Memoirs
from the Cuban Revolution
"I do not wish that this fragmentary history, based on memories and a few hasty notes, should be regarded as a full account. On the contrary, I hope that those who lived through each event will further elaborate....There are many survivors of this battle and each of them is encouraged to fill out the story by contributing what they remember. I ask only that such a narrator be strictly truthful"
- Che Guevara, "Reminisces of the Cuban Revolution."
The Cuban revolution of 1959 is a textbook example of a
successful revolution and the kind of underdog story everyone loves. It
provided inspiration to fledgling nations like no event had in decades.
"All our heroes were losers," Irish Republican leader Thomas Mac
Giolla recalled later; "Che and Fidel were the first winners."(1) Much
ink has been spilled over the event, but polarization of academics along Cold
War political lines renders impartial studies difficult to find, and there was
unfortunately only scattered follow-up to Che's appeal for the rank and file to
tell their story. (ie, there was no collection along the lines of the Irish
Military History Bureau's collection of accounts from the 1916-23 period, or
Cypriot Government's archive from EOKA members). But for all
that, many participants did tell their stories. The following is a
compendium of books by those who took an active part in the revolution as
combatants, activists, or opponents.
General Histories
Two general histories by participants stand out:
Cuban Insurrection 1952-1959 by Ramon L.
Bonachea is possibly the finest and most complete history, written in the
tradition of Anthony Beevor or Alistair Horne.
Bonachea has the historian's eye for what details to magnify and
minimize when telling a story on a grand scale, and in this case it involves
far more than the simple guerillas-in-the-jungle narrative. There is an
alphabet soup of organizations, each with their own industrial strikes,
actions, failed coups, political statements, and feuds, which Bonachea distills
into a readable narrative. His status as a former revolutionary (he now lives
in the US) gave him access to other former participants, enabling him to
reconstruct otherwise unknowable background information to events, especially
where minor players and organizations are concerned.
The history is supplemented by charts illustrating battle plans
and structure, making it a uniquely helpful stand-alone resource.
Armando Hart wrote a history of the urban conflict in his
book Aldabonazo: Inside the Cuban Revolutionary Underground, 1952–58.
Aldabonazo (meaning a "knock on the
door") is meant as a gap-filler, as most histories focus on the war in the
countryside. The book tells of the activists in the cities ("llanos")
who carried on their own conflict in sync with the guerillas in the mountains.
The dominant figure is not Castro but Frank Pais, leader of the Llanos, who
organized and directed urban unrest before his death in 1958.
Hart writes with the cautious use of information,
characteristic of underground men once responsible for others' lives, detailing
strategy and ideology rather than nitty-gritty details of ambushes. He backs up
his narrative with dozens of letters and documents.
The one major drawback is that it is uncritical to the point of
feeling artificial, and may not be as complete as it seems. In a telling
passage he notes that some "were omitted from this history of glory"
for having turned against the revolution afterwards. Many people receive a nod
at some point in the book but several major players who later defected are
unmentioned- one only wonders who, at ground level, was also written out.
Memoirs
The starting point remains Che Guevera's Reminisces,
both military history and a personal story. The prose that later elevated
the Motorcycle Diaries to literary fame serves him well
here. Like one iconic scene:
"A compañero dropped a box of ammunition at my feet. I pointed to it, and he answered me with an anguished expression, which I remember perfectly, and which seemed to say, 'It’s too late for ammunition.' He immediately took the path to the cane field. (He was later murdered by Batista’s henchmen.) This might have been the first time I was faced, literally, with the dilemma of choosing between my devotion to medicine and my duty as a revolutionary soldier. There, at my feet, was a backpack full of medicine and a box of ammunition. They were too heavy to carry both. I picked up the ammunition, leaving the medicine, and started to cross the clearing, heading for the cane field."
Many things can be debated about Che's politics, but he is brutally
honest on paper regarding war, and rarely digresses when discussing
it. The book was studied by fighters in contemporary conflicts like
Palestine, yet its focused realism turned out to be a pitfall for this
audience as they were left uninformed of other key ingredients- like the urban
movement and Castro's masterful PR - which were outside the scope of Guevera's
experiences. "For him," Robert Oltuski writes, "the guerrilla
forces in the Sierra Maestra were the reason for everything." The Reminisces is
complimented by his Diary of a Combatant, the raw, unedited diary
he kept during the revolution. There's no factual difference but the
latter Diary chronicles day-to-day events which, like a
microscope, shows life details a little more powerfully than his initial
work.
