Paperback, 192 pages
Published June 16, 2021 by Seven Stories Press.
A New York Times bestseller With a new introduction by The Motorcyle Diaries filmmaker Walter Salles, and featuring 24 pages of photos taken by Che.
The Motorcycle Diaries is Che Guevara's diary of his journey to discover the continent of Latin America while still a medical student, setting out in 1952 on a vintage Norton motorcycle together with his friend Alberto Granado, a biochemist. It captures, arguably as much as any book ever written, the exuberance and joy of one person's youthful belief in the possibilities of humankind tending towards justice, peace and happiness.
After the release in 2004 of the exhilarating film of the same title, directed by Walter Salles, the book became a New York Times and international bestseller.
This edition includes a new introduction by Walter Salles and an array of new material that was assembled for the 2004 edition coinciding with the release …
A New York Times bestseller With a new introduction by The Motorcyle Diaries filmmaker Walter Salles, and featuring 24 pages of photos taken by Che.
The Motorcycle Diaries is Che Guevara's diary of his journey to discover the continent of Latin America while still a medical student, setting out in 1952 on a vintage Norton motorcycle together with his friend Alberto Granado, a biochemist. It captures, arguably as much as any book ever written, the exuberance and joy of one person's youthful belief in the possibilities of humankind tending towards justice, peace and happiness.
After the release in 2004 of the exhilarating film of the same title, directed by Walter Salles, the book became a New York Times and international bestseller.
This edition includes a new introduction by Walter Salles and an array of new material that was assembled for the 2004 edition coinciding with the release of the film, including 24 pages of previously unpublished photos taken by Che, notes and comments by his wife, Aleida Guevara March, and an extensive introduction by the distinguished Cuban author, Cintio Vitier.
"A journey, a number of journeys. Ernesto Guevara in search of adventure, Ernesto Guevara in search of America, Ernesto Guevara in search of Che. On this journey, solitude found solidarity. 'I' turned into 'we.'" —Eduardo Galeano
"As his journey progresses, Guevara's voice seems to deepen, to darken, colored by what he witnesses in his travels. He is still poetic, but now he comments on what he sees, though still poetically, with a new awareness of the social and political ramifications of what's going on around him." —January Magazine
"Our film is about a young man, Che, falling in love with a continent and finding his place in it." —Walter Salles, director of the film version of The Motorcycle Diaries
"All this wandering around 'Our America with a Capital A' has changed me more than I thought." —Ernesto Che Guevara, from The Motorcycle Diaries
Ein Roadtrip durch Südamerika der 50er Jahre, der den jungen Che politisiert. Eine immer noch schöe Reiselektüre für Argentinien und Chile. Lohnt sich! Sehr persönlich und kurzweilig geschrieben - mir war gar nicht klar, wie sehr Asthma Che Guevara eingeschränkt hat.
The only reason I give it 5 stars is because the past 7 years I’ve been writing in my journal and every now and then I go back and read them and I see the transformations. I saw the transformations in Che’s life and to most these entries are boring and they are… but sometimes the boring stuff to me are the most glorious. I wasn’t expecting some crazy heroic story. All we got was some boring entries that usually talk about their bike getting broken or who pissed off Che the most. A silly little easy read but very assuring that I’m evolving day by day as well.
I very much enjoyed the way Che writes, and learning about the youth and defining moments of a historical figure. I wish the motorcycle had lasted longer. This is one of those great travel books that absolutely makes you want to jump on a bike and drive off into the world.
Readers should be warned that, although Che Guevara is known for being a progressive who fought for equity and equality, this was still written in the 50s and there is some very stark racism in a few places.
