The Real Fidel Castro - Softcover

Coltman, Leycester

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1910198285 ISBN 13: 9781910198285

Publisher: Thistle Publishing, 2014

Synopsis

The Real Fidel Castro is a first-hand account, and an authoritative biography, that provides a clear and dispassionate analysis of Castro, without the political rhetoric that typically accompanies any discussion of the man. The book describes the key events that shaped Castro’s life from his political activism as a student, his years as a communist revolutionary and guerrilla fighter alongside Che Guevera, to his decades in power surviving the Cold War, assassination attempts, the missile crisis, and the collapse of the Soviet Union.

As British Ambassador to Cuba in the early nineties, a time when Cuba’s economy contracted by a third, and many outside observers were anticipating the collapse of the Cuban government, Sir Leycester Coltman had privileged access to Castro, with regular contact and frequent discussions. These conversations at a critical juncture in Cuba’s history provide a unique insight into the thoughts, personality, and motivations of the Cuban leader.

“So bravo Sir Leycester Coltman, former British Ambassador to Havana, who has written a masterfully even-handed account of one of the most compelling, enduring and obnoxious statesmen of modern times. While it does not resolve Fidel’s many contradictions, The Real Fidel Castro holds them in tension, building up a convincing, nuanced picture in finely-honed, pin-sharp prose. Not just Castro but Cuba and its revolution swing sharply into focus.” - The Tablet

“One of the most striking revelations of the Sir Leycester Coltman’s engrossing study of the Cuban leader is just how central violence has always been to his life. . . . Meticulously researched and compiled, The Real Fidel Castro is written with a diplomat’s, rather than a writer’s pen. . . . It is fascinating material—how could it not be? . . . This book helps show why Castro was wrong . . . about so many fundamental truths of human existence.” - Justin Marozzi, Literary Review

“[Coltman] has produced a rare commodity—a balanced view of Castro. . . . This book is very well-written and easily read.” — Anthony Daniels, Sunday Telegraph

“From childhood rebellion to international confrontation, Coltman’s analysis of this obstinate and aggressive politician remains clear and impressively impartial.”—The Observer

"Instructors looking for a suitable biography of Castro for use in the classroom should consider this text."—Paul J. Dosal, The Historian

“[An] assessment of the revolutionary leader...that attempts to provide a balanced view of the man.” - Sunday Times

About this title

Review

Who is the real Fidel Castro? Some would characterize the longtime Cuban ruler as a ruthless dictator, crushing all opposition and starving his own people to feed his own hunger for power. Others point to a revolutionary leader who has adhered to Marxist-Leninist principles while being popular enough at home to outlast nine American presidents. Former British Ambassador to Cuba Leycester Coltman provides an exhaustively researched history of Castro and reveals a man constantly driven by passion, usually able to lead by force of personality, and possessed of a subtle ability to shift his politics in order to maintain an advantage. The Real Fidel Castro traces his middle-class upbringing and career as a student agitator who swiftly gained notice both positive and negative for taking part in revolutionary politics throughout Latin America. Later, Castro, having failed in initial attempts to overthrow General Fulgencio Batista, takes to the jungle along with Che Guevara to prepare for what would eventually be a successful coup. Once in power, however, the revolutionary must learn to be a diplomat and a political strategist as he navigates a messy victory in the Bay of Pigs conflict and suffers an embarrassing defeat in the Cuban missile crisis. While he is often characterized as having been a mere puppet of the old Soviet Union, Coltman's portrayal indicates the relationship was much more complicated; Castro recognized the need for a strong ally who also opposed the United States but questioned the ideology of the Soviets and worried over what the proposed reforms of Mikhail Gorbachev would bring to the world's largest Communist nation. Although Coltman came to know Castro while serving in Havana, he doesn't gloss over the swift executions given to those who defied "the revolution" or Castro's penchant for imprisoning those thought to be politically dangerous. In the end, Coltman, who died shortly before this book's publication, is nonjudgmental and shows Fidel Castro to be a man as complex as the world he lived in. --John Moe

About the Author

The late Sir Leycester Coltman was a member of HM Diplomatic Service for over thirty years. He became Head of the Latin America Department at the Foreign Office in 1989 and served as British Ambassador to Cuba (1991-1994) and Colombia (1994-1998). As British ambassador to Cuba in the early nineties he had a unique opportunity to observe and study Fidel Castro during a critical period in Cuba’s history, both during and immediately after the collapse of the Soviet Union.

About this edition

• Publisher: Thistle Publishing
• Publication date: 2014
• ISBN 10: 1910198285
• ISBN 13: 9781910198285
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 444