"El Diario del Che en Bolivia" is the first edition of Che Guevara's Bolivian campaign diary, published by Instituto del Libro in Havana on June 26, 1968, less than a year after his capture and execution in Bolivia on October 9, 1967. This historic first edition had a print run of 250,000 copies, reflecting the enormous international interest in Che's final campaign and the Cuban government's commitment to documenting revolutionary struggle.
The cover design presents a powerful graphic interpretation based on Alberto Korda's iconic photograph of Che Guevara. Though Korda is not credited in the publication, the designer transformed Korda's image into a high-contrast silhouette of Che in profile, wearing his characteristic beret with its single star. The treatment employs a striking color palette of muted greens and yellows showing through the black silhouette against a tan background, creating an almost ghostly, painterly effect that evokes both memory and martyrdom. The bold sans-serif typography announcing the title and dates frames this haunting portrait, transforming the diary into both historical document and revolutionary icon.
The diary covers Che's final eleven months leading a guerrilla campaign in Bolivia, containing his daily observations about terrain, tactics, morale, and the hardships of jungle warfare. Published during the "Año del Guerrillero Heroico" (Year of the Heroic Guerrilla Fighter), this edition became an essential document for understanding Che's revolutionary philosophy and the challenges of rural guerrilla warfare in Latin America. The book's rapid publication and massive print run demonstrate how Cuba immediately positioned Che's martyrdom as central to revolutionary consciousness across the Third World.