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Celia Sanchez: The Legend of Cuba's Revolutionary Heart

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The legend of the unknown Celia Sanchez

Haney, Richard 2005 Celia Sanchez: The Legend of Cuba's Revolutionary Heart. Algora Publishers. ISBN-10 0875863957 ISBN-13 978-0875863955. Despite the circumstance that almost all the data cited is inaccurate or even false it seems this is the only book length English language biography of Celia Sanchez Manduley, and thus of interest.

Very little is know of Ms. Sanchez; however, it seems true that Celia was trying to rescue Castro when his late 1956 landing essentially failed. The idea that Celia was a rebel in the mountains from about 1954 is interesting and novel. It she was there Celia Sanchez may well have been in contact with the Bandit Crecencio Perez. And yet Crecencio Perez is not mentioned as far as I could see in this book.

As far as my old memory recalls, I never heard of her in those mountains that early, and I spent the summers there quite to the east of her alleged stomping grounds. And I did not recall seeing her until about October, 1958 when Column 1 was heading to the finally battles on the Cauto Plains; then she served us rebels a drink of orange juice and milk, mixed on the spot.

Still Juan Vives, supposedly her god-son, writes in "Los Amos de Cuba" that Fabio Grobart, the senior Stalinist Agent in Cuba was in Santiago in July 1953, which if true would have been a secret that only a high level rebel communist such as Celia could have known. Thus in all probability Vives who was too young then must have heard it from her or some similar privileged source.

The strange "thing" about this book is that while in other respects it follows the falsities of present Cuban government propaganda. Non-communist rebels, e.g. Huber Matos, later imprisoned for long years by Castro even though he was a colleague of hers, are never mentioned. Frank Pais who lead the urban resistance is mention perhaps only once, and yet Pais was sending men, money and supplies to her. Alicia Alonzo's ballet group is far older than she alleges here, and certainly was not founded with Fidel Castro's support. And the true cruelties of the Batista repression are enhanced beyond belief. This "work" portrays a role for Celia far beyond that commonly perceived. It diverges from common Castro mythology by giving her the major leadership role, greater than any other rebel, including the Castro brothers, and Guevara in the rural anti-Batista struggle.

Which leaves one wondering if Celia Sanchez, the devoted self effacing, almost silent, old communist (this denied in the book but seems true from other sources), was Fidel Castro's minder in the Sierra, charged by perhaps Grobart, with his protection and acting as contact with the sleeper communist cells in the Sierra Maestra. If this is so the gentle kind reputation of Celia Sanchez is certainly up for revision.

Thus for this reason, and this reason only, I evaluate what is essentially a propaganda piece, a hagiography, as worth reading.


Larry Daley