The leader of the Cuban Revolution, Fidel Castro, attended the presentation Friday of his memoirs; a two-volume book titled “Fidel Castro Ruz: Guerrillero del tiempo” (Fidel Castro Ruz: Guerrilla Man of Time), at a small hall of Havana’s Convention Palace.

The book is a compilation, in nearly one thousand pages, of conversations between Fidel and writer and journalist Katiuska Blanco. It opens with the Cuban leader’s memories of his childhood and closes in December 1958, just before the triumph of the Revolution.

The presentation took place in a nice, relaxed atmosphere and lasted about six hours, during which Fidel enthusiastically took his time to greet personally a number of attendees, among which were old comrades from the Moncada military action and the Granma expedition, and relatives of the five Cuban anti-terrorist fighters imprisoned in the U.S.

The volumes were presented by Cuban Culture Minister Abel Prieto and the president of the Association of Cuban Writers and Artists, Miguel Barnet, whom Fidel followed attentively as they recounted some of the anecdotes on the book.

The material is a piece of work of the Casa Editora Abril Cuban publishing house and the Federico Engels printer’s, with photos and drawings by Ernesto Rancaño, who also designed the cover.

Open to conversation and to answer questions from the audience, Fidel spoke about many things: the praiseworthy battles fought by students in Latin America and the rest of the world over their rights; tremendous scientific discoveries and emerging technologies; the risk of shale gas and the fabulous perspectives of nanotechnology.

Fidel told the audience he reads hundreds of press releases every day; devours all the information he gets; follows closely the situation in Venezuela commemorating February 4 the 20th anniversary of the military rise-up led by Hugo Chavez.

He also spoke about the threats hanging over Syria and Iran, while the U.S. and Europe are trying to convince Russia of the “ridiculous” idea that the antimissile shield was laid to protect that country from the threats of Iran and North Korea.

Writer Graziella Pogolotti, president of the Alejo Carpentier Foundation started the round of questions and told Fidel that he should continue writing about his experiences as a fighter and his meetings with world personalities.

Fidel said he is willing to do everything possible to pass on “whatever he remembers well”, and added: "I’m aware of the importance of writing all of this to pass it on, so that it can be useful.”

Likewise, Fidel took advantage of the presence of relatives of the Cuban Five to ask them about the current situation of the men who have been unfairly imprisoned for 13 years now.

In closing the meeting, Fidel regretted that time had run out; he remarked: “I felt very happy, but I like to collaborate with the doctors (who take care of him). And, just to the record, I don’t do it as an act of courage but as an act of intelligence.”

As they walked out of the room, Fidel spoke of the phone with Rene Gonzalez, one of the Cuban Five, who had called his wife, Olga Salanueva –attending the presentation.