Cuba publishes collection of Fidel Castro thoughts

HAVANA, Aug 4 (Reuters) - Taking a leaf from China's Chairman Mao, Cuba has published a collection of the thoughts of its former leader Fidel Castro, who led the country for 49 years before resigning last year.

The "Dictionary of Thoughts of Fidel Castro" will be "a valuable tool for the ideological debate in the contemporary world and the work of constructing socialism in our country," the Communist Party newspaper Granma said on Tuesday.

It puts in alphabetical order the essential "criteria and concepts expressed by the Commander-in-Chief," Granma said.

Author Salomon Susi Sarfati was scheduled to launch the book on Saturday in Havana, five days ahead of Castro's 83rd birthday on Aug. 13.

Castro took power in 1959 after leading a revolution that toppled dictator Fulgencio Batista and ruled Cuba until February 2008 when he resigned and was replaced by his younger brother Raul Castro.

He has not been seen in public since undergoing surgery for an undisclosed intestinal ailment in July 2006, but continues to play a role in the government and writes columns for Cuban media. (Reporting by Nelson Acosta; editing by Jeff Franks)