First published in 1968 in Buenos Aires, the biography of Ernesto “Che” Guevara by Alberto and Enrique Breccia and Héctor Oesterheld sold over 60,000 copies in its first week. But the 1973 military onslaught made it a dangerous book to own – most copies were hidden, and subsequently burned. Oesterheld (script) was tortured and murdered – along with his 3 daughters; Alberto Breccia (art) and his son, Enrique, were also put on the junta’s hitlist. Although the book later resuscitated in Spanish and French versions, only 4 unsold copies of the original still exist, buried in the Breccias’ garden in Buenos Aires.
This excerpt from the Breccias and Oesterheld’s biography of Che (as translated by Ntone Edjabe) is available in print as part of Chimurenga Vol. 9: Conversations In Luanda And Other Graphic Stories.