Castro: A Graphic Novel

As America moves closer to normalizing relations with Cuba, this gripping, vivid graphic novel reveals life and times of Fidel Castro, one of the twentieth century’s most intriguing, charismatic, and divisive figures. The book is narrated by a German journalist named Karl Mertens, who is plunged into the searing heat of pre-revolutionary Cuba in the mid-1950s. He first meets with Castro while the latter is hiding in the mountains, then follows him through the dramatic revolution and his ascent to the presidency that, despite the Bay of Pigs confrontation and years of international trade blockades, lasts for nearly fifty years. We also witness his involvement in bloody skirmishes, failed missions, and brutal crackdowns, as well as his interactions with and on behalf of the Cuban people, which reveal as much about his fallible human qualities as they do his legend.

Castro is the work of acclaimed German graphic novelist Reinhardt Kleist; it was first published in English by Selfmade Hero for the British market, and is now being made available in the United States for the first time. Bristling with energy and alive with the spirit of Cuba, Castro has much to offer about the complex politics of one of the most enduring and controversial figures in modern history.

Reinhardt Kleist is the author of fourteen books, including two others available in English: The Boxer and Johnny Cash: I See a Darkness. His many awards include the BZ Cultural Award for outstanding cultural achievement from the City of Berlin.