Cuba Through the Lens ― Photographs from the Revolution

On the 60th anniversary of the onset of the Cuban Revolution, this penetrating photographic exploration of Castro's rise to power is filled with images both iconic and rare. During the six long years in which Fidel Castro, his brother Raul, and Che Guevara led the struggle to overthrow dictator Fulgencio Batista, journalists and photojournalists such as Carlo Maria Gutierrez, Andrew St. George, Dickey Chapelle, Burt Glinn, Lester Cole, Osvaldo Salas, Alberto Diaz, and Luis Peirce were granted extraordinary access to the inside workings of the revolution. Accompanied by a fascinating essay chronicling the photographic history of the Cuban revolution, this volume features some of the most important images of the conflict, many of which appeared in the pages of Time, Look, Life, and Paris Match. It also includes a number of never-published materials from important private collections. For the first time, the story of Korda's iconic portrait of Che Guevara is precisely described. Conscious of the power of visual exposure, especially for the country's large illiterate population, Castro and his cohorts encouraged photographers to document efforts to overthrow the dictatorship. Thus images from Castro's jungle hideouts; scenes of air raids, kidnappings, and clandestine meetings; and shots of Castro's victorious march to Havana illustrate an important chapter of 20th-century history.