“Fidel Castro: My Life” – the man behind the myth

He is one of the most controversial and interesting personalities of our time. Fidel Castro has always fascinated people around the globe. Now Russian readers have the opportunity to discover new facts about the Cuban leader from the most up-to-date biography published in Russia.

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Fidel Castro

November 11, 2008, 20:51

Sergey Makarenkov, head of the Ripol Classic Publishing House, says “Fidel Castro, as a true revolutionist, has presented a new genre – an autobiography written in the form of an interview.”

“Fidel Castro: My Life” is a spoken autobiography by Fidel Castro and French journalist and writer Ignacio Ramonet.

First published in 2005, the book has already been published in more than 20 countries. However, the Russian version is the most complete since it was updated by the co-writers, Castro and Ramonet, before publication.

The biography is written in a question-and-answer style. Ramonet spent more than 100 hours talking to Castro. “Fidel Castro: My Life” is not only a story of his political life, but also looks into the mind of the 82-year-old Cuban leader.

Over more than 600 pages he speaks about his youth, guerilla warfare, his ally Che Guevara and comments on the history and politics.

Most notably, the Russian version of Castro’s biography contains letters he exchanged with Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev during the Caribbean Crisis of 1961-62. This final part was added by the Cuban leader when he was already ill.

Speaking at a news conference in Moscow, the republic’s Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque said he is happy the book has finally reached Russian readers.

“It’s a story of the life of an important person in world history. You can’t talk about history of the 20th century without mentioning him,” he said.

Of course, journalists couldn’t skip the question about Castro’s current role in the political life of the country.

Perez said he’s still recovering from a very serious illness but continues to work actively.

“He doesn’t take part in daily governmental activities. That’s now the responsibility of Raul Castro.”

However, he said, Fidel is being kept fully informed, and passes on his experience ‘for the sake of his people’.

Fidel Castro remains the First Secretary of the Communist Party, but since February 2008 his 77-year-old brother Raul has been the President of Cuba.

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