Updated since Chávez's death in March 2013, Comandante is the definitive account of Chávez's presidency, an authoritative chronicle of one of history's greatest leaders and his legacy.

Updated since Chavez's death in March 2013, Comandante is the definitive account of Chavez's presidency, an authoritative chronicle of one of history's most fascinating leaders and his legacy.

'An excellent appraisal of the charismatic leader . . . Carroll gets as close as any outsider to life inside the palace' Guardian

Hugo Chavez was a true phenomenon, a democratically electeed leader whose revolutionary aspirations made him a symbol of hope for many of his peopel. Hero to some and despot to others, he remains as divisive in death as during his fourteen-year rule. As his followers mourned their great leader, critics across the world asked: what is the crumbling reality behind the illusion Chavez cast of a thriving Venezuela?

Based in Venezuela for years as the Guardian's chief correspondent in Latin America, Rory Carroll has written the unprecendented inside story of Chavez's life and his political court in Caracas.

Superb, witty and subtle... Carroll listens to the people, catching shades, inflections, blighted hopes, distilling common decency