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Marx & Engels: A Biographical Introduction
A biography of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels by Che Guevara, revealing Che’s fervent interest in studying their lives and writing.
Che Guevara wrote this biographical introduction to Marx and Engels after his 1965 mission to Africa. He studied the writing of the German revolutionaries intensively, and in his travels he immersed himself in the classic works of Marxism. He sought to draw lessons and inspiration from Marx and Engels, and “The Cuban Revolution takes up Marx at the point where he put aside science to pick up his revolutionary rifle.”
Many of Che’s comments about Marx might also refer to Che himself, such as his “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.”
With his tremendous grasp of theory and his own practical experience, Che observes Marx’s evolution through his own view of radical change in Cuba, considering how it might apply to other countries after they achieve their definitive liberation from colonialism.
Che Guevara wrote this biographical introduction to Marx and Engels after his 1965 mission to Africa. He studied the writing of the German revolutionaries intensively, and in his travels he immersed himself in the classic works of Marxism. He sought to draw lessons and inspiration from Marx and Engels, and “The Cuban Revolution takes up Marx at the point where he put aside science to pick up his revolutionary rifle.”
Many of Che’s comments about Marx might also refer to Che himself, such as his “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.”
With his tremendous grasp of theory and his own practical experience, Che observes Marx’s evolution through his own view of radical change in Cuba, considering how it might apply to other countries after they achieve their definitive liberation from colonialism.
- GenresHistoryNonfiction
80 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 2007
About the author
Ernesto Che Guevara
522 books2,265 followersErnesto "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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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
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January 11, 2026I have no idea why I read this book, I got it from a small bookshop coz I liked the cover, and I do that a lot, but it's not a subject I read much about and I dont think this is the book to start from, I pretty much skimmed through the second half.
March 25, 2012
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.
September 27, 2024
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.
A simple, exact answer is that those true revolutionaries sacrificed themselves and died for ideas, not for properties.
April 4, 2010
an odd relic
May 27, 2018
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.
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.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews