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The Motorcycle Diaries: Notes on a Latin American Journey

Ernesto Che Guevara,

Aleida Guevara March (Translator)

3.77 · Rating details · 33,422 ratings · 1,825 reviews

The young Che Guevara’s lively and highly entertaining travel diary, now a popular movie and a New York Times bestseller.

This new, expanded edition features exclusive, unpublished photos taken by the 23-year-old Ernesto on his journey across a continent, and a tender preface by Aleida Guevara, offering an insightful perspective on the man and the icon.

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Paperback, 175 pages

Published August 1st 2003 by Ocean Press (first published October 1st 1992)

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Apr 09, 2013 Lit Bug rated it really liked it

Shelves: true-accounts

I have always been intrigued by this charismatic, utterly good-looking, athletic man who was instrumental to the toppling of the Cuban government, and who is now largely forgotten, remembered only as a mythological figure in legends about faraway lands. Suddenly this May, I chanced upon a biography of his in a book fair and grabbed it. At that time, I’d only heard of his name. I knew he was some kind of revolutionary. But nothing had prepared me for what was to come. The biography tormented me f I have always been intrigued by this charismatic, utterly good-looking, athletic man who was instrumental to the toppling of the Cuban government, and who is now largely forgotten, remembered only as a mythological figure in legends about faraway lands. Suddenly this May, I chanced upon a biography of his in a book fair and grabbed it. At that time, I’d only heard of his name. I knew he was some kind of revolutionary. But nothing had prepared me for what was to come. The biography tormented me for weeks on end, and I spent days thinking about him. It was traumatic for me. And it wasn’t as if I was over-sensitive to accounts of extreme violence, bloodshed or revolutions, or a sentimental, weepy girl. But I was not prepared to meet a man so deeply committed to the cause, without bothering which country he was fighting for.

It was enigmatic for me how Guevara, born into an affluent family, immensely good-looking, lively, easy-going, friendly and with a prosperous future earmarked for him, would later become one of the most determined, daring and charismatic guerilla leaders. Here was a compassionate man not only outraged by political, social and economic injustice, but also one who transcended nationalistic barriers, the roots of which were, undoubtedly, sown in his travels through Latin America. An Argentine who fought for Cuba, and then, instead of resting on his laurels for the rest of his life, went off to fight in Congo, coming to his end in yet another warfare in Bolivia.

So now I didn’t lose the chance to read this little book. I did not find it particularly useful in any way. I’d looked for insights, but I didn’t get any (that I hadn’t already gained). It did not entertain too well. It wasn’t sloppy or anything, but it wasn’t as extraordinary as I’d expected. Of course, I’d wanted some new revelation about his motorcycle tour through Latin America. In that sense, I was disappointed. But then, it was about Guevara, and I eagerly lapped up every little detail I could, like a star-struck fan clamoring for every single gossip about her favorite celebrity.

What I clearly liked about the diary is that it was humorous and light-hearted in tone, but not flippant. Che’s compassion showed through in his reflections on poverty and his accounts of indigenous people, his awareness of the richness of a Latin American culture, which, though distinct in every country, was, as he realized very soon, still bonded with each other through a common tradition and race. The historical bits thrown in with his account were quite interesting, and whetted my appetite for Latin America, which Allende's "Daughter of Fortune" and Neruda had already aroused some years ago.

By itself, it is little more than disjointed, hasty vignettes of their journey (in 1951-’52 with his friend Alberto Granado on a motorcycle they called La Poderosa II/The Mighty One), punctuated by humor, amusement and compassion – despite the lightness of the prose, which is, in fact, quite charming in many places, it is of little value in isolation. It is obvious it was a personal diary, not intended to be published. Without Che being who he was, these serve as nothing more than a light-hearted, one-time read. Its appeal lies in the fact that this was one of those times that struck a deep root in Che’s mind, which was later to prove crucial in making him what he was. It was one of those little, seemingly unimportant incidents that shaped his already conscientious nature. It was not a turning point – rather, it was one of the slight turns that happen in degrees, imperceptibly, that in the long run, changed the course of his life, and that of Cuba – it is well-known now that but for Che, Castro would not have had his landmark victory.

‘A Note in the Margin’ provides a comparatively deeper idea of what Che was, and it was further sealed by the appendix at the end, titled A Child of my Environment (Speech to medical students, 1960). It is clear that Che’s Hippocratic Oath came from the heart, not from a book. His speech elucidates what he considers the duty of a doctor, and also throws light on his political views.

The three stars are for the book – objectively. The fourth is for Che – because I read this not as a travel-memoir, but as a way to understand Che. In that young, handsome 20-something lad, I was seeking the sparks that were to make some youngster called Ernesto, “Che Guevara”. I read it in an attempt to gain insight into a man who has not been adequately honored. A man who was selfless to the very core. A man who threw away his family, his children, his clearly prosperous, comfortable life to serve an ideology.

Here was a remarkable man who was as passionate and compassionate as he was intelligent; who was more alive to the sorrows of the poor than he was to his own comforts. He was determined and daring. No one has affected me so profoundly before. The fourth star is in his memory, a mark of respect. Despite this being a one-time read for me, I refuse to give an objective three-star rating. ...more

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Jul 01, 2016 Amalia Gkavea rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites, history, 20th-century, memoirs, south-america, world-culture, world-history, argentina, non-fiction

If you attempt ANY kind of political comments, the exit is THAT way. It's that simple. Don't provoke me, it won't end well.

“This is not a story of heroic feats, or merely the narrative of a cynic; at least I do not mean it to be. It is a glimpse of two lives running parallel for a time, with similar hopes and convergent dreams.”

Two young men set off for the journey of a lifetime. Their chariot, a motorcycle. Their initial purpose, to know and understand the fascinating world of South Ame If you attempt ANY kind of political comments, the exit is THAT way. It's that simple. Don't provoke me, it won't end well.

“This is not a story of heroic feats, or merely the narrative of a cynic; at least I do not mean it to be. It is a glimpse of two lives running parallel for a time, with similar hopes and convergent dreams.”

Two young men set off for the journey of a lifetime. Their chariot, a motorcycle. Their initial purpose, to know and understand the fascinating world of South America. As they travel deeper and deeper, they come across lands and communities struck by poverty, abandonment, isolation, exploitation, violence, torment, sickness, death. And the two youngsters of our story acquire a new purpose. To help the ones in need with whatever meagre means they have.

Their quest takes them from the north across the Andes, to Chile, the Atacama Desert, Peru and Venezuela. Facing the whims of a demanding nature, encountering people who have been abused and ostracised because of their beliefs, experiencing the sacred impact of Machu Pichu, one of the marvels of human ingenuity, the two young men leave the crazy, alluring, care-free attitude of youth behind towards a new vision. Che’s writings, thoughts and experiences in the San Pablo leper colony in Peru are heartbreaking, his determination to aid the ones who suffer by an absurd divide due to false ‘’ medical’’ convictions is touching and eye-opening.

The young men’s names? Alberto Granado. Ernesto ‘’Che’’ Guevara.

P.S. Do I really need to mention the marvellous 2004 adaptation starring Gael García Bernal and Rodrigo de la Serna, directed by Walter Salles? If you haven’t watched it, do so. You won’t regret it.

“Some give the impression they go on living only because it's a habit they cannot shake”

“Perhaps one day tired of circling the world I'll return to Argentina and settle in the Andean lakes if not indefinitely then at least for a pause while I shift from one understanding of the world to another.”

My reviews can also be found on https://theopinionatedreaderblog.word... ...more

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Sep 20, 2017 Alex rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2017

Che Guevara was a doctor, a revolutionary, extremely hot, and the subject of the most t-shirts worn by people who do not understand them ever.

che_on_che

Here's the young Che Guevara's chronicle of motorcycle crashes - nine in one day, great job! - on his busted ass motorcycle over busted ass roads, until the thing entirely breaks, and then he becomes a revolutionary.

che_map

you know what I like is maps

You could break Guevara's life into three phases. Phase 2 is where he's a crucial player in the Cuban revolution Che Guevara was a doctor, a revolutionary, extremely hot, and the subject of the most t-shirts worn by people who do not understand them ever.

che_on_che

you know what I like is maps

You could break Guevara's life into three phases. Phase 2 is where he's a crucial player in the Cuban revolution with Fidel Castro. Phase 3 is when he quits his cushy job in the new Cuban government to go back to the jungle and lead another revolution, this one in Bolivia, because this is the one guy in the world who, like, every time he says "We should have a revolution," he immediately drops everything and starts one. Che Guevara is the final word on money going where mouths are. These two phases are covered in Stephen Soderbergh's 4.5-hour biopic Che, which, it turns out, is pretty boring, don't watch that.

che_hot

Look, I just think it's important to acknowledge that this is a very attractive man.

Phase 1 is him becoming a revolutionary, and the fun thing about this book is that you get to watch it happen. It's his real diary from this cross-continental trip, and it starts off sortof like a typical young guy road trip, brash and full of stories about getting drunk with strangers - On the South American Road, you know? And then he runs into this old woman dying of asthma and is consumed by rage.

The poor thing was in a pitiful state, breathing the acrid smell of concentrated sweat and dirty feet that filled her room...It is at times like this, when a doctor is conscious of his complete powerlessness, that he longs for change: a change to prevent the injustice of a system in which only a month ago this poor woman was still earning her living as a waitress, wheezing and panting but facing life with dignity. In circumstances like this, individuals in poor families who can't pay their way become surrounded by an atmosphere of barely disguised acrimony; they stop being father, mother, sister or brother and become a purely negative force in the struggle for life and, consequently, a source of bitterness for the healthy members of the community who resent their illness as if it were a personal insult to those who have to support them.

Isn't that passage fuckin' astounding? I mean, here he is, a lifelong asthma sufferer himself, in a shitty hut trying to help some poor woman, and expanding her condition out to the systemic injustices that created it, and to its impact on the very fabric of society, in three sentences. And here it is: you're watching Ernesto Guevara become Che. "We learned perfectly," says Che, "that the life of a single being is worth millions of times more than all the property of the richest man on earth." It sounds so obvious when he says it, right? ...more

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Dec 06, 2011 Riku Sayuj rated it liked it

Shelves: history, insti-crit, biographies

These Diary notes provide us with an ernest and fetching account of a young Che, a middle-class kid, not yet embarked on the violent and heroic road that stretched past these early trails. Not particularly educational or insightful, but yet strangely moving.

The carefree bikers turn into compassionate observers of humanity along the course of this journey, thus fulfilling the purpose of the journey, at least in retrospect. The passion and the compassion shines through the entire text and a youth
These Diary notes provide us with an ernest and fetching account of a young Che, a middle-class kid, not yet embarked on the violent and heroic road that stretched past these early trails. Not particularly educational or insightful, but yet strangely moving.

The carefree bikers turn into compassionate observers of humanity along the course of this journey, thus fulfilling the purpose of the journey, at least in retrospect. The passion and the compassion shines through the entire text and a youthful hope enlivens it, and that is part of its lasting appeal.

As the following passage makes clear, how much of this book is observation and how much is later interpretation is hard to judge. All we can be sure is that this is how Che saw the journey as he looked back on it.

In nine months of a man’s life he can think a lot of things, from the loftiest meditations on philosophy to the most desperate longing for a bowl of soup — in total accord with the state of his stomach. And if, at the same time, he’s somewhat of an adventurer, he might live through episodes of interest to other people and his haphazard record might read something like these notes.

And so, the coin was thrown in the air, turning many times, landing sometimes heads and other times tails. Man, the measure of all things, speaks here through my mouth and narrates in my own language that which my eyes have seen. It is likely that out of 10 possible heads I have seen only one true tail, or vice versa. In fact it’s probable, and there are no excuses, for these lips can only describe what these eyes actually see. Is it that our whole vision was never quite complete, that it was too transient or not always well-informed? Were we too uncompromising in our judgments? Okay, but this is how the typewriter interpreted those fleeting impulses raising my fingers to the keys, and those impulses have now died. Moreover, no one can be held responsible for them.

The person who wrote these notes passed away the moment his feet touched Argentine soil again. The person who reorganizes and polishes them, me, is no longer, at least I am not the person I once was. All this wandering around “Our America with a capital A” has changed me more than I thought.

As the book slowly moves from casual observation, to detailed description, to heart-felt indictments and finally to loud declamations of a future that has to be wrought at any cost, the reader might find it difficult to follow the spiritual evolution of a middle-class kid that is compressed into this narrative - unfortunately, for modern middle-class readers, that is precisely what is expected of Che. Also, the structure of this progression was a little too neat for my liking, but with Che the myth is everything and is an essential component of enjoying these Diaries. Embrace it. ...more

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Nov 28, 2020 Prerna rated it really liked it

Shelves: non-fiction, anarchist-communist-socialist-reads

There's a lot to be said for a man who decades after his death has readers all over the world tracing out the path of an arduous adventure he went on while he was merely 23 and studying to be a doctor. Even if we are only trying to see where his footsteps lead him within the confines of a book, we cannot help but look for clues. What caused a complete paradigm shift in a man who had his career as a simple physician stretching out before him? What did he see?

The seeds of the ideology for the Marx There's a lot to be said for a man who decades after his death has readers all over the world tracing out the path of an arduous adventure he went on while he was merely 23 and studying to be a doctor. Even if we are only trying to see where his footsteps lead him within the confines of a book, we cannot help but look for clues. What caused a complete paradigm shift in a man who had his career as a simple physician stretching out before him? What did he see?

The seeds of the ideology for the Marxist revolutionary that Che was to become were clearly sown during this trip, we see his opinions on the importance of education, socialized medicine and science, and the need for a Pan American identify being vocalized here. Che also shows a clear aversion to suffering in general and often feels compelled to do something about it even when he is completely broke and lacks the resources.

What I want to talk about here though is the single paragraph that's often taken out of context by the right wing to label him as a racist.

The blacks, those magnificent examples of the African race who have maintained their racial purity thanks to their lack of an affinity with bathing, have seen their territory invaded by a new kind of slave: the Portuguese. And the two ancient races have now begun a hard life together, fraught with bickering and squabbles. Discrimination and poverty unite them in the daily fight for survival but their different ways of approaching life separate them completely: the black is indolent and a dreamer; spending his meager wage on frivolity or drink; the European has a tradition of work and saving, which has pursued him as far as this corner of America and drives him to advance himself, even independently of his own individual aspirations.

There's no denying that the writing here is racist, but what we need to remember is that this is a diary entry by 24 year old Argentine upper middle class man who was having his first encounter with black people. What we also need to remember is that his earlier views on race soon saw another paradigm shift. On his way back to Argentina, Che was stuck in Miami for a while and it was here that he saw firsthand the discrimination against American blacks and their plight in what was supposed to be a democratic country. Naturally, Che sympathized with their struggle and developed a negative view of the United States. Che denounced US racism and US policies against its own black population several times, including in his address to the United Nations in 1964. The Black Panthers adopted their beret based on Che Guevara after his death.

Che Guevara is today a symbol of freedom to many people all over the world, despite the ironic commercialization and commodification of this very symbol. The Motorcycle Diaries is instrumental to understanding the circumstances of Ernesto Guevara's transformation to Che, the polarizing leftist figure.

My eyes traced the immense vault of heaven; the starry sky twinkled happily above me, as if answering in the affirmative to the question rising deep within me: “Is all of this worth it?" ...more

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Apr 27, 2013 Ahmad Sharabiani rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: non-fiction, memories, travel, biography, political, adventure, 20th-century, historical

Diarios de motocicleta = The motorcycle diaries: a journey around south America, 1995, Ernesto Che Guevara (1928 - 1967)
The Motorcycle Diaries (Spanish: Diarios de motocicleta) is a 2004 biopic about the journey and written memoir of the 23-year-old Ernesto Guevara, who would several years later become internationally known as the iconic Marxist guerrilla commander and revolutionary Che Guevara.
تاریخ نخستین خوانش: بیست و هفتم ماه فوریه سال 2005 میلادی
عنوان: خاطرات موتور سیکلت: روزنگاشت سفر به آم ...more

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Jan 27, 2015 Momina Masood rated it really liked it

Shelves: autobiography-biographies

"This is not a story of incredible heroism, or merely the narrative of a cynic; at least I do not mean it to be. It is a glimpse of two lives that ran parallel for a time, with similar hopes and convergent dreams."

At times I mourn the inadequacy of the written word and how poor of an approximation it is of lived experiences. And yet reading transports you to places and into minds you could never have known otherwise, in any other way. As I closed this book with a sigh and put it aside, I felt strangely elated at having not only seen a little of that mysterious continent, which we call South America, but understood it, in its tragedy and promise. My fascination with the continent partly stems from the fact that I, too, come from a place having a colonial past, and understand how important culture is, especially when it dies and you are left with only a few architectural ruins to remember the glorious dynasties you were once a part of. Ernesto’s journey through Peru, his exploration of Cuzco along with those few pages dedicated to the reconstruction of Inca civilization perhaps were my favorites, for this reason. “The navel of the world”, the world of the Incas in the Peruvian mountains, the ancient civilization carved out in the heart of Machu Picchu, now hot tourist attractions, carry the blood of thousands of Indians—another group of humans who have been treated miserably by the world. It’s funny, the Eurocentricism that I find among my people, not sad but funny as I read through this book and realized that there are races and cultures and countries and forests and mountains worth dreaming of, about which we have such little interest, and absolutely no knowledge.

But I digress. Ernesto begins the most important part of his journey taking us through the “land of hospitality”, Chile, recounting several comic incidents involving never-ending barbecues, near escapades, to its deserts and its mines, the point where his narration takes on a kind of seriousness as he describes the living conditions of the miners and mourns the exploitation of those who give away their lives so cheaply, suffocating in the entrails of the world. It is at this stage of his journey that something hits him, something we all know that would ultimately and irrevocably change him into “Comandante Che”. But this book is not special merely because it is the future-Che who is writing it, but because of South America itself, and all the places Ernesto and Alberto journey through. Read it as a diary of an adventurer, and it will still be great!

As far as Che is concerned, well, what can I say. To say that the man fascinates me would be an understatement. But as much as I think I am in love with all the romanticism and idealism his name evokes, I have to admit that I cannot “know” him, nobody can, and what I think of him is what I want to believe of him. To think of Che as a man is too depressing, but to think of him as a mythic legend, a hero of some folktale is something I can live with better.

“The person who wrote these notes passed away the moment his feet touched Argentine soil. The person who reorganizes and polishes them, me, is no longer, at least I’m not the person I once was. All this wandering around “Our America with a capital A” has changed me more than I thought.”

Ernesto, on the other hand, the young Argentine who went on this journey, is someone else. As Aleida writes in her beautiful preface, I am in love with the boy her father had been, and I envy his spirit which took him to journeys I can only dream of. His narration is full of pathos and sympathy, but sometimes has the coldness of pure scientific inquiry. But then again, his romanticism comes in full force and the prose becomes lyrical, poetic, even slightly excessive. Anyway, these notes read smoothly, and the discordance you might find is forgivable, considering the fact that their writer wasn't exactly a prose stylist.

P.S. I think the movie was quite brilliant. I am a fan of Bernal and it was through browsing his filmography that I came to know of this book. They did a pretty fantastic job of making a linear, cohesive, beautiful story out of these notes, some of which are quite hurried. If you like, do watch the movie, but only if you vouch to read the book, as well. There is something the movie doesn't give you, and that is the narrative, the inner dialogue which accompanied Ernesto as he traveled silently through South America. If the movie gives you scenery, the book gives you the right perspective to see it. And, my God, what a perspective!

“My eyes traced the immense vault of heaven; the starry sky twinkled happily above me, as if answering in the affirmative to the question rising deep within me: “Is all of this worth it?”

...more

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Jun 18, 2011 Ash rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: adventure-travel, 2011-read, history, memoir-biography, movie-tv, foreign-authors

I wanted to read this book so badly, mainly because I wanted to read about Che. He is such a popular icon and you see so many people wearing t-shirts with his image on them etc. I knew very little about him and that was the main reason for picking up this book. I would say I read more from Wikipedia, than from the book. I would open Wikipedia to read more about the cities mentioned in the book. I also read stuff about Fiedel Castro and few more people mentioned in the book. Apart from Che's pers I wanted to read this book so badly, mainly because I wanted to read about Che. He is such a popular icon and you see so many people wearing t-shirts with his image on them etc. I knew very little about him and that was the main reason for picking up this book. I would say I read more from Wikipedia, than from the book. I would open Wikipedia to read more about the cities mentioned in the book. I also read stuff about Fiedel Castro and few more people mentioned in the book. Apart from Che's personal life, this book was interesting to read in many aspects. Machu Picchu, which is now one of the wonders of the world, has been explained very well by Che in the book. He also speaks about Inca empire, its decline and Spanish invasion.
What really impressed me in the book were his thoughts about everything-
1. Owner made a person carry their luggage walking while these people were riding horses. Che pitied for that guy and took back the luggage from that guy.
2. His compassion towards the mine workers who have to work in such horrible conditions, in return for such poor wages.
3. Communist couple to whom Che and Alberto lend their blanket, even though they themselves were shivering from cold.
4. The way he feels compassion for all those leprosy patients and makes sure they feel 'human' again, like playing football with them, touching their hands. I am not sure how many people would have actually done that.
5. I like the way they get free food and drinks during the trip. Che's idea of telling they always eat while drinking :)

I feel sad for the Indians(native Americans). He describes third class in the train by saying it used to stink more than the coach used to transport animals in Argentina.

"But the people before us are not the same proud race that repeatedly rose up against Inca rule... These people who watch us walk through the streets of the town are a defeated race".

"... To die hoping that one of their children, thanks to miracle powers of a drop of colonising blood in their veins, might somehow achieve the goal they look forward to until their last days"
Che's thoughts along with their travel anecdotes made it a great read.

Updated:

Movie was good. I especially loved those beautiful locations (Machu Picchu). But still book was better. ...more

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Oct 19, 2010 Shovelmonkey1 rated it liked it · review of another edition

Recommends it for: people who want more than just kerouac in their gap year back pack

Recommended to Shovelmonkey1 by: bin diving freeness

Shelves: read-in-2010

Sometimes my job sees me heading off to the worst kind of places (chemical works and sewage plants being two prime examples), however sometimes the gods just smile down and I find myself being sent somewhere really good. Really good, like where? Well, I'll tell you. I've been sent to work in a library for five days.

WHOO HOOOOOOOOO!

The local liberry (to quote Richard Derus) has been closed for a big refurbishment which partially involves whole scale demolition of parts of the building. Want to d Sometimes my job sees me heading off to the worst kind of places (chemical works and sewage plants being two prime examples), however sometimes the gods just smile down and I find myself being sent somewhere really good. Really good, like where? Well, I'll tell you. I've been sent to work in a library for five days.

WHOO HOOOOOOOOO!

The local liberry (to quote Richard Derus) has been closed for a big refurbishment which partially involves whole scale demolition of parts of the building. Want to demolish a historic building? Whoyagonnacall? The archaeologists, that's who. So all these books are being given away, chucked out, pulped or sold on to make way for an e-liberry. Ye Gods! And I found this in the recycle bin - astonishing what people are willing to throw away really! It was not own its own either because it was accompanied by copies of Wuthering Heights, Pride and Prejudice and many many many others. In total I liberated about 40 books all of which have now been dusted off, registered on bookcrossing and released around the city for other people to enjoy. If you don't know about book crossing then go to http://www.bookcrossing.com immediately. Go on, off you go!

Overall I enjoyed this special random free "book-in-a-bin" find, but it was not quite as inspirational as generations of Che t-shirt wearing wannabee revolutionaries would have me believe. Maybe I'm just too old? Is this something you're supposed to read when you're young and perky and stoned? Up there with Kerouac in that this book sells loafing and free loading as a form of modern spiritual enlightenment. See? I am too old.

There is no doubt that his writing is good and the trip was an exceptional and entertaining journey, especially since Che and Alberto made the journey relying on the charity of strangers. The most amazing part of the book was the way that the police could always be relied on to provide a place to stay and some free food when all else failed. Not to discredit our loyal band of polis, but I can't imagine that ever being likely in the UK! ...more

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Nov 25, 2013 Nikhil rated it really liked it

This is a book which everybody in their 20s need to read. At a time when everyone is trying to settle down into a career which would reap harvests eventually, where you dream of going on your dream trips eventually, where you would want to read that book or draw the painting or write the poem, eventually; we have a book about a 20 something who does it all. The story of Che before he became The Che, when he still is a rash youngster hot blooded and filled with hunger for adventure. In spite of w ...more

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Mar 12, 2019 Kathleen rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2019-challenges, autobio-memoir, travel

“I began dressing slowly, a task which wasn’t very difficult because the difference between our night wear and day wear consisted, generally, of shoes.”

Two buddies take a break from their medical studies to tour their home country of Argentina, then Chile, Peru, Columbia, and Venezuela. What gives this fun, youthful adventure a different twist (in addition to the fact their destination is a leper colony) is that one of the buddies is Che Guevera, the guy who would go on to fight with Castro in t “I began dressing slowly, a task which wasn’t very difficult because the difference between our night wear and day wear consisted, generally, of shoes.”

