The famous book by Ernesto Che Guevara, written by him back in his student years, makes you look at his life in a new way and, in many respects, rethink the familiar image of the stern “commandante.” Traveling with his fellow student, an unfortunate medical student, Ernesto drives along the roads of Chile, Peru, and Venezuela, as if rediscovering the South American continent anew. His vivid language, sparkling humor, and precise sketches—these advantages of Guevara’s travel prose combine with paradoxical, sometimes sharp judgments and conclusions. In the carefree spendthrift of life that 23-year-old Ernesto appears as in his diary, it’s easy to recognize the traits of the future professional revolutionary—who became one of the iconic political figures of our time.