The Prison Letters of Fidel Castro (Paperback)

~ (Author), Luis Conte Aguero (Epilogue), Ann Louise Bardach (Introduction) "With the blood of my dead brothers, I write you this letter; they are the only motive that inspires me..." (more)
Key Phrases: querida hermana, del presidio, presos políticos, Fidel Castro, Conte Agüero, Santiago de Cuba (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Early in Ann Louise Bardach's Cuban voyage she came across Cartas de Presidio or The Prison Letters of Fidel Castro. Edited by Luis Conte Aguero, who was the recipient of most of these letters, they are cited in every important work from Hugh Thomas' opus Cuba to Tad Szulc's Fidel biography, and everything in between and since. These twenty-one letters (nine to Conte Aguero, six to his late sister and close collaborator, Lidia, one to his wife Mirta, one to his comrade in combat, Melba Hernandez letters, one to the great scholar Jorge Manach) are regarded as the single most valuable and revelatory document regarding Fidel Castro and the Cuban Revolution. Never before published in English, these letters were written when Castro was imprisoned for his failed attack on the Moncada from 1953 to 1955 and reveal a man of spectacular ambition and steely determination. A man, who despite being incarcerated to serve a lengthy prison term, never wavers in his confidence that he will one day rule Cuba.

About the Author

Ann Louise Bardach is an award-winning investigative journalist who has been covering Cuba for ten years for The New York Times, Vanity Fair and other national publications. She has appeared on 60 Minutes, Today, Dateline, CNN, The O’Reilly Factor, Charlie Rose and NPR. She is the author of Cuba Confidential and lives in Santa Barbara, CA.

Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Nation Books; illustrated edition edition (February 8, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1560259833
• ISBN-13: 978-1560259831
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #616,894 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Castro's word would make this a five star book, May 21, 2008

By	Regis L. Roberts "Regis" (San Antonio, TX USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

If this book only had Castro's letters, I would have given it five stars. However, there is an introduction and an afterward that dredge up the same old tired (and usually false) criticisms against Castro. He doesn't allow elections: Cuba has elections that average over 90 percent turnout; the voting age in Cuba is 16. People say Castro is not elected. This is false. To be president in Cuba, one has to be elected (by popular vote) to the National Assembly (think the Cuban version of the House) and then elected by the National Assembly to the presidency. So presidents have to be elected twice. The introduction does offer some good insight, but throws out the obligatory Castro bashing. Because the afterward was written by the person who edited the original Cuban version ("Cartas del Presidio") one would think he would give insight into the letters, many of which were addressed to him. But he got all butt hurt when Castro got his head straight and embraced communism. His afterward is nothing but unfounded Castro bashing. The book is worth getting for Castro's letters.