A comprehensive anthology with more than 30 speeches that span five decades by Fidel Castro, one of historys greatest orators.

Emerging in the 1960s as a leading voice in support of anticolonial struggles, then continuing to play a role in the antiglobalization movement in the subsequent decades, Fidel Castro was an articulate and penetratingif controversialpolitical thinker and leader, who outlasted ten US presidents.

Covering five decades of Fidels speeches, this selection begins with his famous courtroom defense (History will Absolve Me), and also includes his speech on learning of Che Guevaras death in Bolivia, his analysis of the collapse of the Soviet Union, and his response to the 9/11 terrorist attacks. With his declining health and the emergence of new leaders such as Hugo Chvez in Venezuela and Evo Morales in Bolivia, this book sheds light not just on Castros mighty role in Latin Americas past, but also on his legacy for the future. Love him or hate him, this anthology demonstrates that Fidel Castro is a master of the spoken word, as Gabriel Garca Mrquez has described him.

TheFidel Castro Readerincludes a chronology of the Cuban Revolution, an extensive glossary and index as well as 24 pages of photos.