The last novel Ernest Hemingway saw published, The Old Man and the Sea has proved itself to be one of the enduring works of American fiction. It is the story of an old Cuban fisherman, down on his luck, and his supreme ordeal: a relentless, agonizing battle with a giant marlin far out in the Gulf Stream. Using the simple, powerful language of a fable, Hemingway takes the timeless themes of courage in the face of defeat and personal triumph won from...

A tale told from the alternating viewpoints of an aging Castro-like dictator and a Miami exile obsessed with avenging himself against the dictator for personal betrayals traces the impact of a six-decade revolution on their lives and a homeland that has paid the price of constant violence.