Sartre on Cuba

Sartre, writing essentially as a political journalist rather than as a philosopher, has produced a pro-Castro book based upon his two visits to Cuba in 1960. About two-thirds of his account is devoted to a description of the revolution and a discussion of its inevitability, mainly the result of U.S. imperialism and its Cuban accomplices. Sartre believes that the revolution began without a well-formulated ideology, moving from political, to economic, and finally to social reform, which was the most fundamental of all. This process, which the author calls self-radicalization, ended with the emergence of a humanist ideology. The chapters covering the author’s trips around the country with Castro give considerable insight into the latter’s methods of handling the people, particularly the peasants, and into other aspects of his personality. There are a number of minor factual errors. This book, available at nominal cost, is a useful addition to the growing number of books about Cuba.