Two buddies take a break from their medical studies to tour their home country of Argentina, then Chile, Peru, Columbia, and Venezuela. What gives this fun, youthful adventure a different twist (in addition to the fact their destination is a leper colony) is that one of the buddies is Che Guevera, the guy who would go on to fight with Castro in the Cuban Revolution, and then to take up other fights in the Congo and then in Bolivia, where at age 39 he was captured and killed and then became an icon.

Most of the book is about how they found ways to get from one place to another and what they ate, and I understand from my own travels on the cheap that it really can be all about these two things. His diary gives us the feel of being on the road: survival, adventure, the companionship of travelers, the kindness of strangers.

What’s interesting about the journey of this book is that it helped make Che Che. Che, by the way, is just the Argentinian version of “mate” or “pal,” but those of us who’ve seen the t-shirts, the posters, we know what the name means to us. It means rebel. What he saw on this trip—poverty and illness and injustice--turned him from middle-class doctor into revolutionary.

You can see it in passages like this, which starts out like a tame entry in a Peruvian tourist’s diary:
“The most memorable part of Lima is the centre of the city around its magnificent cathedral … The church facades and alters demonstrate the complete range of Churrigueresque art in their love of gold. It was because of this vast wealth that the aristocracy resisted the armies of America up to the very last. Lima is the perfect example of a Peru which has never emerged from its feudal, colonial state. It is still waiting for the blood of a truly liberating revolution.”

The reading ranged from tedious to startling, unsettling to inspiring. I’m very happy to have had the experience. ...more

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Aug 30, 2007 Matthew rated it it was ok

This is a first-hand account of Ernesto "Che" Guevara's trip across South America with his good friend. Guevara is not a professional writer and it shows in his straight-forward delivery of the material. It's a diary and it reads like a diary. There is very little exposition here. It's just a blow-by-blow account of the events that took place.

What I found interesting was that Che was a passionate medical student who just wanted to help people, quite in contrast to his later guerrilla life with C ...more

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Jul 11, 2020 Sleepless Dreamer rated it really liked it

Shelves: reading-a-book-from-every-country

The Motorcycle Diaries is a series of diary entries written by Che Guevara back when he was a 23 year old medical student traveling through South America with a motorcycle. We follow his mishaps, encounters with strangers, discussions about poverty and poor health care, and general impressions of South America of the 50s.

This feels like such an intimate look of a person. With our hindsight of what Che Guevara would become, every sentence feels fueled by context and predictions. We can already ...more

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Jun 18, 2012 Mahendra rated it it was amazing

His account begins: This is not a story of heroic feats, or merely the narrative of a cynic; at least I do not mean it to be. It is a glimpse of two lives running parallel for a time, with similar hopes and convergent dreams. In nine months of a man’s life he can think a lot of things, from the loftiest meditations on philosophy to the most desperate longing for a bowl of soup — in total accord with the state of his stomach. And if, at the same time, he’s somewhat of an adventurer, he might live His account begins: This is not a story of heroic feats, or merely the narrative of a cynic; at least I do not mean it to be. It is a glimpse of two lives running parallel for a time, with similar hopes and convergent dreams. In nine months of a man’s life he can think a lot of things, from the loftiest meditations on philosophy to the most desperate longing for a bowl of soup — in total accord with the state of his stomach. And if, at the same time, he’s somewhat of an adventurer, he might live through episodes of interest to other people and his haphazard record might read something like these notes.

And so, the coin was thrown in the air, turning many times, landing sometimes heads and other times tails. Man, the measure of all things, speaks here through my mouth and narrates in my own language that which my eyes have seen. It is likely that out of 10 possible heads I have seen only one true tail, or vice versa. In fact it’s probable, and there are no excuses, for these lips can only describe what these eyes actually see. Is it that our whole vision was never quite complete, that it was too transient or not always well-informed? Were we too uncompromising in our judgments? Okay, but this is how the typewriter interpreted those fleeting impulses raising my fingers to the keys, and those impulses have now died. Moreover, no one can be held responsible for them. The person who wrote these notes passed away the moment his feet touched Argentine soil again. The person who reorganizes and polishes them, me, is no longer, at least I am not the person I once was. All this wandering around “Our America with a capital A” has changed me more than I thought.

In any photographic manual you’ll come across the strikingly clear image of a landscape, apparently taken by night, in the light of a full moon. The secret behind this magical vision of “darkness at noon” is usually revealed in the accompanying text. Readers of this book will not be well versed about the sensitivity of my retina — I can hardly sense it myself. So they will not be able to check what is said against a photographic plate to discover at precisely what time each of my “pictures” was taken. What this means is that if I present you with an image and say, for instance, that it was taken at night, you can either believe me, or not; it matters little to me, since if you don’t happen to know the scene I’ve “photographed” in my notes, it will be hard for you to find an alternative to the truth I’m about to tell. But I’ll leave you now, with myself, the man I used to be…

And it ends: I saw his teeth and the cheeky grin with which he foretold history, I felt his handshake and, like a distant murmur, his formal goodbye. The night, folding in at contact with his words, overtook me again, enveloping me within it. But despite his words, I know knew...I knew that when the great guiding spirit cleaves humanity into two antagonistic halves, I would be with the people. I know this, I see it printed in the night sky that I, eclectic dissembler of doctrine and psychoanalyst of dogma, howling like one possessed, will assault the barricades or the trenches, will take my bloodstained weapon and, consumed with fury, slaughter any enemy who falls into my hand. And I see, as if a great exhaustion smothers this fresh exaltation, I see myself, immolated in the genuine revolution, the great equalizer of individual will, proclaiming the ultimate mea culpa. I feel my nostrils dilate, savoring the acrid smell of gunpowder and blood, the enemy's death; I steel my body, ready to do battle, and prepare myself to be a sacred space within which the bestial howl of the triumphant proletariat can resound with new energy and new hope.

