Enrique Meneses

Enrique Meneses (October 21, 1929 – January 9, 2013) was a Spanish journalist, photographer, author, and director. Meneses is most famous for his 1958 Paris Match photo essay covering Fidel Castro, Che Guevara and the Cuban Revolution.

Early life

Enrique Meneses was born in Madrid on October 21, 1929. Meneses spent his childhood and school years in Madrid until the Spanish Civil War broke out. His family was able to move to Biarritz, France, until it came under Nazi occupation in 1940.

The Meneses family was upper class heir to a multi-million dollar silver metal casting factory founded by Leonacio Meneses.

Career

Early career Meneses did his first reporting at age 17 when he covered the death of Spanish bullfighter Manolete. Despite the financial setback of spending more on transportation than his earnings from the assignment, the experience solidified a conviction to explore the world in pursuit of stories.

During this period Meneses established himself as a photographer with little interest in creating images with a stylistic or aesthetic tone opting instead for a more robust voiceless photojournalistic style. Spanish photographer and photo editor Chema Conesa describes his work as if his camera were as rudimentary as a pencil with its only ability to focus the gaze on a fact or event. While in the air traveling to Cuba Meneses learned that the Cuban National Army were surrounding revolution leader Fidel Castro. Meneses dropped the original assignment and headed for the Siera Maestra to find the revolutionaries. On arrival Che Guevara hung a sign reading "International Press Club" on the door of Meneses bohío where he would live for the next ten months. Meneses was able to show a remarkably intimate look at the operation including the during the Battle of Pino del Agua. He also made some of the only known photographs of Che Guevara in the Siera Maestra mountains. Meneses scoffed at the assertion that any of this would work, sharing in his writing that he saw Nasser's attempts as an utter failure and a total utopian dream.

Once the project was nearing completion the logistical hurdle of getting Meneses' negatives out of Cuba began. To avoid detection from the Batista government he had his negatives sewn inside of a petticoat belonging to the youngest daughter of Colonel Ferrer who was able to deliver them undetected. from Paris Match for his 11 months of work and an additional $50,000 from CBS.

Published books