CHE: Images of a Revolutionary

Ernesto Che Guevara (1928-1967) was the most famous revolutionary of the twentieth century. The son of penniless Argentinian aristocrats, 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 P?ron in Argentina, joined agitators in Bolivia, worked for the pro-Communist regime of Jacobo Arbenz Guzm?n in Guatemala and, when Arbenz was overthrown in 1954, fled to Mexico, where he first met Fidel Castro. One of Castro's closest and most trusted friends, Che became Castro's chief lieutenant after the rebel invasion of 1956. He proved to be a resourceful guerrilla leader and was instrumental in establishing the Communist state in Cuba. Che 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 movement there./Che: Images of Revolutionary features nearly 400 photographs-many of them never before published. The book follows Che's life from early childhood to political activist. Writings, including Che's own speeches and the literature written about him, complement the visually stunning, large format photographic 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.