The Motorcycle Diaries

'A Latin American James Dean or Jack Kerouac' Washington Post'It's true; Marxists just wanna have fun... a revolutionary bestseller' GuardianAt the age of twenty-three, Ernesto 'Che' Guevara and his friend Alberto Granado set out from their native Argentina to explore their continent, with only a single 1939 Norton motorcycle to carry them, nicknamed La Poderosa ('the powerful one'). They travelled not to visit the usual tourist attractions, but to meet ordinary people and understand Latin American life. In amidst the tales of youthful adventures - of women, wine, thrilling escapes and the power of friendship - the young Che also learns first-hand about poverty, philosophy and philosophy and forms himself into the man who would become the world's most famous and admired revolutionary and freedom fighter. 'For every comic escapade of the carefree roustabout there is an equally eye-opening moment in the development of the future revolutionary leader. By the end of the journey, a politicized Guevara has emerged to predict his own legendary future' Time

Born in Rosario, Argentina, on June 14, 1928, and killed on October 9, 1967, the short life of Ernesto “Che” Guevara de la Serna is that of one of the greatest and most enduring revolutionary figures of all time. One of Time magazine's "icons of the 20th century,” Che was politicized first-hand during his travels as a young man around Latin America, witnessing the CIA-backed overthrow of the elected government of Jacobo Árbenz in 1954 in Guatemala. Soon after, he sought out a group of Cuban revolutionaries exiled in Mexico City and, in July 1955, immediately after meeting their leader Fidel Castro, enlisted in their expedition to overthrow Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista. The Cubans nicknamed him "Che," a popular form of address in Argentina.

After a fierce revolutionary struggle, General Batista fled on January 1, 1959, and Che became a key leader in the new revolutionary government. Until his murder in 1967, Che was also the main international representative of the Cuban revolutionary government, heading numerous delegations to Asia, Africa, and throughout the Americas.