This is a diary of perhaps the greatest journey that any individual has ever made. Coming from a well to do family and taking time off from studying medicine, young Ernesto and friend Alberto travels across Latin America and witnesses the human condition and the suffering it faces. He is very much affected and it is this experience that shapes his future political ideology and what fuels his revolutionary spirit. He vividly paints Latin America as it is, exploited and downtrodden. Ernesto leaves Argentina an unconscious and idealistic boy and returns a cynical and wiser man. One can see here the metamorphosis of a young Argentine to the world's greatest revolutionary. Patria O Muerte! Hasta La Victoria, Siempre! ...more

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Oct 15, 2015 Sash Chiesa rated it it was amazing

Shelves: non-fiction, latin-american

For life, courage, adventure, endurance and whatnot. Non-adherence to Marxist ideology should not prejudice me against him. The moving memoir gave me an access to the mind of pre-revolutionary Che Guevara which undergoes significant changes as the motorcycle moves ahead. With all the bumps, jerks and brief halts, this is a fascinating journey. A real journey which made me dream throughout and imagine myself as a part of this adventure. Lastly, I do not rate such kind of non-fiction on literary m ...more

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Sep 02, 2020 Kevin rated it liked it

Shelves: z-bios-and-essays

23-year-old dude takes a break from his medical studies to explore Latin America while on his way to volunteer at a leper colony, showing glimmers of the revolutionary perspective eloquently spelled out by Hélder Câmara:

"When I give food to the poor, they call me a saint. When I ask why they are poor, they call me a communist.”

“A journey, a number of journeys. Ernesto Guevara in search of adventure, Ernesto Guevara in search of America, Ernesto Guevara in search of Che. On this journey of j ...more

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Nov 21, 2020 Usha rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: memoire

Why wouldn't you become a revolutionary after a journey through the thicks of Latin America ? ...more

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Oct 20, 2014 Amanda rated it really liked it

My reading of "The Motorcycle Diaries" was corrupted by my multiple viewings of and strong affinity for the movie of the same name. I find it impossible to think of the book without comparing it to the movie.

I was also influenced by not being able to decipher from the introduction and preface whether this was a first-time publication of the diaries done before the movie, a first-time publication to correspond with the movie, or a cleaned-up version of previously-published materials to correspon ...more

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Feb 14, 2020 Sikata rated it really liked it

Shelves: non-fiction, memoirs, latin-america

Ernesto or "Che" Guevara was a doctor. How many times have I thought of travelling and practicing medicine, reading books? Many times is the answer. How many times I've done it? Zero! ☹️

"There we understood that our vocation, our true vocation, was to move for eternity along the roads and seas of the world. Always curious, looking into everything that came before our eyes, sniffing out each corner but only ever faintly — not setting down roots in any land or staying long enough to see the subs Ernesto or "Che" Guevara was a doctor. How many times have I thought of travelling and practicing medicine, reading books? Many times is the answer. How many times I've done it? Zero! ☹️

"There we understood that our vocation, our true vocation, was to move for eternity along the roads and seas of the world. Always curious, looking into everything that came before our eyes, sniffing out each corner but only ever faintly — not setting down roots in any land or staying long enough to see the substratum of things; the outer limits would suffice."

This book is a travelogue. The epic journey of a drop out medico and a biochemist across Latin America. Ernesto has beautifully described the landscapes as well as the raw lives of the common people of Latin America.
" the sea has always been a confidant, a friend absorbing all it is told and never revealing those secrets; always giving the best advice — its meaningful noises can be interpreted any way you choose."

The turmoils they face, the daily grind and the havoc created by America. Makes you see the "most powerful country" in a new way. When you see and live so close that kind of misery, a spark of rebellion is likely to be lit in your soul.
"It is at times like this, when a doctor is conscious of his complete powerlessness, that he longs for change: a change to prevent the injustice of a system..."
"How long this present order, based on an absurd idea of caste, will last is not within my means to answer, but it’s time that those who govern spent less time publicizing their own virtues and more money, much more money, funding socially useful works."

Though not fully enlightening us with how he became a guerilla leader, it does give us some insights through his writings. Surviving extreme temperatures and hunger and his love for "La Poderosa" and his friendship with Alberto Granado, we come to love "Che" in this book.

A good soul who met a horrible death at a young age.

Finally-
It is there, in the final moments, for people whose farthest horizon has always been tomorrow, that one comprehends the profound tragedy circumscribing the life of the proletariat the world over ...more

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Mar 07, 2016 Joseph rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: history, travelogues-and-adventures, politics-and-economics, social-studies, contemporary-literature, memoirs-journals

Adventure and travel literature is my go-to genre when I'm reading books, and a couple of years ago I came across a book called Chasing Che: A Motorcycle Journey in Search of the Guevara Legend. The author decides to revisit the famous route Che Guevara took across South America when he was 23/24. I thought about it and thought that perhaps I should read Guevara's book first, so I picked it up and put it on the shelf, waiting to get to it someday.

In 2004, a film version of The Motorcycle Diaries Adventure and travel literature is my go-to genre when I'm reading books, and a couple of years ago I came across a book called Chasing Che: A Motorcycle Journey in Search of the Guevara Legend. The author decides to revisit the famous route Che Guevara took across South America when he was 23/24. I thought about it and thought that perhaps I should read Guevara's book first, so I picked it up and put it on the shelf, waiting to get to it someday.

In 2004, a film version of The Motorcycle Diaries was released, and I had the dvd from Netflix about a year later. I was nursing a dying dog at the time, and never finished watching it. I was, however, interested in the overall story. Like most Americans, my knowledge of Che Guevara was binary: he was either a thuggish, Marxist, murdering revolutionary, or a pop culture icon for disaffected youths who knew nothing about him. The movie, and now the book, allowed me a chance to meet the real Ernesto Guevara, later known as Che, in the formative days of his early 20s, before he was radicalized. Every revolutionary is someone's freedom fighter, and vice versa, so I was open to learning about the man, good and bad.

Now that I've finished the book, I'm not completely sure what I really know about Guevara, to be honest. This book has a nice introduction by Guevara's daughter, and a lengthy Foreward by some academic who is in thrall with Che the revolutionary. My thoughts going into the book would be that of a clear, concise evolution of a young, not-so-naive medical student, into an angry intellectual so appalled by living and working conditions of the people he met that he was rushing to take up arms against the capitalist order. We really don't get that. Instead, Guevara writes about his trip with his traveling companion, the ways in which they con people out of food and shelter, how nice the Civil Guard is in various countries, and Guevara's frequent asthma attacks.

