those other states. [Emphases added]

--As you can see, it’s difficult to even critique when so many leaps are made without detailed context. To conclude the socialist period of transition, Che doesn’t seem to provide alternative directions to transcend (a) market competition or (b) military-industrial complex (hardly an appealing socialist option!).
--It seems the answers are found in Che’s analysis of (2) Communism, and we then move backwards to connect to (1) Socialist transition.
--Firstly, Che focuses on consciousness, on the “real essence” (rather than just the “form”) of the “communist human being”. How to get humans to identify with work without relying on individual material interests/“material disincentives”? How to build and sustain a participatory revolutionary culture, to find purpose and pleasure in the revolutionary work that needs to be done? I remember Vijay Prashad taking seriously Che’s ideas on “voluntary labour”:
-Vijay’s lectures: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLS...
-Struggle Makes Us Human: Learning from Movements for Socialism
…Same with identifying the political economy gaps on transition, Che repeats the need for research (which involves experiments; for roles of revolutionary intellectuals, see this review): does this involve more worker control in running production, to align incentives with managerial performance? Or well-placed cadres in centralized planning? Representation based on responsibilities/honour? How to negotiate worker antagonism with the revolutionary state?

How to get the workers to participate? This is a question I haven’t been able to answer. I consider this as my greatest stumbling block and my greatest failure, and it’s one of the things we need to think about because it’s bound up with the problem of the Party and the State, with the relationship between the Party and the State.

--Secondly, Che returns once again to technology (“communist material milieu”). I’m always reminded of just how little space Global South decolonization have to experiment (where failures are crucial learning experiences), while the rulers of global capitalism (British Empire, US imperialism) can routinely crash (City of London, Wall Street) and recover thanks to imperialism’s privileges. Che of course recognizes this:

Imperialism has not succumbed thanks to its capacity to extract profits and resources from dependent countries and by exporting conflicts and contradictions to them, due to its alliance with its working class against the rest of the dependent countries.

…For a dive, see: Capital and Imperialism: Theory, History, and the Present.
…Thus, while the US rushed ahead with automation (need to read David F. Noble), USSR apparently had rigid constraints (annual plans limiting flexibility) and contradictory incentives (if automate then just expected to produce more). I always want to take a step back and consider why the USSR is forced into this perpetual economic growth treadmill with the US, when social needs have many other aspects: Less is More: How Degrowth Will Save the World.
…Finally, Che considers the relationship between the revolutionary Party and the revolutionary State. Once again, “more research should be done”.

...for rest of the review, see comments below ("ii) Cuba's application", "4) From Afar: Congo and Bolivia (1965-67)")...

[Colleen Hugo · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Not only am I not moderate, but I shall try never to be so. And if I ever see in myself that the sacred flame has become a timid little votive flicker, the least I can do is to vomit on my own shit.”

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

"A María Rosario Guevara
Compañera,
De verdad que no sé bien de qué parte de España es mi familia. Naturalmente, hace mucho que salieron de allí mis antepasados con una mano atrás y otra delante; y si yo no las conservo así, es por lo incómodo de la posición.
No creo que seamos parientes muy cercanos, pero si Ud. es capaz de temblar de indignación cada vez que se comete una injusticia en el mundo, somos compañeros, que es más importante.
Un saludo revolucionario de,
"Patria o Muerte. Venceremos"
Comandante Ernesto Che Guevara"

[Moin Uddin]

An anthology of the personal letters written by Che Guevara in the second 20 years of his life. Revolving between his teenage years to a firebrand revolutionary just before his killing. The letters are personal and powerful with a frank and zesty expression.

[dănuț]

letters are such a beautiful mode of communication and it pains me that we have lost it to time and technology.

really beautiful collection of letters full of invaluabale insights into the mechanisms of revolution

[Wyatt · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5*s

Overall this book gave me better insight into what was going on in Latin/South America in the 20th century while also expanding my knowledge of the Cuban Revolution. I knew going in that it was all letters but that type of reading does get old after a while. I also wish it contained more of Che’s philosophy/ideas. Still, it’s an informative look into one of history’s most misunderstood people.

[Cass W · Rating 5 out of 5]

he signs the end of all his letters in a really cute way

[Nicolas]

Ich hätte mit ausführlicheren Kontext zu den Briefen gewünscht. Viele Briefe hätten zudem nicht unbedingt abgedruckt werden müssen. Der Leser kann sich denken wie sehr sich Che einen "kommunistischen Menschen" gewünscht hat, wenn er jedem privaten Bittsteller anrät ein guter Revolutionär zu sein. Dafür braucht es keine fünf Briefe mit schlussendlich ähnlicher Botschaft. Trotzdem zeigt die Sammlung ein vielleicht nicht neues, aber sehr menschliches Bild von Che. Er wird dadurch nicht weniger kontrovers, auch nicht zu einem besseren Menschen, aber seine nüchterne Selbstkritik und Analyse der Sowjetunion und der sozialistischen Wirtschaft machen ihn lesenswert.

[jeanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

c’est impressionnant

[Nicole Balbuena · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Adahlia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Of course I knew about Che Guevara, who doesn't ? This big revolution symbole, the legend, often depicted by the west as a heartless terrorist, that iconic picture, basically : the Che.

This book wasn't on my reading list, it wasn't recommended to me by anyone, it was suggested to me by a site while I was searching up other books, and I thought "huh, what a good title, why not read it ?". And oh boy, I wasn't ready for how much I would grow to love Che Guevara with each passing page. The huge affection and tenderness that transpires in every single letter (regardless of who it's addressed to) is so heartwarming. That man was well thought, funny, loving, fraternal, respectful, deeply kindhearted, fair and just, humble, hopeful, brave, raw... Finishing the book and remembering that he was murdered almost 57 years ago, his body only retrieved 30 years after that because it was hidden, is just so damn painful.

Ernesto Guevara was just your average man, it's so easy to picture him as a son, as a brother, as a husband, as a father, because he was that first, always. And he made that clear on several occasions, he didn't want to be treated any better than any other man. And I think that's why he's such a symbol : he's everyone. What's the difference between any person fighting for freedom who was killed, and Che Guevara ? None. There is none.

Che Guevara was one of the firsts to bring awareness to the treatment of Palestinians in Gaza, he fought for Guatemala, he fought for Cuba, he fought for the DRC, he fought for Bolivia. He wanted freedom for all, because no one's free until everyone is free, and he knew very well where that might lead him and he accepted that. This book is important because it puts light on the man behind the face, the man behind the guerillero, the man behind the story. And behind every fallen man there is thoughts, there is words, there is love, there is family, there is soul. We need to remember that. They aren't numbers.

Thank you, che. ❤️‍🩹

[History Today]

Scientist, traveller, revolutionary. That’s the portrait of Ernesto ‘Che’ Guevara that emerges from a new collection of his letters that uses material long guarded in Cuban archives. I Embrace You with All My Revolutionary Fervor: Letters 1947-1967 begins with Guevara as a 19-year-old in his native Argentina, spans his ventures across Latin America and in Congo, and ends months before his death in Bolivia. Guevara is a fine letter-writer and this collection highlights the maturity of his young mind. A research medic and a stringent social critic, he is a lively wit who describes himself as a ‘little wandering prophet who, in a loud voice, goes around announcing the coming of the final judgment day’.

The wandering prophet’s communist commitment gestated in his young adulthood, as he saw Latin America’s vast inequalities at close quarters during his motorcycle trip through South America in 1952 and his travels across Central America from 1953 to 1956. In Costa Rica, having witnessed the treatment of local workers by the US multinational company United Fruit, Guevara writes to his aunt: ‘I swore before a picture of the old and lately lamented compañero, Stalin, not to rest until I see these capitalist octopuses annihilated.’

Along with the strength of his ideology, the letters underscore his devotion to science. Guevara appears to have been close to the cutting edge of allergy medicine in Latin America. ‘I am certain’, he wrote in 1954, ‘that if I reach my truly creative phase at about 35, my exclusive, or at least main, concern will be nuclear physics, or genetics, or some other field that brings together the most interesting aspects of knowledge.’

Read the rest of the review at a href="https://www.historytoday.com/archive/....

Daniel Rey is a writer and critic based in New York.

[Nick Girvin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not essential, but a neat look into Che's character and what he was saying to those he was close with through different times of his life. I love how a guy who's known for documenting so much of his life still has people attempting to slander him and make up garbage.

[daniela · Rating 4 out of 5]

"above all, always be capable of feeling deeply any injustice committed against anyone, anywhere in the world. this is the most beautiful quality in a revolutionary"

[Jamie Bookboy Fitzpatrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love u Che x

[Sinem Pamuk · Rating 5 out of 5]

To read the mind of a person from beginning to end, what a crazy concept and privilege. From his youth up until the last moments, Che was an authentic, integrity filled man and above all humane.

[ernst · Rating 4 out of 5]

Briefe aus den verschiedenen Lebensphasen Ches. Die frühen Jahre vor der Revolution in Kuba, in denen die Briefe noch die Suche nach dem Lebensweg aufzeigen und von den Erfahrungen in Lateinamerika berichten. Da schon der Umschlagpunkt, als Che den Imperialismus als wirkliche Praxis, als beobachtbares Ausbeutungs- und Unterdrückungsverhältnis erfährt und den Putsch in Guatemala miterlebt. Dann die Briefe aus der Zeit der Revolution in Kuba, die oft auch recht technisch sind. Die Briefe aus der Zeit als leitender revolutionärer Politiker in verschiedenen Postionen, in denen sich Che gegen Vereinnahmungen wehrt, die Revolution und ihre Probleme analysiert. Schließlich die letzten Briefe nach dem Aufbrauch zur erneuten Revolution in Afrika und Lateinamerika.

