Guevara, Also Known As Che

by Taibo, Paco Ignacio, II

• ISBN13: 9780312206529
• ISBN10: 0312206526
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1999-08-19
• Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin

Summary

Mexican novelist and historian Paco Ignacio Taibo II here captures the life and character of Che Guevara, the preeminent Latin-American revolutionary of the late twentieth century. The symbol of radical egalitarianism and the war against social injustice, Guevara was gunned down in the jungles of southeastern Bolivia in 1967, his death surrounded by questions that remain unanswered. In the years since he died, fascination with Che and his independent and pragmatic brand of Guerilla Marxism have become increasingly focused. Taibo, whose extensive contacts in Latin American political activism gives him unprecedented access to hitherto untapped sources, probes Che's life with a storyteller's pen and an historian's judgment. Delving into vast archives to which few researchers have entry, Taibo investigates the mystery and myth surrounding Che's life, careers, and ideals.

Author Biography

Paco Ignacio Taibo II is a historian and writer. The winner of seven international fiction prizes, including the coveted Moritz-Planeta Award, he lives in Mexico City.

Table of Contents

Author's Note	xi
Little Guevara: Childhood Is Fate	1	(11)
Remembrance Of Leading Players Past	12	(7)
The Discovery Of Latin America	19	(6)
In Through The Out Door	25	(2)
America Or Bust	27	(5)
Guatemala: The Moment Of Truth	32	(10)
Ports Of Call	42	(37)
Granma Takes On Water	79	(6)
The Disaster	85	(6)
No Place To Go	91	(6)
River Plate Resurrection	97	(14)
Execution	111	(9)
Scratching The Dirt	120	(9)
Commander	129	(21)
Controversy	150	(13)
The Sierra And The Plains	163	(6)
The Offensive	169	(10)
The Invasion	179	(23)
More Hills, More Problems	202	(18)
The Lightning Campaign	220	(16)
The Mau Mau In Santa Clara	236	(14)
Day One Of The Revolution	250	(8)
The Long January Of 1959	258	(13)
The Battle For Agrarian Reform	271	(10)
``You Cannot Dream In The Shade Of A Pyramid''	281	(5)
Return	286	(7)
``Every Time A Guevara Starts A Business, It Goes Bust''	293	(18)
Factories And Deodorants	311	(7)
Giron Beach	318	(10)
No Time To Get Tired	328	(23)
The Urge To Shoot Down Planes	351	(9)
``Even Che Couldn't Always Be Like Che''	360	(16)
1964: In The Revolution's Basement	376	(15)
Latin America Again	391	(7)
The Rediscovery Of Africa	398	(9)
``My Modest Efforts Are Required Elsewhere''	407	(7)
Tatu, Number 3	414	(4)
The Wait	418	(9)
Defeat At Front De Force	427	(5)
An Omnipresent Ghost	432	(4)
The Pessimistic Optimist	436	(7)
The Closing Days Of That November	443	(4)
Dar Es Salaam	447	(5)
Prague: The Cold, The Loneliness	452	(7)
Burning His Boats	459	(12)
``Today The Next Stage Begins''	471	(16)
The Brutal Expedition	487	(10)
Combat	497	(15)
Intervention And Dead Friends	512	(15)
The Massacre Of The Rear Guard	527	(10)
``Clear Out And Look For More Suitable Zones''	537	(7)
The Yuro Ravine	544	(5)
Capture	549	(5)
Eighteen Hours In La Higuera	554	(9)
The Missing Body	563	(7)
Commander Guevara's Many Watches	570	(3)
The Slippery Diaries	573	(6)
Che's ``Curse''	579	(4)
Images And Ghosts	583	(6)
Notes	589	(54)
Bibliography	643	(36)
Index	679