Ok, it's not that blase. Guevara does write some about the people he meets. The bourgeoisie are described with acrid wit, hardly ever in a positive light, whereas the indigenous peoples are barely dealt with at all, except as backdrops, traveling companions who rarely speak but have filthy hygiene. In fact, in much of the way Guevara describes the peasantry, he reminds me of a limousine liberal; aware of the plight of the underclass and even an advocate for them, but probably not people to be invited over for Sunday dinner. In Venezuela, I think it was, he encounters a good number of blacks, and describes them as "lazy" and "indolent." Thinking of how Che became a great hero of Cuba with its large Afro-Cuban population, it was quite a surprise to read that. Guevara and his friend, a bio-chemist, are quick to use their education as status when possible, and have no trouble cheating people out of money for food, etc. I suppose he wasn't much of a Marxist at this point.

Truth be known, Guevara comes across as kind of an asshole. He doesn't exhibit any real tenderness or concern about anyone other than himself, excepting perhaps the patients he met in a few leper colonies along the way (Guevara and his friend were interested in leprology). He leaves behind a girlfriend to make this trip, he quarrels with his friend, he's mean to animals and has no sympathy for a poor puppy he meets, and generally acts like a spoiled brat. When he's hungry, the future Marxist doesn't wonder too much about the hunger of the peasants he meets, or when he's upset about being ambushed by mosquitoes, he doesn't think about the people living in the jungle who face that nuisance on a daily basis. His trip is mostly taken with blinders on, oblivious to how his own actions affect those around him.

So why a four star review? Well, dammit, he's like that annoying younger brother you have, the one who is a pest and who is always getting into trouble. You always end up admiring his spunk, despite his flaws, and that's what happened to me. Guevara truly had a difficult journey, and with his cunning, and, yes, lies and thievery, makes do with his hardship and sees the journey through. Whether it's Guevara's original text or the translation, this book is a joy to read. The prose is jaunty and personal and funny and sad. You get a real sense of how Guevara must have been in person at this time in his life. Cocky and boyish, it's hard not to like the guy. There are also many fascinating accounts of cities, Machu Picchu, etc. that are riveting to read.

It's in the last chapter that Guevara's future self emerges. I imagine this was written as a coda, but he can see that his life is going to change and it will probably end with an early death. He finally expresses the injustice in the world, and announces he will ally himself with the people when the time comes to be held accountable. Years later, Guevara will be in Guatemala during a CIA-inspired coup takes place, forcing Guevara to choose sides in the great struggle he saw coming.

This edition has as an addendum a speech given by Guevara in the early 60s to some Cuban students. He lays out his view of the role of the people in the struggle, and engages in some typical Marxist doublespeak. It was interesting to see how Guevara the revolutionary saw the world, compared to the journey just read. It was like reading about two different people. I'm not so sure it's a needed part of the book. It's a little spoiler-y, to be honest, about the feelings I had developed about Guevara the young student. I think I would have preferred to keep my rose-colored glasses on for a little while longer, as scratched as they might be. ...more

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Mar 29, 2016 Ashley Marie rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: i-own-it, biographies-and-memoirs, bipoc-authors

3.5-4 stars

Really interesting, and it actually reads like the diary it is. Took longer than I expected to get through all of it, but that's okay -- sometimes Che would meander off and wax philosophical here and there and then get back to what he'd started talking about, but that's how diaries go: personal thoughts. I was a bit perplexed by the idea that Che and Alberto made it through 2/3 of their journey with next to no money and basically existed on the hospitality of strangers. Perplexing mos ...more

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Aug 18, 2018 Calzean rated it liked it

Shelves: author-argentina, biography-autobiography-memoir, culture-argentina, culture-peru, culture-chile

After reading The Bolivian Diary: Authorized Edition it was interesting to go back and reread this earlier more well-known work. In this one he is a much happier person soaking in the beauty of nature and the friendliness of the people. He dreams of returning after his road trip to work maybe in a leper hospital.
There's a lot about being hungry and who fed him what. In between eating, fixing the motorcycle and then hitching rides, there are glimpses of his social conscious, his hatred of America ...more

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Feb 03, 2018 Paul rated it really liked it

The diary of legendary revolutionist, Che Guevara, as he tours Latin America by motorcycle in his early twenties. This is a much more sensitive and positive Che, an eternal optimist, not the hard-hearted and resolute guerilla fighter of the Cuban revolution.

The description is beautiful and I was surprised how poignant and articulate the man was (shouldn’t have been a shock, given his education and oration skills). The trip through Chile, Peru, Columbia and Venezuela certainly opened Guevara’s e ...more

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Aug 08, 2007 Julia rated it really liked it

Recommends it for: those interested in Che and Latin Literature

Although it took me almost a month to read this relatively short book, I found it very interresting and written in a literary reflective style. It made me wish my journal sounded as coherent and intelligent. The Diary did a great job expressing the feelings and thoughts of a young man who changed from his journey through Latin America. It was really cool to get into the young Che's head and see how, why, and when he began to change into the revolutionary icon so many of us know him as today. Sin ...more

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May 07, 2015 Gary rated it liked it

So very glad I read this...some evening...when I am in the frame of mind, I'd like to see the film.....

Very interesting,but the man was not the best writer...IMHO......but his life is interesting,and I grew to have a better understanding of his motivations in Cuba....I think his heart was in the right place, not sure Communism is the best thing for Cuba...but hell, America seems to have its problems...is any form of government the best? Maybe a mixture...

Anyone have a suggestion of a biography t ...more

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Aug 22, 2016 Madhulika Liddle rated it really liked it

Alberto Korda’s iconic photo of Che Guevara, moustached and capped, staring away into the distance, is arguably the most easily recognizable symbol of revolution around the world. I've seen that hundreds of times, on everything from T-shirts to coasters, satchels to posters to other stuff that has nothing even remotely to do with Che, Latin America, or revolution. That photo, incidentally, was also what prompted me to read Che’s The Motorcycle Diaries in the first place (no, I haven't seen the m Alberto Korda’s iconic photo of Che Guevara, moustached and capped, staring away into the distance, is arguably the most easily recognizable symbol of revolution around the world. I've seen that hundreds of times, on everything from T-shirts to coasters, satchels to posters to other stuff that has nothing even remotely to do with Che, Latin America, or revolution. That photo, incidentally, was also what prompted me to read Che’s The Motorcycle Diaries in the first place (no, I haven't seen the movie, but probably will now).

