Papa and Fidel [Paperback]

Karl Alexander (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 27, 2010

This novel about fathers and sons, hope and redemption, the author of Time After Time brilliantly evokes cultural icons in a thriller that captures the essence of its famous protagonists in a poignant, compelling drama that just might have been true.

Cuba, 1957: Ernest Hemingway, long a resident of Cuba, is past his prime, feeling old, and fighting the twin problems of liver disease and writer’s block. Then he meets Fidel Castro, who, in the Sierra Maestra mountains, is building a growing force of idealistic young guerrillas, determined to overthrow the corrupt, bloated regime of Generalissimo Fulgencio Batista. After Castro wins his revolution and takes power, he and Hemingway grow to respect and admire each other, and Hemingway helps Castro heal his relationship with his estranged son Fidelito, showing the boy how to throw a curve ball, something that eluded his father and kept him from pitching in the major leagues.

Like Time After Time, this is a rousing novel that brings a famous author to vivid life in a great story of a memorable time.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Papa Hemingway and Fidel Castro met once at a Cuban fishing tournament, but in Alexander's wonderful adventure they develop a warm and plausible friendship. Worried that old age has robbed him of both his physical and mental powers, Papa embarks on a dangerous trek to find the leader of Cuba's revolutionary movement. Upon meeting him, however, Papa doesn't spare the "kid" his skepticism. But Castro is impressed with the great writer, and even re-reads For Whom the Bell Tolls to pick up military pointers before an assault. After the revolution, however, Castro is beseiged by the duties of government and the attacks of U.S.-backed subversives, and his friendship with Papa changes. The relationship isn't a secret to Castro's enemies, who train their sights on Papa in an ending that carries an awful ring of reality. But politics is strictly a backdrop in this fast-paced, fascinating story of men under pressure by the author of Time After Time. As Papa might have said, it's a damn good book.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Alexander, whose best-selling novel Time After Time ( LJ 4/1/79) brought H.G. Wells and Jack the Ripper together, wonders what if Ernest Hemingway and Fidel Castro had become friends. In Papa and Fidel , he uses this premise not to rewrite history, but to explain events that actually happened. Hemingway is a macho old man, down but not out, using his friendship with the Cubans to write a final great novel. Castro is an idealist forced by the United States into a relationship with Russia that he neither wants nor can avoid. As events move both men on to their inevitable destinies, the author weaves fact and fantasy into a skillful climax that restores Hemingway's dignity as it humanizes Castro. For public libraries.
- Andrea Caron Kempf, Johnson Cty. Community Coll. Lib., Overland Park, Kan.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Forge Books; Second Edition edition (April 27, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0765326752
• ISBN-13: 978-0765326751
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 6.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,189,672 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Karl Alexander, a fifth-generation Angeleno, is the author of six novels, including "Papa and Fidel," a novel of Hemingway, Castro and Cuba. His bestselling novel "Time After Time" was made into a hit film starring Malcolm McDowell and Mary Steenburgen, for which he was dubbed a Knight of Mark Twain for his contribution to American Literature.

His second novel, "Missing Pieces," was made into a CBS World Premiere movie starring Elizabeth Montgomery. He also produced and co-wrote the horror film, "Rattlers."

He received an MFA from the Iowa Writers' Workshop and served as a Marine Corps officer in the Vietnam War. He has been a college professor, and has also worked as a lighting director in Hollywood, creating the "look" for Robert tack in "Unsolved Mysteries."

His fifth novel, "Jaclyn the Ripper," the long awaited sequel to "Time After Time," was published in hardcover in 2009 and paperback in 2011. "Time After Time" and "Papa & Fidel" came out in trade editions in 2010. All are available as ebooks.

"Time-Crossed Lovers," (July, 2011) is already receiving rave reviews. If you like thriller love stories, this book is for you.