The Cuban revolution through the eyes and actions of Papa Hemingway and Fidel Castro.In 1957 Cuba, Fidel Castro starts a revolution with twelve men while Papa Hemingway wonders if he's washed up or has another book in him-the big book that's always eluded him. Looking for publicity, Fidel challenges Papa to come to the Sierra Maestra and write about the barbudos. Not one to turn down a shot at the proverbial fountain of youth, Papa accepts. The trip damn near kills him, but a special relationship begins. Fidel-young, ambitious, naïve. Papa-old, wise, cynical. They could've been father and son; they see each other in those terms. Fidel takes Papa wingshooting, the first of their mano-a-manos. They run into Batista patrols. Superb under fire, Fidel saves Papa's life, the old man returning
karl gives an overview of the book:
The Cuban revolution through the eyes and actions of Papa Hemingway and Fidel Castro.In 1957 Cuba, Fidel Castro starts a revolution with twelve men while Papa Hemingway wonders if he's washed up or has another book in him-the big book that's always eluded him. Looking for publicity, Fidel challenges Papa to come to the Sierra Maestra and write about the barbudos. Not one to turn down a shot at the proverbial fountain of youth, Papa accepts. The trip damn near kills him, but a special relationship begins. Fidel-young, ambitious, naïve. Papa-old, wise, cynical. They could've been father and son; they see each other in those terms. Fidel takes Papa wingshooting, the first of their mano-a-manos. They run into Batista patrols. Superb under fire, Fidel saves Papa's life, the old man returning
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About karl
Believe it or not, I'm a fifth-generation Angeleno. I was born in the ‘40s when the major cause of pollution in L.A. was residents burning trash in incinerators. A few years later, the city fathers banned incinerators in favor of landfills, but inexplicably ripped out the red...
Published Reviews
May.15.2009
“Alexander’s novel is everything you’d expect in a sequel to Time After Time. The sweep of history through time travel is dazzling, the characters are beautifully rendered, and the story has twists and...
Sep.22.2009
"H. G. Wells meets the Computer Age in this fascinating variation on the time-travel theme. A dazzling succession of plots, adventures and hairpin turns, smoothly written and superbly conducted by Karl...
Author's Publishing Notes
“Accomplished and readable.” -Washington Post.
“This wonderfully imagined tale of friendship between an aging Ernest Hemingway and a still youthful Fidel Castro is compelling, entertaining and downright moving. Alexander takes us back to Cuba on the cusp of revolution, where Hemingway, losing his most precious ability to write well, embarks in a journey into the Sierra Maestra to see for himself what this revolutionary Castro is all about. What follows is a cracking adventure, rich in character, history and drama. This novel is a serious delight.”
T. Jefferson Parker
Author of Iron River and The Border Lords
When Stuart Whitman got too old to play Papa Hemingway, his option on the movie rights expired. If you have any ideas, please share them with me.