And what a throughly engrossing little book this is. In 1952, just about to complete his medical degree and become a doctor, the then-24 year old Ernesto ‘Che’ Guevara and his friend, the leprologist Alberto Granado, set off on a motorcycle named La Poderosa (‘The Mighty One’, a hilariously inappropriate name, as it turned out) across South America. This diary, its entries interspersed with the occasional letter from Che to his mother back home, recounts the duo’s travels, across Argentina, into the Andes to Chile, through Peru, Colombia and Venezuela, finally ending in Caracas.

Occasionally, we see a glimpse of the revolutionary this footloose and fancy free young man was to become. When he writes about the plight of the native South Americans, the exploitation of the land by European and North American corporates and governments. When he describes the havoc wreaked on the land and its indigenous people by the conquistadors, or the wide gap between the wealthy and the poor. When he talks about the horrific copper mines of Chuquicamata..

But, in its main, this is a travelogue that combines free-spirited backpacking (with our two heroes begging their way, for everything from food to lodging to transport, across the continent) with hair-raising adventure (sharing a truck with a herd of cattle, through the highest roads in the Andes? Check. Going down the Amazon on a raft? Check. Trekking across the desert? Check—even if that last one was an effort that petered out swiftly). There is humour here, fun, and some interesting insights into the times, the continent, and the man himself.

My only grouse with The Motorcycle Diaries was that Guevara tends to be too brief at times. For instance, we do not get to know how and exactly where he and Granado parted ways; he is similarly laconic about the planning of the trip, and of his own condition (we do know, through occasional mentions of it, that Guevara suffered almost continuously from asthma all through the trip, but why he undertook it despite that condition, remains unanswered). A little more fleshing out, and this could've been an even better book. Still, one of the more enthralling memoirs I've read.
...more

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Jan 26, 2013 Jim rated it really liked it

Shelves: latin-america, argentina, travel-classics

Long before he became a martyred revolutionary icon made to order for hipster T-shirts, Ernesto "Che" Guevara was a goofy and even funny middle class kid from Argentina. While in his early twenties, he talked his fellow med student Alberto Granado into a trip across South America. How? Why, on Alberto's rickety Norton 500 motorcycle, nicknamed La Poderosa II ("The Mighty One II"). This book is the story of their journey, lasting approximately until he and Alberto split up in Venezuela, where the Long before he became a martyred revolutionary icon made to order for hipster T-shirts, Ernesto "Che" Guevara was a goofy and even funny middle class kid from Argentina. While in his early twenties, he talked his fellow med student Alberto Granado into a trip across South America. How? Why, on Alberto's rickety Norton 500 motorcycle, nicknamed La Poderosa II ("The Mighty One II"). This book is the story of their journey, lasting approximately until he and Alberto split up in Venezuela, where the latter found work.

In the meantime, La Poderosa managed to make it over the Andes (with considerable help) into Chile, where it gave up the ghost miles south of Santiago. From then on, the two were dependent on hitching rides, and even stowing away aboard a ship to Antofagasta. But they are caught and forced to work for their keep and play cards with their captain, who never seemed to sleep.

The Motorcycle Diaries: Notes on a Latin American Journey is actually a fun book to read. One could begin to see Guevara's sympathies for the downtrodden indigenous people in Peru, where there is considerable tension between the Aymara and the ladinos, the Mestizos who are intent on treating them like dirt. Eventually, after many a diversion, they make it to the San Pablo Leper Colony near Iquitos, where they spend some time before continuing north. Both Granado and Guevara had been interested in leprosy and made friends by their treatment of the patients as fellow human beings.

The book ends with a speech made years later in Castro's Cuba entitled "A Child of My Environment," which, thankfully, is abridged for this edition. I liked Guevara a whole lot more when he was describing suffering from one asthma attack after the other while trying to find free food, accommodation, and transportation in Peru, Colombia, and Venezuela. In the end, the two med students were like hoboes -- but it is interesting that they frequently found the help they so desperately needed.

Except for the speech at the end, the book is virtually devoid of any political content. In fact, Che seems to come across at the time as a supported of the Argentine dictator Juan Peron and his wife Evita -- though those scenes may have been only to make conversation with curious Peruvians.

...more

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Apr 25, 2019 Anushka rated it liked it

Shelves: i-own, liked-it, translated, non-fiction, writers-of-colour, literary-classics, worth-the-hype

This book, written years before Che became a revolutionary icon, gives his story a human touch. (Auto) biographies usually serve the purpose of mythfying a person, whereas this book does the opposite for Che.

Now mostly remembered as a mythical persona, it's refreshing to see the 24-year old Che's perspective and a latent revolutionary spirit in him as he travels across Latin America, a continent bruised and exploited first by the colonisers, then the United States. He gradually undergoes a spir ...more

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Aug 15, 2013 Kali Srikanth rated it liked it · review of another edition

Recommended to Kali by: Avinash

Shelves: biographies-memoirs, adapted-to-screen, books-i-see-myself-in

Translated by his daughter, this book is a travel diary of Ernesto Che Guevara as an enthusiastic & excited youth, who planned an adventurous trip to all of Latin America, on a Motorcycle, along with a friend.

Book is enriched by rare collection of photographs that boasts of places they visited, people they met, food they ate & hiccups they experienced. One thing is clearly evident; they carried lot of energy with them. Sure they were low on fuel, finance & luck, but they got great passion for li ...more

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Dec 18, 2010 Mel Vincent rated it it was amazing

Shelves: autobio-biography

This book told me how Ernesto Guevara transformed from a humble and passionate medical student into a articulate, cunning and brilliant revolutionary who not only changed the face of the entire Latin American continent but shaped the perspectives and the thoughts of millions of people from all the world over.

This book was eloquently penned and I thought that I was literally reading a novel. Che Guevara could have been a novelist or a writer and it would have produced a significant impact as well ...more

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Reading the World: BOTM September The Motorcycle Diaries	4	8	Sep 12, 2020 05:33AM
Non Fiction Book ...: (CANCELLED) The Motorcycle Diaries: Notes on A Latin American Journey (Dec 8, 2019 - Jan 7, 2020)	4	16	Dec 01, 2019 02:58AM
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About Ernesto Che Guevara

Ernesto Che Guevara

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Ernesto "Che" Guevara, commonly known as El Che or simply Che, was a Marxist revolutionary, physician, author, intellectual, guerrilla leader, diplomat, and military theorist. A major figure of the Cuban Revolution, since his death Guevara's stylized visage has become an ubiquitous countercultural symbol and global icon within popular culture.

His belief in the necessity of world revolution to adva ...more