CHE'S AFTERLIFE. THE LEGACY OF AN IMAGEN.
New York: Vintage Books, 2009. 1st ed. Paperback. 8vo, wrps, 388 p.; [8 plates], index, bibl., notes, photos, b/w photos, illus. New. Item #154825
ISBN: 9780307279309
The first-ever book on the history of Korda’s photo, this volumen explores how a single two-tone image has sustained Guevara as both an enduring symbol of resistance and a powerful marketing machine. Casey takes us from Cuba to Buenos Aires to Sydney: seeking out the story behind the photo’s accidental birth in 1960, reviewing some of the myths surrounding its passage into the world and examining what Che’s image means today. Along the way Casey reveals how Fidel Castro promoted an appealing image of Cuba with the photo; and how it rose to prominence after Guevara’s death in 1967, when, with the help of a cast of characters including Jean-Paul Sartre, renegade Italian publisher Giangiacomo Feltrinelli, and Andy Warhol, it became an icon of student rebellion in Paris, Milan, and Berkeley. As Casey travels across Latin America, we see how the image is used by governments, dissenters, and for commercial gain by the tourism industry. Venturing into cyberspace, we begin to understand how Che's picture has become not just an icon, but a brand determined by the information economy, promoting products from T-shirts to vodka to baby clothes. Casey reveals how Che’s image—through its many iterations and varied connotations—provides a reflection of how we view ourselves.
Price: $10.00