Many people have written memoirs around Che and how they knew
him. The most deserving of the accounts by former comrades is that of his
second wife, Aleida Guevera March. A soldier in the July
26th Movement, Aleida met him while fighting in the Sierra Maestra. Her
memoir Remembering Che is deeply felt and simply told, and as
much a story of a woman at war as it is the titular subject. His first wife,
Hilda Gadea, covered the early part of his career- meeting Castro, early days
of training- with remarkable honesty in My Life With Che.
Gadea's intellectual background contrasts starkly to Aleida's simple style and
she is more at terms with events.
Vida Clandestina by Robert Oltuski
is possibly the finest memoir after the Reminisces despite its
novelized style. In his introduction Oltuski protests that he did
not intent for this to be treated as a formal "history;" his
intention was rather to present to younger readers what it was like to live
through those times. Yet he surpasses the rest in his vivid descriptions of people,
settings, and events. He describes the nitty-gritty of every day life as a
"Llano"- from balancing work, love, and clandestine activities to the
stains on his hands from newspaper-wrapped bombs. And although a fervent
supporter of Castro, he makes no bones about disputes. He clashes with the
movement on reform issues, calls out dead revolutionaries for incompetence, and
credits those who later defected without questioning their commitment at the
time of the revolution.
(Of all the books on this list, I would recommend it to
anyone who is new to the history of the revolution, or wants to read a
heartfelt "war story" type account as opposed to an academic
history.)
Carlos Franqui played a crucial role before producing copious
literature from exile. His Diary of the Cuban Revolution was
groundbreaking when first published, and remains a standard reference for
English-speaking students of the revolution (particularly for its information
on left-wing opposition to Castro within the opposition.) He also wrote "The
Twelve" detailing the early days of the revolution, Family
Portrait with Fidel and others.
Cuba and Castro by Teresa Casuso Morin tells a
story of both adventure and intrigue, and heartbreak. Morin was a classic
Cuban conspirator- a woman of mystery who dabbled in the arts while financing
revolutions. She was heavily involved in the planning of the revolution,
purchasing the Granma, and the training in Mexico but parted ways in the early
60's. She provides a detailed sense of place and writes with the weight of
experience (she was involved with the 1930's revolution against Machado).
Marianas in Combat by Teté Puebla and Mary-Alice
Waters.
""How
can we give rifles to women when there are so many men who are unarmed?'”
"Fidel answered: 'Because they´re better soldiers than you
are.'"
Tete Puebla joined the revolution in 1956 at the age of 15. She was a part of
the all-female Mariana Grajales Women's Platoon. What it lacks in length, it
makes up for in content. The book is framed through an interview between Puebla
and Waters in which she tells her own story while exploring that of the
Platoon.
The Cuba Story and Revolution In Cuba,
by Herbert Matthews. A New York Times journalist, Matthews uncovered Castro
when he was long believed to be dead, elevated him as a guerilla-hero, and the
revolution quickly turned in the latter's favor afterwards. Its a Stanley and
Livingston type story that should be a classic when told in Matthew's words;
however the book is falls a little short of that as he struggles to vindicate
his motives for supporting Castro in 1957 in light of events in 1960. Yet his
memoir is a valuable view into a pivotal incident in Cuban
history. Anthony DePalma told the story to critical and popular acclaim
in The Man Who Invented Fidel: Castro, Cuba, and Herbert L. Matthews of
the New York Times.
Niell MaCaulay's A Rebel in Cuba (1970) is the
autobiography of a Korean War veteran who joined the 26th of July Movement,
one of the few to do so. His memoir is part boys-own adventure, part grisly
realism a la The Things they Carried, and could take its place
among classics were it not for the politics surrounding the experience
(MacAulay himself is completely apolitical).
Victor Dreke, From Escambre to the Congo. Dreke
fought in the jungle during the later stages of the revolution. He later
directed the counterinsurgency operations during the Escambray Rebellion (which
MacAulay was running guns to) and oversaw Cuban expeditions abroad. The focus
is on the latter events but the initial chapters talk about the revolution from
the perspective of one of its most loyal cadres.
The Unsuspected Revolution, by Mario Llerena is an important
book on the network of supporters that sustained the revolution. Llerena, one
of the "30's generation" that opposed Machado, was the 26th of
July Movement's representative in New York. In his memoir he recounts
activities from gun-running to media statements, and the underground networks
facilitating them in both Cuba and America. Llerena opposed the Communist turn,
and while he touches on that he does not let it dominate his narrative.
