A dip into the PW archives reveals a slew of books about Fidel Castro, the nation he ruled, and its impact on world events. Here, we round up books about the man himself, including his autobiography.

Fidel Castro: My Life: A Spoken Autobiography

Fidel Castro, Author, Ignacio Ramonet, Author, Andrew Hurley, Translator Scribner Book Company $40 (723p) ISBN 978-1-4165-5328-1
In February, 2002, Ramonet, the editor of French monthly Le Monde diplomatique, began a two-year conversation with the controversial Cuban head of state, a collaboration that resulted in this Q&A-style, Castro-approved look into the revolutionary leader's life, from boyhood through his half-century in power. Ramonet proves a worthy interviewer, well prepared to tackle the famed Communist revolutionary's legacy, and while many of Castro's answers are predictably self-serving-""I've fought adamantly against any manifestation of the cult of personality""-the bombastic leader's views on political figures and world events are genuinely thoughtful, and at times fascinating. High points include accounts of his relationship with Khrushchev during the Cuban missile crisis, backed up by excerpts from letters they exchanged; his advice for Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez during a 2002 coup attempt; and his sincere, positive assessment of American President Jimmy Carter. Though readers may find it hard to take this authorized life story at face value, Castro's first attempt to tell his complete story provides an engaging perspective on the man and the world he helped shape.

Fidel: A Biography of Fidel Castro

Peter G. Bourne, Author Dodd Mead $18.95 (332p) ISBN 978-0-396-08518-8

Bourne, a psychiatrist with experience in numerous government posts, was granted access to Cuban government archives and talked with many people who have worked closely with Castro. The result, in addition to being a first-class chronological biography, provides insight into the Cuban leader's psyche, especially in regard to his lifelong identification with his father, the influence of his Catholic upbringing, and the extent to which his support of revolutionary causes outside Cuba can be seen as tied to psychological needs. This first full biography of Castro in 15 years presents new material about the Bay of Pigs and the 1962 missile crisis as seen from the Cuban point of view. One of the book's many surprises is the revelation of the depth of Cuban resentment over Khrushchev's failure to involve Cuba in the settlement of the missile crisis. Bourne also traces Castro's recent emergence as a mediator rather than protagonist in Third World conflicts.

Fidel and Religion: Castro Talks on Revolution and Religion with Frei Betto

Fidel Castro, Author Simon & Schuster $19.45 (314p) ISBN 978-0-671-64114-6

This startling book is based on a series of conversations between the Cuban leader and a Brazilian priest. The talk is informal and far-ranging, and Betto's questions are often provocative (""Does Cuba export revolution?''). Castro expounds on such matters as his Jesuit education, the effect of the revolution on the Church, the discrimination against Christians in Cuba and the teachings of Christ. Castro is inspired at one point to claim that there are ''ten thousand more coincidences between Christianity and communism than between Christianity and capitalism,'' and concludes that Christians and Marxists can work together. As theologian Cox remarks in the introduction, Castro seems to savor the subject of religion far more than might be expected from a self-described atheist. Cox also suggests the possibility that the book may be ''a clever gambit by a wily and resourceful politician who knows that he needs to have Christians on his side.'' In any case, it is a dazzling performance.

Guerrilla Prince: The Untold Story of Fidel Castro

Georgie Anne Geyer, Author Little Brown and Company $32 (472p) ISBN 978-0-316-30893-9

Geyer (Buying the Night Flight) presents the Cuban dictator as a failure in virtually every category--son, husband, father, friend, revolutionary, statesman--and describes him as "wholly without human principle.'' At the same time, however, she calls him a genius who has changed the very nature of war. His Machiavellian hand, she argues, has figured in every major U.S. foreign policy crisis of the last 30 years; moreover, he has had a profound effect on the psyche, patriotism and self-confidence of the U.S. Geyer's evidence for such sweeping claims is unconvincing, nor does she support her charges that Castro attempted to subvert black America and that key members of the anti-Vietnam war movement were trained in Cuba. This ambitious if somewhat feverish biography is nonetheless worth reading for its insights into Castro's obsession with the U.S. and revelations about his family, his many amours and illegitimate children.

Fidel Castro

Robert Quirk, Author W. W. Norton & Company $35 (898p) ISBN 978-0-393-03485-1

One comes away from this major biography with an image of the Cuban dictator as a man who is a leader but not a thinker or innovator. Emphasizing Castro's often wrongheaded impulsiveness, Quirk ( The Mexican Revolution and the Catholic Church ) chronicles how his foreign and domestic crash programs have done Cuba more harm than good. Quirk's richly detailed, psychologically acute portrait reveals more about Castro's unique personality and character than do previous biographies. A thorough examination of the leader's homophobia and difficulties with women, for instance, reveals a life spent being looked after by females without being able to form a lasting sexual relationship with any of them--including the 20-year association with protective lioness Celia Sanchez, which the author likens to that between a son and doting mother. Quirk's concluding assessment of the Maximum Leader is harsh: Castro, he argues, has become a caricature of his earlier self. History, far from absolving him, has simply passed him by.