Papa & Fidel
Synopsis:
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 the favor years later when it matters more. The barbudos discover they've been compromised by an American volunteer, and he's executed despite Papa warning Fidel of gringo public opinion. Castro never does learn how to separate justice from political expediency. Soon, Papa realizes that Fidel is exactly like characters straight from the pages of his books which is why he both loves and hates him-like father, like favorite son. Rejuvenated after the Sierra Maestra, Papa starts the big book. And Fidel discovers guerrilla strategy and tactics in Papa's novels. He wins his first pitched battle using For Whom the Bells Tolls as a primer. Both men are haunted by their mythic qualities. Papa knows the world sees him as larger than life-a hero always in control, always courageous, always a winner. He knows it's bullshit, yet the only way he can measure up is to make the big book truer than truth, to go out in a blaze of glory. Fidel encourages him-in exchange for advice on how to slug it out with Ike, Nixon and the big boys after Batista has been kayoed. Yes, Fidel's trapped in myth, too. Ten million Cubans worship him, yet he had no idea how to run their country. Like God, he's everywhere and nowhere. Together, Papa and Fidel are mere mortals, always recognizing each other's strengths, weaknesses, habits, foibles. Fidel's 9-year-old son, Fidelito, is usually along for the ride, never taken for granted-it doesn't matter if the guest of honor is Jean Paul Sartre or Anastas Mikoyan. With Papa as coach, the boy learns how to throw a fastball and change-up-a small triumph in the swirl of catastrophic events. The U.S. blockades Cuba, and the CIA begins a campaign of sabotage. The Cuban economy goes belly up, Fidel becomes the pariah of the western hemisphere, and Papa learns he's dying. Yet neither relinquishes his personal courage, his basic humanity. Their lives swing from negotiating with the Russians to marlin fishing with Fidelito's little league championship game sandwiched in between. The one time politics actually intrudes, they end up at each other's throat in the midst of a huge barroom brawl at the Floridita. Finally, Papa saves Fidel from an assassination attempt by the CIA, then retreats to Idaho to complete the big book. He finishes it just before the renegade CIA assassin comes for him, thirsting for revenge. Officially, he commits suicide; officially, there is no manuscript. Yet Fidel Castro knows better. Maybe to this day he wonders how Papa's big book judged him.
Author Comment:
When Stuart Whitman got too old to play Papa Hemingway, his option on the movie rights expired.
Topics/Categories:
CIA, Cuba, Cuban revolution, Ernest Hemingway, Fidel Castro, Fishing, La finca vigia, marlin fishing, mary hemingway, plots to kill Castro
Genre:
Type of Work:
Publishers:
Original Publish Date:
April 1, 1989
Publishing Notes:
“Accomplished and readable.” -Washington Post.
Formats:
Hardcover
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