On Friday, June 5th, the Zirika! herri gunea space in Bilbao hosted the presentation of the book “Trench of Ideas: A Selection of Original Speeches,” a work that brings together a carefully curated selection of public addresses by Fidel Castro, published by Txalaparta.
The event featured Marc Sayols, responsible for the compilation and introductions of the volume; Lázaro Oramas, representing Euskadi-Cuba; and Ane Eslava, the book’s editor.
The work offers a journey through Fidel Castro’s political thought by way of a selection of speeches delivered throughout his public life. According to the publisher’s presentation, the book contextualizes Fidel Castro’s speeches within the realities of Cuba, Latin America, and the international arena, offering an insight into the intellectual and political trajectory of the revolutionary leader.
The publication was also included in Txalaparta’s 2026 releases and was part of a series of works dedicated to political reflection and processes of social transformation.
Fidel: Soldier of Ideas
Ane Eslava explained the reasons behind Txalaparta’s decision to support this project to recover Fidel Castro’s speeches, framing it within the current international context, the centenary of the Comandante’s birth, and the ongoing brutal US offensive against Cuba.
Marc Sayols framed this book, which comprises 24 selected speeches, within the context of his father’s previous work, who in the 1970s began selecting and politically analyzing Fidel Castro’s writings. Sayols emphasized the importance of reading each of the speeches, which, even from the distance of time, address the causes and solutions to various current problems facing humanity.
He noted that Fidel never abandoned the fight for ideas and for defending the humblest and most disadvantaged people, and that he is known as the “Soldier of Ideas.”
The compilation, he pointed out, is a snapshot of Fidel’s political and intellectual trajectory, which has stood the test of time and remains fully relevant today. “Fidel was not only the voice of Cubans, but also the spokesperson for the oppressed peoples of the world,” he stated at the presentation.
Lázaro Oramas, for his part, considered that “Fidel is the most important politician of the 20th and part of the 21st century,” and praised his ability to unite the Cuban people to make the Revolution. It was something many said was impossible: to carry out a socialist revolution just 90 miles from the United States. Fidel, he added, has been a reference point for all liberation movements in Latin America.
Oramas also stated that “there is no conflict or war in the world in which the hairy hand of US imperialism is not present” and remembered Fidel as someone who “created hope in the humblest peoples,” always being a factor of unity.
[ SOURCE: www.cubainformacion.tv ]
