David Deutschmann and Deborah Shnookal (eds.), Fidel Castro Reader

摘要

For years, Ocean Press (like Pathfinder Press) has been plying a very particular and familiar trade on Cuba: namely, reproducing collections of'documentary' material from Cuba, i.e. speeches and writings from Cuban leaders such as Fidel Castro or Che Guevara. Hence one should not be surprised at this collection, which does exactly that, compiling 28 speeches, or extracts of speeches, made by Castro from 1953 to 2007. However, one might have wished for a 'Fidel Castro reader' that, at this particular time, offered more; as the Revolution completes its 50th anniversary and as Fidel retires from the political scene, a mixture of analysis and documentary would have been welcome, a compendium of studies of and commentaries on Fidel Castro as well as speeches by him. Unfortunately, that is not the case and, instead, we have what we have and what we might have expected.