In Fidel and Gabo, M rquez scholars ngel Esteban and St phanie Panichelli examine this strange, intimate, and incredibly controversial friendship between the beloved author and Cuban dictator, exposing facets of their personalities never before revealed to the greater public. For years, M rquez, long fascinated with power, solicited and flattered Castro in hopes of a personal audience, for he viewed Castro's Cuba as the model on which Latin American would one day build its own brand of socialism. Upon their first meeting, Castro quickly came to regard M rquez as a genius and still calls him his closest friend and confidant. To this day, M rquez still gives Castro "first look" at all his manuscripts and craves his approval.

Fidel and Gabo is a vivid and in-depth look at two of the most influential men of the modern era, their worlds, and the effect this friendship has had on their life and works.