CHE GUEVARA is not the only Ernesto to have carved out a lasting place in Cuban culture. Another foreigner who spent much of his life on the island — Ernest Hemingway — is also held in high esteem.

As Andrew Feldman recognises in his book Ernesto, a considerable proportion of Hemingway’s work, such as the novels that led to him winning the Nobel Prize in Literature, was heavily influenced by the 30-plus years he spent as a visitor and resident in Cuba.

Hemingway’s friendships with everyday Cubans and the countless fishing expeditions in which he partook also shaped his writing. The US writer’s novels have likewise had a major impact on Cuban culture and reportedly even influenced Fidel Castro’s thinking.

It is thus no surprise that his books are extensively read in Cuban schools and remain popular on the island.

Feldman’s book is divided into chapters that each depict a different period in Hemingway’s life, from his early time as a budding writer struggling to make it in Paris to the successful and wealthy author battling inner demons.

Granted access to the Hemingway Museum and Library in Havana, Feldman meticulously charts Hemingway’s experiences, varying fortunes and various marriages, his embrace of Cuban people and culture and his struggle with alcohol and what would nowadays be referred to as bipolar affective disorder.

He provides insights into Hemingway’s thinking, motivations and ordeals to shows how different facets of the author’s personality shaped his prose.

This book is essential reading for those with an interest in Hemingway’s life, adventures and works and for those curious to discover how a successful US writer, albeit a flawed and tortured individual, became revered in Cuba, the island he considered his home and inspiration for much of his life.

Ernesto is published by Melville House Books, £28.