Our History is Still Being Written and Making History:
Interviews with Four Generals of Cuba’s Revolutionary Armed Forces, edited
by Mary Alice Walker, The former gives the long-obscured story of the Chinese
immigrant community's involvement through accounts by 3 Chinese revolutionaries
who became generals. The latter documents the experiences of four other
prominent generals. The focus is on post-1959 political developments, but they
still have a good deal of information on their experiences during the war.
Women in Cuba, the Making of a Revolution Within a Revolution. Also
edited by Mary Alice Walker, presents
interviews with three women activists, Vilma Espin, Asela de los Santos,
and Yolanda Ferrer, from their activities organizing before revolution, to
their days afterwards with the Cuban Federation of Women.
Fidel Castro & Company,
Inc.: Communist Tyranny in Cuba. Urrita
was selected president in between Batista's abdication and Castro's seizure of
the government. Stylistically reminiscent of Batista's memoir, the author has
little force of personality, and unfortunately is more occupied here with the
issue of communism than his own experiences.
Moncada, Memories of the Attack that Launched the Cuban Revolution, by Haydee Santamaria. Santamaria was one of the key behind-the-scenes players from the very beginning. She unfortunately left no memoir, but in Moncada she describes her memories of the seminal event in her life (and that of the revolution).
Before Night Falls by Reinaldo Arenas. Arenas joined the
Revolution as a student and came close to death during the expedition against
Trujilo. Although he saw little action and his story is more concerned with
sexuality, his brief account conveys the tragi-comic atmosphere of those days.
Revolution in Cuba by Jose Morrell Romero. Romero fought against
Machado in the 30's, and in the 50's, as a supreme court justice, he faced the
wrath of Batista when he called for the latter's impeachment. Like Morin he
writes with the weight of a veteran of two revolutions, and covers a good deal
of general history- what went on behind closed doors- in addition to his own
experiences. (He was sworn in as provisional president of Cuba by the Tampa
community in 1995.)
Flight 13: 13 Years with Castro by Mike Bove. Bove provided support
to the July 26th movement via his aviation company in Florida, and gave the
same service to anti-Castro rebels in later years. Bove appears to be a Marine
WW2 veteran, but more than that is hard to find as the book is very rare and
information on Bove even rarer.
In Spanish
Those
who are literate in Spanish have a much more extensive range of material
available to them.
General Rafael del Pino joined the revolution as a teenager and was a
significant part of a small air force developed at the end of the conflict. He
defected in the 1980's on account of corruption in the government. He
authored Los Anos de la Guerra and 9050 Horas in
Spanish, and Inside Castro's Bunker in English.
Juan Almeida Bosque, a commander in the Sierra Madre, enjoyed a
singular literary career in Cuba. His most prominent work is a memoir trilogy,
later published in one 400+ page tome titled Atencion! Recuento! A
second history Crónicas de la Revolución Cubana focuses on the
revolution in general. Other writings include a man-versus-nature account of
life after a hurricane in 1963 (Contra el Agua y el Viento), memories,
and biographies.
Memorias De Un Soldado Cubano / Memories of a Cuban
Soldier by Dariel Alarcon Ramirez. Ramirez joined the revolution in
1957 and fought in the Sierra Maestra under Camilo Cienfuegos. Later he was a
part of the Cuban expeditions to Africa and Bolivia, before defecting to
France, citing the contrast between the revolutionary ideals and the lifestyle
of the government. (Dreke's autobiography, mentioned above, was written partly
in response to Ramirez's).
Cómo llegó la noche / How the Night Came by Huber
Matos. The first half of his 500+ page memoir details his experiences as a gun
runner and one of Castro's supporters in the Sierra Madre: the second half, the
story of his arrest and imprisonment by his former commander for almost 20
years.
Colonel José Quevedo was a commander in the government army tasked
with finishing off Castro. Instead he was himself surrounded and captured with
his troops. Quevedo was impressed enough with the benevolent treatment he
received that he switched sides and became a fervent "fidelista." He
later wrote three books on the war: La batalla de Jigue / The Battle of
Jigue, El ultimo semestre / The Final Six Months, and Vale la
pena recordar / Worth Recalling.
Mi aporte a la Revolución Cubana by Alberto Bayo.
Bayo was a veteran of a variety of conflicts and like Morin a conspirator-poet.
Bayo conducted a boot camp for the would-be guerrillas on a ranch in Mexico
prior to their embarking for Cuba. He attempted to recreate the hardship of
actual combat with endurance hikes and tests in which future leaders showed
their rising star. He discusses this, as well as their hide-and-seek conflict
with the Mexican government in his memoir. Paladin Press later released
aptitude tests he gave trainees in book form, titled 150 questions for
a Guerrilla.
