We've been betrayed, Che! Do you hear? They betrayed us and our cause, turned away as soon as it became profitable and presented you on a silver platter to the Americans, just not to lose their homes. There will be no revolutions after Cuba, people are not ready, they don't want to fight - this is a habit, rotten stability and fear. Bolivia does not need a single revolutionary. The superpowers are waiting for a new Vietnam, not Cuba, but nothing will come of it without you. A happy Ernesto Guevara is not according to plan, a waste of a valuable resource. You must be alone, you are destined to die. But not because we were betrayed, Che, but because of a woman. If only I could, I would trade my life for yours, Comandante. But is there a force in the world that can stop a hopelessly in love who has decided to die because of an unfair separation? This is suicide, Che... Farewell to the revolution, and the unborn doctor!
Jean-Michel Guenassia is a French writer, born in 1950 in Algiers. His novel Le Club des incorrigibles optimistes won the Prix Goncourt des lycéens in November 2009. A lawyer for six years, Jean-Michel Guenassia lives off his pen writing screenplays for television. He published a detective novel in 1986, Pour cent millions (Liana Lévi editions, Michel-Lebrun prize), of which he said "I do not deny it,... but I did not follow up, I needed something else" , then put on a few plays, notably Grand, beau, fort, avec des yeux noirs..., in 2008 in Avignon. Its publisher Albin Michel, however, presents Le Club des incorrigibles optimistes published in 2009 as the first novel by a 59-year-old stranger.
The Algerian of French origin touched on the exciting events that came along with the 20th century, events that shook the world: two of the most massive, brutal and bloody wars, plague, denunciations, death sentences, revolutions, the Prague Spring and the fall of the Berlin Wall. Let the title of the book not deceive you, “The Amazing Life of Ernesto Che” is, first of all, the tragic saga of the Josef Kaplan family, secondly, evidence of the terrible changes that took place in the world, and only the last third part of the novel is dedicated to the immortal soul of Ernesto Che Guevara.
I don't think the title of the novel is a lie or a publicity stunt. It's hard to explain, but the first two-thirds of the book prepares us to meet the only revolutionary. The tragedies and moments of happiness of the Kaplan family have nothing to do with the life of Guevara, however, in the courageous and selfless Dr. Joseph, I see the ghost of Ernesto, who chose medicines instead of weapons, a red cross instead of a beret.
The protagonist is Josef Kaplan, an educated and promising young man. A scientist or an entomologist, an advanced doctor and even a revolutionary can come out of him, because he is not alien to the ideals of the class struggle, the struggle against the exploitation of man by man. Attractive and gallant, he would not have claimed increased interest from women if his nature had not rewarded him with an insane sense of rhythm and perfection in mastering the body. A modest and somewhat withdrawn Josef transforms into an irresistible dancer, as soon as the first beats of a waltz or tango begin to play. In the dance all hardships dissolve, problems and anxieties disappear, there is only a melody, movements and impulses transmitted from one body to another. The only chagrin for ladies experienced in romance is an offensively bad memory for the faces of our unfortunate cavalier. Josef Kaplan very quickly forgets the appearance and names of new acquaintances, partners and interlocutors, which is why he suffers complete embarrassment and inconvenience.
Let's dot the i's right away, Kaplan was not indifferent to the revolution, but nevertheless turned off the path of active actions, propaganda and protests, preferring to complete his education and satisfy career ambitions, to work for the benefit of mankind, and not for the sake of the chosen political regime. A happy accident allowed him to get a job at the Pasteur Institute, based in Algiers, and there to come into contact with the study of a variety of infections. Thus began the path of this great, but modest man. Medicine became the choice that determined the whole future life of Josef Kaplan and made his fate so unlike, but adjacent to the fate of the revolutionary Ernesto Che.
Would you believe me if I say that Jean-Michel Genassia is not just a writer, but a true poet. Not so often in modern prose there is such a beautiful manner of writing, elegant and catching the most intimate strings of the soul. Reading "The Amazing Life of Ernesto Che" is a pleasure, both aesthetic and mental. The tragedy of the novel does not leave the reader indifferent, small victories and triumphs cause bouts of hope and legitimate joy for the heroes, and misfortune gives way to mental suffering and heartache.
Fiction and reality have merged in a passionate and unrestrained dance, doing impossible steps, and there is no way to figure out who is leading and who is being led. Equal rights are quotes from Ernesto's letters, descriptions of world events, the life and life of the Kaplan family and their close friends. Only one feeling, familiar to you, Comandante, remains sober and real. This is rage. Fury towards those people who gave rise to the most cruel and unjustifiable phenomena of the 20th century, towards those who called for war, filled and set fire to the furnaces of Buchenwald, who separated families, hanged and shot, crushed with tanks and covered with denunciations, betrayed and quarreled people . Rage is the only thing that does not give up when you have to retreat before more powerful forces, when an invisible foot tramples the barely lit fire of love, depriving the last hope of happiness. We have only rage or death, Comandante. But you are not alone!
In addition to the exciting biography of Josef Kaplan, Genasia more than once cultivates love in her heroes, prompting them to extravagant deeds, beautiful gestures and bitter disappointments. Love pierces the pages of the novel, reeking with sympathy and empathy for both the protagonist and his children, and, of course, himself, the commandant. I am afraid that I will not soon be able to forget the enchanting motives of Gardel's songs, because everything in this book is like a tango, impetuous, intimate and free. Partners change, the music fades away, then intensifies, accelerating the pace, and the exhausted heroes miraculously remain on their feet and, with their last strength, continue their rapid movement counterclockwise, against predestination and hopeless peace. Tango is love and war, an insurmountable barrier and a crushed wall, thorns on barbed wire and silk on a fabric that hugs delicate skin.
The paths of Dr. Kaplan and Comrade Guevara crossed at the end of the life of the last revolutionary. The Argentine charmed and conquered Josef, although he was forced to obey the doctor, being under his tutelage. In an open conversation, the characters felt an invisible connection and mutual understanding. Ernesto sincerely admires Kaplan and shares with him his pain, which he paid for once making a decision, for winning in Cuba. After the death of Guevara, many orphans remained, who were deprived of their father's upbringing, support and love. The Comandante regretted that concern for the future of children, for the world in which they would live, erased him, Ernesto Guevara, from the present, from the reality of his sons and daughters. But that was just another stone thrown into the well of his depression. And only one woman could heal Che and bring him back to the abandoned path.
Love can survive a lot: resentment, distance, and even the people themselves. But, unfortunately, it is not omnipotent, its power cannot break the system, the political regime, resurrect and transfer to another continent. These are fantasies. Love reconciles and supports to the same extent that it can break destinies and induce self-destruction - everything depends only on us. The heroes of Genassia are far from ideal, each of them lives in his own castle of illusions and harsh realities, but I am proud of how some of the characters disposed of their love. They remained true to themselves and to others. What can not be said about many historical figures.
The Kaplans will survive, they have a future. And the wind of change no longer disturbs, but only caresses the rare gray hairs. The time for heroes is over. There will be no more revolutions, no Cuba, no Vietnam. Enough of the Congo and Bolivia! The world has changed, but not so much as to forget about polarity and the Iron Curtain. Let the children find their own way, let their ancestors who have gone into the earth keep them, and let Lady Fortune guide them. It may still be time for the fight, but it will no longer be about us. The revolution is for the young. The sun will warm someone else, and a new day will herald the happiness that has come and dreams come true, but not those who have been betrayed. Do you hear Che? Nobody needs a happy Ernesto Guevara. Not then, not now...
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