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Che's Afterlife: The Legacy of an Image (Vintage Original) [Paperback]

Michael J. Casey
4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)

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Book Description

April 7, 2009 Vintage Original
In 1960, Cuban photographer Alberto Korda captured fabled revolutionary Ernesto “Che” Guevara in what has become history's most reproduced photo. Now Michael Casey tells the remarkable story of this image, detailing its evolution from a casual snapshot to an omnipresent graphic—plastered on everything from T-shirts to vodka to condoms—and into a copyrighted brand. As Casey follows it across the Americas and through cyberspace, he finds governments exploiting it and their dissenters attacking it, merchants selling it and tourists buying it. We see how this image is, ultimately, a mercurial icon that still ignites passion—and a reflection of how we view ourselves.

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Che's Afterlife: The Legacy of an Image (Vintage Original) + Che Guevara Reader: Writings on Politics & Revolution + Che: A Memoir
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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

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. (May)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

“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

Product Details

  • Paperback: 388 pages
  • Publisher: Vintage; First Edition Thus edition (April 7, 2009)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0307279308
  • ISBN-13: 978-0307279309
  • Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 0.9 x 8 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #813,681 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

A native of Perth, Western Australia, Michael Casey is a managing editor at Dow Jones and the Wall Street Journal in New York, where he specializes in global financial markets.
Casey is the author of two books. His first, Che's Afterlife: The Legacy of an Image, is a history of and cultural commentary on Alberto Korda's famous image of Che Guevara, the world's most reproduced photographic image. It was chosen as one of New York Times' critic Michiko Kakutani's Top Ten picks of 2009.
His second book, The Unfair Trade: How Our Broken Global Financial System Destroys the Middle Class, will go on sale on May 29, 2012. It looks at the global financial crisis through the stories of ordinary citizens around the world.
Casey lives in Pelham, New York, with his wife and two daughters.

Customer Reviews

4.9 out of 5 stars
(12)
4.9 out of 5 stars
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
12 of 13 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Great read! April 20, 2009
Format:Paperback
For anyone who's ever wondered about the real story behind the Che t-shirt, this is the book for you. Casey is a clever, witty storyteller and he takes you from the moment the photo was snapped by Alberto Korda in Havana in 1960 through to the global brand he thinks Che's photo has become today. More a book about icons and branding than a history of Che Guevara, it's well worth the read.
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6 of 7 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars The Enduring Spirit of Che. May 14, 2009
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
This superbly executed book examines Che Guevara as global brand, repository for ideals, and deals with the many conflicting accounts of the history of Guevara and the Cuban Revolution. It interweaves the stories of the revolutionary, the powerful Korda image, with well constructed consideration of the political, economic, historical and social factors which have made Che such an enduring icon.

A thoroughly entertaining book, which balances analysis with storytelling.
Beautifully presented, and written with style and humour.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Che's Afterlife February 11, 2010
Format:Paperback
I was completely blown away by this book. To use and overused cliche, Casey is an avid storyteller that has mixed everything you'd want in a book together. I was intrigued, entertained and felt personally attached to the subject, while turning many of my preconceived notions on their head.

The argument over Che admiration that borders on deity worship is best told by someone in Casey's position. Being detached from the subject enables him to tell the story with facts and the heart of people on both sides of the debate. And the brand of Che, what it has been used for by governments, revolutionaries and even the most simple of cultures, is worth this careful examination.

As a disclaimer, I work at the same media firm as Mr. Casey, though that has not in any way shaped my views on this book. Emotional and sharply written, it's clearly a must-read for anyone who has ever worn the Che T-shirt. More broadly though, the examination of Cuban revolution through branding and economic constraints comes at just the right time in the global decoupling debate.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars Che the commodity
This has to be the most unique way of dealing with a leftist icon. Che was a monster with "good intentions". He belongs on a T-shirt... Read more
Published 3 months ago by jst-bone
5.0 out of 5 stars Very interesting Book
Having grown up in middle class America in the 60's and 70's and having worn many Che T-Shirts, I enjoyed reading this book and getting a better understanding of how this image was... Read more
Published 10 months ago by Ed Caldwell
5.0 out of 5 stars A Exemplary and Fair Accounting
This a fascinating, thoughtful and insightful study of "Guerrillero Heroico," the famous photograph of Che Guevara taken by Alberto Korda on March 5, 1960. Read more
Published 20 months ago by Kelly Cooper
5.0 out of 5 stars Michael Casey's writing style is anticipatory
Che's Afterlife

By Michael Casey. Vintage Books, 388 pages. $15.95 dollars. KEL books, 80 pesos. Read more
Published on February 5, 2010 by Stephen M. Page
5.0 out of 5 stars Fun in the afterlife
As someone who battles with an often-flighty attention span, Che's Afterlife came as a welcome non-fiction read, being both satisfyingly detailed and highly entertaining. Read more
Published on February 4, 2010 by M. Ryan
5.0 out of 5 stars A fascinating journey with an amazing cast of characters
I enjoyed this book immensely. It was a fascinating journey with an amazing set of characters. While journalistic in form, I found it philosophical by nature. Read more
Published on August 18, 2009 by J. Della-Giacoma
5.0 out of 5 stars Something for, and to, Everyone
A short time before Michael Casey's "Che's Afterlife" began its print run, The New York Times ran a two-paragraph story noting that global news agency The Associated Press was... Read more
Published on June 29, 2009 by Damian S. Milverton
5.0 out of 5 stars Che viva
This book was oneof the major sources for the recent film about the universalization of the Che image by Korda. Obviously there is much more detail here. Read more
Published on June 1, 2009 by Amellia Camellia
4.0 out of 5 stars The Infruence of Che Guevara in the World
After reading so much about Che Guevara , it is fascinating to have him analyzed in such a detailed way and to read about how his spirit lives on . Read more
Published on May 1, 2009 by Elaine Cook
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Was Che the highest expression of humankind?
Fidel & Che!!! They will never go away...
Apr 21, 2009 by Edward N. Thurston |  See all 2 posts
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