Che: Images of a Revolutionary

Ernesto Che Guevara (1928–1967) was the most famous revolutionary of the twentieth century. Born in Argentina, Che grew up in a bohemian family and went on to train as a physician. As a young doctor travelling throughout Latin America, he experienced a political awakening that altered the course of his life. He participated in the 1952 riots against the dictator Juan Péron in Argentina, joined agitators in Bolivia, worked for the pro-Communist regime of Jacobo Arbenz Guzmán in Guatemala and, when Arbenz was overthrown in 1954, fled to Mexico, where he first met Fidel Castro. Che became one of Castro's closest and most trusted friends, and after the 1956 rebel invasion of Cuba became his chief lieutenant. Che proved to be a resourceful guerrilla leader and was instrumental in establishing the Communist state in Cuba. He continued to foster revolutionary activity in other countries until the time of his death in 1967 when he was captured and executed by government troops in Bolivia while directing a guerrilla group there.Che: Images of Revolutionary features 400 photographs–many of them never before published. The book follows Che’s life from early childhood to political activist to his death. Writings, including Che’s own speeches, pieces from Fidel Castro and an elegy by Allen Ginsberg, complement the visually stunning photographs in this large format collection. The book is a result of exhaustive research in public and private archives in Cuba, Argentina, Bolivia, Europe and North America. A concluding chapter discusses the ‘Guevara myth’ from his death until the present day.