Man bekommt einen umfassenden Eindruck von Che als Menschen und als Revolutionär. Besonders hervorzuheben sind folgende Briefe:

- April 1960 an Ernest Sabato. Hier analysiert Che die Eigenheiten der kubanischen Revolution sehr offen und ehrlich.

- Februar 1964 an José Medero Mestre. Hier unternimmt er einen ersten Versuch, die Widersprüche der vorangegangenen Versuche im Aufbau der neuen Gesellschaft zu begreifen.

- März 1965 an Fidel. Das ist der wichtigste und längste Brief der Sammlung. Der wurde erst sehr spät veröffentlicht, trotz oder vielleicht gerade wegen seiner Bedeutung. Hier gibt Che eine umfassende Analyse der Probleme des Übergangs in Kuba. Dabei betont er seinen Fokus darauf, dass der neue, kommunistische Mensch geschaffen werden muss, was eben ein entsprechendes gesellschaftliches Milieu impliziert. Besonders spannend ist hier seine Analyse der Entwicklung der Sowjetunion und der tieferen Gründe für die Restauration des Kapitalismus dort (dahingehend hatte er keine Illusionen). Streitbar was die Kohärenz der Analyse angeht, aber zweifellos mit wichtigen Hinweisen, die man vertiefen muss. Auch sehr wichtig in diesem Brief ist die Analyse der Partei, ihrer Funktion und ihres Verhältnisses zum Staat.

- März 1965 an Armando Hart. Hier schreibt er nach dem erneuten Aufbruch. Er beschäftigt sich jetzt vertieft mit Philosophie, arbeitet sich an Hegel ab. Spannend: er entwirft einen Plan nicht nur zum umfassenden Verständnis der Philosophie und Gesellschaft, sondern als Forschungs- und Publikationsprogramm für Kuba. Nebenbei kritisiert er treffend, dass die sowjetischen Veröffentlichungen in der Regel gerade nicht das Denken beleben.

Wer hinter dem Mythos mehr von der wirklichen Person Ernest Guevara verstehen will, wer bestrebt ist, sein/ihr Verständnis des Kommunismus, der Komplexität wirklicher Revolutionen zu vertiefen, ist mit dem Buch sehr gut beraten. Mit- und weiterdenken, nicht nur lesen.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Een informatief boek, dat de lezer via brieven van en aan Che weer op een andere manier kennis laat maken met hem, zijn naasten en de revolutie. In het bijzonder de ontwikkeling van jonge student naar geharde strijder maakte indruk, alsmede zijn afscheidsbrieven en de opmerking dat hij wellicht te weinig uit het leven gehaald had. Zijn humor en gevatheid maakte het soms wat luchtiger, maar het beeld van een hardwerkende man die staat voor en bereid is alles te geven voor datgene waar hij in gelooft blijft onverminderd staan, los van de vraag of je het met hem of zijn ideologie eens bent. Mooi ook om te lezen hoe liefdevol hij is naar al zijn kinderen toe, ook zijn dochter uit zijn eerste huwelijk betrekt hij steevast in zijn brieven naar zijn tweede gezin.

Ik zou dit boek niet direct aanraden aan iemand die nog weinig weet van Che, de revolutie en wat zich in hoofdlijnen heeft afgespeeld van grofweg de Granma tot Bolivia. Hoewel het boek een nuttige tijdlijn bevat, is het verstandig eerst andere relevante boeken te lezen voor meer kennis van de achtergrond, gebeurtenissen en hoofdrolspelers.

[Pablo Tomičić · Rating 3 out of 5]

Te abraza con todo fervor revolucionario: Epistolario de un tiempo 1947-1967" es una recopilación de cartas escritas por Ernesto "Che" Guevara a su familia, amigos y otros destinatarios, junto con algunas que él recibió. El libro no sigue una narrativa central o una "gran historia", sino que se centra en mostrar su manera de ver el mundo y su estilo para expresarse. Es un vistazo a su personalidad y pensamiento, literalmente un revolucionario de corazón.

Sin embargo, personalmente no lo encontré tan destacable como para recomendarlo ampliamente. Creo que deben existir otros libros que expliquen mejor lo que hizo y su impacto histórico. Este texto es más interesante para quienes ya están familiarizados con su figura y buscan profundizar en su lado más personal e íntimo, pero puede quedarse corto si buscas un análisis más completo o un relato histórico detallado.

Para entender mejor la obra del Che, quizás valga la pena explorar biografías más completas

[Ryota · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is the best collection of Che's letters. Today, the most important part is the letters of the Great Debate (1962-1965), simply because some left publishers are afraid of being used to further undermine the left camp. This is an overreaction to the fruitful content and wisdom of Che's purist approach to Marxism. Moreover, the fatal splits caused by the Stalin-Trostky, Mao-Khrushchev, Mao-Deng disputes in the 20th century, which fatally damaged the left camp, are all overcome by socialism with Chinese characteristics. On the subject of what socialism is, how to deal with private interest and public interest in the motivation of work, the letters of the Great Debate provide a clue. However, it's better to publish a full account of the debate at that time.

[corey · Rating 5 out of 5]

"When one contracts the kind of disease I have, it just keeps getting worse and is cured only in the grave."

In reading this collection of personal letters, you become acquainted with a man that was evidently larger than life, although he'd hate being described as such. Aside from being incredibly funny and charismatic that translates well even decades later (you will audibly laugh at many instances), Che communicates a deep longing for justice with every utterance, even in his early days. These letters will make you feel a twang of melancholy at the great mind and dedicated revolutionary that the world was deprived of too soon.

Rest in power to a brilliant writer and even better soldier.
Hasta la victoria siempre comandante.

[Sonnymirrors · Rating 5 out of 5]

At the end of this book I was deeply moved. I could feel tears in my eyes. Reading these letters was a journey, a historical and political one, a cultural and personal, an emotional and intellectual experience. This book took me into the various dimensions that defined Che Guevara's life, bringing closer the details and the voice beyond the popular image and iconic voice he's long been famous for. To read his words to different people, one gets to see the different views that informed his own and the directions his views would lead him. This collection of letters, perfectly organised, helps organise the understanding around Che Guevara, giving the reader the context and a little background of where Che's famous words and quotes come from and what meaning they hold in the context of their origin and potentially other contexts, then and now. The greatest achievement of this offering is the beauty of the letters themselves, poetic, serious and deeply human, all at once. Che Guevara is shown to be a person of many roles and hats, but who was a human being despite and through it all. A human being who lived and died, for what he loved and believed in. This spirit of love is evident in these letters and now in the form of this book can be experienced and shared by all who engage with it. What a beautiful, interesting and inspiring experience this book was!

[Noah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this collection of Che's letters pretty interesting. If this is your first book about Che, I don't imagine you would find it captivating as it doesn't much context to the bigger picture of Che's life, except for the footnotes you find here and there.

I enjoyed learning about Che on a more personal level. Before this book, I've only had the pleasure of learning about him and his escapades from a biographer. It was a refreshing change to read from the man himself and get a glimpse of who he was as a son, husband, and revolutionary.

I'm definitely eager to start reading other books written by him such as Guerilla Warfare or The Motorcycle Diaries.

[Hasheemah Afaneh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Letters are such a big part of my family (for both the personal and political) and so I knew I would like this book! What beautiful and insightful letters! Everything from being the revolutionary we know to his being a dutiful son to a husband to a loving father and caring friend is exhibited through these letters. Funny at times, sarcastic at others and firm but tender in other ways, these letters provides more of who Che was.

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Che is THE definition of revolutionary morality, his selflessness and total dedication to the revolution is inspiring. Knowing how his story ends is absolutely heartbreaking but even more-so is reading his letters addressed to his closest, especially the later ones as he mentions how little of his own life he lived for his own satisfaction.

Is it possible for myself to reach a level of revolutionary morality comparable to Che's? Probably not. But his story has definitely inspired me to try.

[Rachel Grace · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this up from barnes and noble on a whim. I didn’t really know to what expect but I enjoyed it. Definitely interesting to read about Che’s life from the perspective of letters and see him more as a man rather than just a historical figure. I think I would have gotten more if I knew more about the Cuban revolution overall and who the key players were.

[nawel (nae) · Rating 4 out of 5]

intéressant pour comprendre son caractère plein d'humilité, sa détermination, son humour, ses points de vue et son parcours.

j'aime le fait qu'à travers ces lettres, on passe du mythe qu'était le che (révolutionnaire, philanthrope, charismatique et de conviction) à un simple homme qui était un fils, un frère, un mari et un père.

"la patrie ou la mort,
nous vaicrons"

[Harry Hill]

I feel as though Ernesto and I would have been good friends, he had a wonderful sense of humor and razor sharp analysis

[Audrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

On découvre un Ernesto Che Guevara intime, et avec lui le contexte politicosocial mouvementé d'une Amérique du Sud en pleine guerre froide.

[Stathis Μp · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5