Hugo Chávez, the President of Venezuela, introduces this authoritative biography of the great 19th century liberator of Latin America. Simon Bolivar (1783-1830), called el liberator, was the political leader and battlefield general of the Latin American independence movement. In what has been widely hailed as the definitive biography of this central figure of Latin American history, Simon Bolivar is a comprehensive, critical and passionate book that separates the man from the legend, and portrays Bolivar as orator, writer, politician and freedom fighter.