Young Che: Memories of Che Guevara by His Father

Jul 8, 2026

Young Che: Memories of Che Guevara by His Father presents an intimate, first-hand portrait of Ernesto “Che” Guevara from his birth in 1928 through the life-changing turning point of 1956, when he joins Castro to train for the invasion of Cuba. Shaped from two books by Che’s father, it draws on diaries, letters to family and close friends, and travel narrative across Latin America. The edition adds a chronology, biographical notes, and contextual background that illuminate personality, ideals, and early experiences.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryLiterature

FormatPDF

Pages314

Reading Time8 h 4 min

Contents

Introduction by Lucía Álvarez de Toledo

Preface by Ernesto Guevara Lynch

List of Illustrations

Che in Cuba, 1956–9

Ernesto’s ancestry and early years, 1850s–1933

Growing up, 1933–52

Argentine travel diaries, 1950

Bolivia, Peru and Ecuador, 1953

Guatemala, 1953–4

Mexico, 1954–6

Mexico en route to Cuba, 1956

Epilogue: Tita Infante remembers Che a year after his death

Biographical notes

Chronology

About the Translator

Acknowledgements

ERNESTO GUEVARA LYNCH Young Che Ernesto Guevara Lynch, father of Che Guevara, was born in Argentina in 1900 of Irish and Basque origin. FIRST VINTAGE BOOKS EDITION, DECEMBER 2008 Translation, introduction, biographical notes, and chronology copyright © 2007 by Lucía Álvarez de Toledo All rights reserved. Published in the United States by Vintage Books, a division of Random House, Inc., New York. Originally published in Spanish in two separate volumes as Mi hijo el che by Editorial Planeta, Barcelona, in 1981, and Aquí va un soldado de América by Editorial Sudamericana/Planeta, Buenos Aires, in 1987. Copyright © 1981 and 1987 by The Estate of Ernesto Guevara Lynch. Letters of Che Guevara copyright © 1947, 1953, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1958 by The Estate of Ernesto Che Guevara. This translation originally published in Great Britain by Vintage Random House, a member of the Random House Group Limited, London, in 2007. Vintage and colophon are registered trademarks of Random House, Inc. Grateful acknowledgment is made to Viking Penguin, a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc., for permission to reprint two lines quoted from “The Song of Despair” from Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair by Pablo Neruda, translated by W. S. Merwin, copyright © 1969 by W. S. Merwin. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Guevara Lynch, Ernesto. [Mi hijo el Che. English] Young Che: memories of Che Guevara by his father / Ernesto Guevara Lynch; edited and translated by Lucía Álvarez de Toledo.—1st Vintage Books ed. [p. cm](p. cm). Originally published under the titles Mi hijo el Che and Aquí va un soldado de América. Includes bibliographical references. eISBN: 978-0-30780645-1 1. Guevara, Ernesto, 1928–1967. 2. Guevara, Ernesto, 1928–1967—Correspondence. 3. Guerrillas—Latin America— Correspondence. 4. Guerrillas—Latin America—Biography. I. Álvarez de Toledo, Lucía. II. Guevara Lynch, Ernesto, 1900– Aquí va un soldado de América. English. III. Title. F2849.22.G85G8313 2008 980.03′5092—dc22 [B] 2008032196 Pictures copyright © The Personal Archive of Ernesto Guevara Lynch Picture number 18 copyright © Oficina de Asuntos Históricos de Cuba Map copyright © Reginald Piggott [www.vintagebooks.com](www.vintagebooks.com) v3.1 Contents Cover About the Author Title Page Copyright Acknowledgements Introduction by Lucía Álvarez de Toledo Preface by Ernesto Guevara Lynch Map List of Illustrations 1. Che in Cuba, 1956–9 2. Ernesto’s ancestry and early years, 1850s–1933 3. Growing up, 1933–52 4. Argentine travel diaries, 1950 5. Bolivia, Peru and Ecuador, 1953 6. Guatemala, 1953–4 7. Mexico, 1954–6 8. Mexico en route to Cuba, 1956 Epilogue: Tita Infante remembers Che a year after his death Biographical notes Chronology About the Translator Acknowledgements I wish to thank Aleida March de la Torre for permission to publish Che Guevara’s letters, my editor Mandy Greenfield for her invaluable editorial advice and insight, and my literary agent Margaret Hanbury for her commitment and guidance. I am also grateful to Charles Carlino, Alexandra Potts and Matthew Reisz for their continuous assistance and support throughout the project. Lucía Álvarez de Toledo Introduction Ernesto Che Guevara has been dead forty years and yet there is a continuing fascination with the young and charismatic guerrilla who went to his death in a remote and desolate corner of the world with the cheerful elan he had displayed throughout his life. But how did a sickly boy from a comfortable background become one of the great revolutionary heroes of the twentieth century? The Young Che offers us an intimate portrait of Guevara from his birth in 1928 up to the turning point of his life in 1956, when he joins Castro to train for the invasion of Cuba. It can be read as a record of a remarkable and lovable personality, as the journey (both real and psychological) of a revolutionary

FAQs

What period of Che Guevara’s life does Young Che cover?

It traces Guevara from his birth in 1928 up to 1956, when he joins Castro to train for the invasion of Cuba. The contents also outline key phases and travel experiences leading to that turning point.

How is the book constructed and what sources does it use?

The edition is created from two separate books written by Che’s father, Ernesto Guevara Lynch: Mi hijo el Che and Aquí va un soldado de América. It relies heavily on Che’s father’s use of diaries and letters, along with background structure such as a chronology and biographical notes.

What role do Che’s own words play in the narrative?

A significant portion of the book consists of Che’s words, quoted extensively from his diaries and letters to parents, close family, and his best friend and fellow student, Tita Infante. This makes the portrait both personal and detailed.

Jul 8, 2026

Upload by Evangeline