Casey, Buenos Aires bureau chief for Dow Jones Newswires, tap dances across history and the globe to examine intellectual property and iconography through the lens of the famous image of Che Guevara captured by fashion photographer Alberto Korda. Some say that only the famous photograph of Marilyn Monroe, her skirt rising as she stands over a subway grate, has been more reproduced, writes Casey. The author does not neglect the relevant biographical details or history, but his focus is Che as a brand. He wants to understand why the Korda image remains so compelling to such a wide variety of people and how it continues to represent so many different (and differing) causes; he suggests that the power of Che, the brand, is in its ability to be anything to anyone. The book can feel like a disorderly amalgam of travelogue, visual criticism, biography and reportage—fragments befitting a study of globalized culture. Readers interested in the impact of visual culture or in better understanding the elusiveness of intellectual property rights, particularly in a global marketplace, will find much food for thought.
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“Fascinating. . . . Bracing and keenly observed. . . . Not only a cultural history of an image, but also a sociopolitical study of the mechanisms of fame.”
–Michiko Kakutani,
The New York Times
“One of the first books on a rarely discussed aspect of Guevara–his branding and why it has endured for more than four decades. . . .
Che’s Afterlife provides a detailed account of the ‘product launch’ of the Guevara brand, with Cuba’s Fidel Castro serving as ‘brand manager.’ In doing so, it offers lessons for Obama on how to rebrand the United States in Latin America.”
–
The Miami Herald
“There are those who only know Fidel Castro’s comrade in arms as a commercial image festooned on fashion, bottles of booze, air fresheners and even condoms. Journalist Casey unlocks the iconic image taken by Cuban lenseman Alberto Korda in what Casey calls ‘a frozen millisecond’ in 1960 Havana.”
–
New York Post
“Enthralling. . . . About as timely as a book gets. . . . Casey takes off on a quest to find the heart of the definition-of-seminal Che Guevara image. What he comes away with is a fascinating tale of the photographer, the history of the print itself and a global account of the countless places and people that exact image has touched.”
–
Weekly Dig (Boston)
“
Che’s Afterlife is worth the read for its historical clarity, Casey’s vivid storytelling, and his adroit analysis of the multilayered meaning of photography as both a vehicle for and a destroyer of ideals.”
–DigitalCity.com (America Online blog)
“In this entertaining and provocative book, Michael Casey takes us into the realm where Che’s martyrdom ends and his global branding begins.
Che’s Afterlife is also a smart and sassy comment about our life and times; well worth the read.”
–Jon Lee Anderson, author of
Che Guevara: A Revolutionary Life“The definitive account of the birth and dissemination of an iconic image. . . . A riveting tale of art and ambition, of rebellion and merchandising. . . . Illuminating and essential reading.”
–Héctor Tobar, author of
Translation Nation
“Lively and informative. . . . Smartly chronicles the explosive Guevara growth industry in the marketplace of ideas and icons.”
–Tom Miller, author of
Trading With the Enemy
“Eagle-eyed. . . . Insightful. . . . An evocative and well-written account of All Things Che.”
–Ann Louise Bardach, author of
Cuba Confidential and
Without Fidel
“A tour de force of pop cultural entertainment and analysis.”
–Professor David D. Perlmutter, author of
Blog Wars“[A] notable history of how the Che Guevara brand was “produced”. . . . Innovative.”
–Jorge Castañeda, author of
Compañero: The Life and Death of Che Guevara
