Fidel's Cuba: A Revolution in Pictures [Paperback]

Osvaldo Salas (Author), Roberto Salas (Author), Gregory Tozian (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1, 1998

Fidel's Cuba commemorates the anniversary of the Cuban leader's victory with black-and-white portraits of great power. With an insider's intimacy, Osvaldo and Roberto Salas followed Castro from his clean- shaven days to the Sierra Maestra, where he and Che Guevara prepared to lead insurgents in victory. The infamous Bay of Pigs invasion, the only known meeting of Ernest Hemingway and Fidel, and the daily life of the Cuban people are all chronicled here.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

The image of the Cuban revolutionary is so imbedded in the cultural consciousness that these pictures by the father-and-son photographic team who documented Castro's career for the newspaper Revolucion at first seem almost a cliche: Castro gesticulating wildly before the general assembly; a pensive close-up of Che, his trailing cigar smoke artistically illuminated. But it is an apt medium for describing Fidel's Cuba, as visual images and physical symbols were as central to communicating with a largely illiterate populus as Fidel's notorious six-hour speeches. While the Salases cover everything from the 1959 overthrow of Batista to the 1962 missile crisis, what they capture with striking clarity is the personal and often romantic expression of figures as emotionally raw and complex as Che, Castro, his brother Raul, and confidante Celia Sanchez. A chronology of events interspersed with personal anecdotes from Roberto Salas ("Salitas," or "little Salas," as Fidel called him) are humorous (Castro was always low on cash) if a bit self-aggrandizing. As Cuba today resembles a beautiful woman with a now-marred visage, these photographs (only now available in this country) access Castro's once passionate ideology and charisma. For general collections. [With the approach of the 20th anniversary of Castro's takeover in Cuba, we can expect more books on the subject in the coming year.?Ed.]?Millys Lee, "Library Journal.
-?Millys Lee, "Library Journal"
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: Atria Books/Beyond Words; Original edition (December 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1560252456
• ISBN-13: 978-1560252450
• Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 8.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #550,269 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars more than meets the eye, March 21, 2000

By 

kevin stewart - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fidel's Cuba: A Revolution in Pictures (Hardcover)

For the millions of Americans who have only ( until recently ie since the Pope's visit to Cuba ) seen Fidel as a military man this book adds a bit of humanity to that image. The imae of him as a threat to my safety is a view I could only suspect was being presented me as my government's own bit of propaganda (thinking of how recent publication's on how the Soviets used photography as a tool to control the masses) I was genuinely pleased to have my suspicions confirmed.

Nonetheless, upon opening this book, one finds that it is more than meets the eye. It is not the political treatise one might expect. I am grateful for the honesty the son (Roberto) gave in the acknowledging the irony in being both a suporter of the cause as well as a photographer/reporter of history.

Of particular interest, which I think self taught photographers may find of interest, is the many anecdotes on how Roberto and his father "made do" with what little equipment they had (both before going to Cuba and after) and how they shared equipment. Such disclosures dispell the popular belief that an aspiring photographers needs all the latest gadgetry that manufacturers pump out. The kind of "socialism they [Cubana] fought for is the kind struggling artist could practice.

From a political perspective. The book (story) of how the U.S. Government ousts individuals be they journalist or subversives is touched on. This is a book that may touch the heart and the soul of a anyone who suspects Cuba and Castro have stories to tell. Finally, it is a photographic feast of photojournalism from the inside of not only the revolution but the photographers who documented it.

5 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Americans who hate Castro should stop, look, and listen, October 30, 2001

By 

SharonF (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fidel's Cuba: A Revolution in Pictures (Hardcover)

Apart from the amazing photography, which captures an epoch so freqently only seen through CIA-filtered eyes, the book is a simple overview of the Cuban revolution and the real people of Cuba - not just the materialistic bourgouisie - who supported Castro and still do. Most enigmatic of all are the photos of Castro and Che, and then just Che, his magnetism shining through regardless of his beliefs.

Set your politics aside. Look at this wonderful book and ponder how close Fidel and Che came to actually getting it right.

4 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant photography with a new insight to Castro, March 1, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Fidel's Cuba: A Revolution in Pictures (Hardcover)

Soon Castro may be judged by history, as he once claimed he wanted to be, and the facts point in the direction of a dark, blood-stained judgement. Nonetheless, the photography in this book is a brilliant work of photojournalist art.

They take us from the tender beginnings of a Revolution of bearded young men against a bloody tyrant. They are young gods in olive-green uniforms. The photo of Camilo Cienfuegos and another unidentified bearded guerrilla in front of the Lincoln statue in the Lincoln Memorial in DC is magnificent. What did America think of these young white men, in their dark, long hair and their huge beards? It stunned and seduced the nation and the seeds of the hippie movement were planted.

The book delivers with visual insight and power. The photographs are vivid and full of history. My highest possible rating!