José Mujica: From Guerrilla to President: The Books That Tell His Story

People leave, but words remain. Former Uruguayan President José "Pepe" Mujica , an emblematic figure of 21st-century Latin American politics, has died at the age of 89. A former Tupamaro guerrilla, prisoner during the dictatorship, leader of the Frente Amplio (Broad Front), and president from 2010 to 2015, Mujica was also a constant presence in regional public debate. In recent years, his figure has been the subject of multiple editorial approaches that attempted to capture his thinking, his history, and his legacy.

Based on a farm on the outskirts of Montevideo, Mujica built his leadership on an ethic of direct speech. His discourse was simultaneously philosophical and pragmatic : a critique of consumer society and a defense of democracy as a collective construct.

Among the books that profile him is Gustavo Sylvestre's Light Luggage (Marea Editorial), which brings together a series of radio conversations between the two during the pandemic, in which Mujica addresses global issues such as corporate power, the democratic crisis, technological inequality, and the threat of climate change.

According to Constanza Brunet , editor of Marea, the book's production coincided with Mujica's health diagnosis . It happened while the title was in print. "We had plans to present it in Argentina, Uruguay, and other countries. It wasn't possible, but he recorded a video from his farm to accompany the launch," she notes. The book includes forewords by Pope Francis, Lula da Silva, Rafael Correa, and Lucía Topolansky.

“Pepe, in addition to being an ethical role model for us and for many others, was also up-to-date and concerned with the major issues of the present and the future . Wars, the concentration of wealth, the technological gap between rich and poor countries, the global tax issue, the power of multinational corporations capable of directing the destinies of several countries, the crisis of democracy,” Brunet added.

Despite his illness, the editor says, “Pepe, true to his personality, continued working his farm and participating in politics.” She added: “He was a key player in Yamandu Orsi’s triumph. We weren’t able to present him with him, but he made himself present with a video of an interview Sylvestre conducted with him at his home on the outskirts of Montevideo. A symbol of a generation and an ethical benchmark who has passed away but will always remain,” she concluded.

Another recent contribution is José Mujica. Other Possible Worlds (Planeta), by historian Gerardo Caetano. The volume analyzes the evolution of Mujica's international thought , from his years of activism to his time as president and international figure. Caetano presents it as a unique synthesis of political realism and utopian horizon, in which social sensitivity and geopolitical perspective converge.

Among the most widely distributed titles is Una oveja negra al poder (A Black Sheep in Power ), by Andrés Danza and Ernesto Tulbovitz, who worked alongside Mujica during his presidency. Originally published in 2014, the book combines a political portrait with personal details and reconstructs his career from his years in prison to his emergence as a global figure.

More recent is Yo vengo del sur (I Come From the South) (Siglo XXI Editores), an anthology of speeches and reflections that highlights his legacy as a political leader and activist, with an emphasis on his principles: humility, honesty, service to others.

Also from a biographical perspective, José Mujica: The Quiet Revolution , by journalist Mauricio Rabuffetti, focuses especially on his years of captivity and his process of personal transformation, without losing sight of his subsequent insertion into institutional politics.

A more intimate account appears in Pablo Cohen's The Indomables , where Mujica converses with his partner Lucía Topolansky . The book is organized into three parts (Roots, Fruits, and Seeds) and covers five decades of political activism from a more personal perspective, with passages that oscillate between humor, criticism, and emotion.

“Protocol, the liturgy of power and all that nonsense sucks my ass !”, Mujica summarized in the book Una oveja negra al poder (A Black Sheep in Power) , by Andrés Danza and Ernesto Tulbovitz, about what he thought of the formalities surrounding a leader.

Focusing more on his time in power, the book portrays Mujica through the personal experience of those who worked with him during his term . The text combines biography, political chronicle, and personal profile. Published by Penguin Random House, it was a publishing success, selling more than 200,000 copies worldwide.

The book covers the journey and rise to power, the way he lived and exercised it, the conflicts with its liturgy and protocol, the encounters with figures like Obama, Fidel Castro, Putin, Chávez, and Cristina Fernández de Kirchner , and the loneliness of sometimes feeling like he's in a foreign world. All of this is told to the authors by its protagonist, Pepe Mujica, and many witnesses.

In this way, Andrés Danza and Ernesto Tulbovitz, after twenty years of uninterrupted contact with Mujica, reveal the man behind the character, the one who confesses to having always felt like a "black sheep."

Mujica left a mark that is both a mark and an invitation: to live austerely not as a symbolic gesture, but as a form of ethical resistance to the injustices of global capitalism . His legacy—intellectual, political, and human—lives on in his speeches, in his career, and now also in a solid editorial team that approaches him from multiple perspectives, seeking to understand the uniqueness of a man who challenged the conventions of power.