Castro

by Sebastian Balfour

Published 13 February 1995
First published in 1990 and now updated and expanded, this study is more than a personal biography: rather, it assesses Castro's career from his rise to power in the drama of the Cuban Revolution through the difficult years of independence to (in this revised text) its apparent twilight now. Cool but not unsympathetic, it avoids the simplifications of right-wing denunciation and left-wing hagiography, and the second edition reinforces its claim to be the best short introduction to this controversial and charismatic figure currently available.