Memorias
del Dueño del Yate Granma by
Antonio Del Conde. Another figure in the prehistory of the revolution, De
Conde bought and repaired the Granma in Mexico, at the time a wreck. The story
of buying and refurbishing a scrap-worthy boat is material for Farley Mowat and
while Del Conde doesn't quite reach his level of writing he still delivers a
great tale here. De Conde did not take part in the actual crossing but was a
significant smuggler and gun runner.
Collado: Timonel del Granma. Collado was a war
hero long before the revolution, having taken part in sinking a U-boat during
World War Two. His anti-Batista sentiments landed him in jail, after which he
joined Castro's circle in Mexico. As one of the few with actual maritime
experience he was tasked with steering the overloaded, leaky Granma from
Mexico to the far tip of Cuba.
Dias de Combate edited by Luis Pavon in the
early 70's, presents a collection of accounts (spanning over 400 pages) by
people involved in various ways in the anti-Batista movement.
Nicolas Rodriguez Astiazarain, a member of the underground
in Havana, told of the clandestine struggle in that city in Episodios
de la Lucha Clandestina en la Habana 1955-1958/ Memories of the
Underground Struggle in Havana.
Yolanda Portuondo collected memoirs of many former
participants into oral histories, including two reconstructing the life of
Frank Pais (La clandestinidad tiene un nombre: David and Frank:
Sus últimos treinta días), one on the life of his cadre Otto Parellada, and
the chaplain Guilliermo Sardinas.
Others
Several key players left no memoir, but a reading list would be incomplete
without mentioning them.
Celia Sanchez was the real brains behind many of the revolution's successes.
After the war she founded the Cohiba Cigar factory, which only employed women,
a pioneering concept in Cuba's male-dominated factories. She chose obscurity
over hero status, hence she left no autobiography, but Nancy Stout has filled
the gap to some degree with her book One Day in December, a
history drawn from participants that is both comprehensive and delightfully
readable. There are times where she leaves interviewees' accounts at face value
when it would have been nice if she pried deeper into their motives and
feelings, but its a minor complaint into an otherwise excellent book.
As mentioned above, Frank Pais was the urban counterpart to Castro from the
early 50's to his death in 1958. His life (and controversy surrounding his
death) is covered in Frank Pais: Architect of Cuba's Betrayed
Revolution. The writing is clunky, even choppy at times, and
pales in its appeal to readers compared to Stout's breezy biography of Sanchez,
but it fills in a critical gap and presents Pais as an equal to Castro as a
leader and organizer. Pais, who appealed to groups across the political divide,
may in fact have surpassed Castro in influence had he not died in 1958- a point
whose implications Alvarez explores. Alvarez was a member of the July 26th
movement and drew on his experience in writing this as well as other books on
Cuban-related topics.
Tad Szulc's biography of Castro, Fidel, stands head and
shoulders above its counterparts for completeness, readability, and
impartiality. Szulc met with Castro many times from the days of the revolution
right through to the 1980's, and was a key correspondent on the Bay of Pigs. In
his biography Szulc has plumbed the depths of written material, complimented by
his own relationship with the subject, and the result is a biography one can
enjoy and walk away from confident they've learned a true story.
The General History
For decades an impartial, accessible, general history for lay readers was non-existent. Tony
Perrottet remedied that in 2019 with his delightfully readable and detailed book, Cuba Libre. The book jacket description in this case
is spot on, and worth reposting:
In this wildly entertaining and meticulously researched account, historian and journalist Tony Perrottet unravels the human drama behind history’s most improbable revolution: a scruffy handful of self-taught revolutionaries—many of them kids just out of college, literature majors, and art students, and including a number of extraordinary women—who defeated 40,000 professional soldiers to overthrow the dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista.
Cuba Libre!’s deep dive into the revolution reveals fascinating details: How did Fidel’s highly organized lover Celia Sánchez whip the male guerrillas into shape? Who were the two dozen American volunteers who joined the Cuban rebels? How do you make land mines from condensed milk cans—or, for that matter, cook chorizo à la guerrilla (sausage guerrilla-style)?
Conclusion
After 60 years the Cuban revolution continues to polarize
both the Americas and the world. There are times when it would be nice to go
back and see for ourselves what the truth is; we can't in the literal sense,
but in reading the accounts of those who fought we can see for ourselves what
they saw, and how they saw it, and perhaps learn something for today.
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1-
Quoted in Brian Hanley and Scott Millar, The Lost Revolution.
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