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Sab and Autobiography
Eleven years before Uncle Tom's Cabin fanned the fires of abolition in North America, an aristocratic Cuban woman told an impassioned story of the fatal love of a mulatto slave for his white owner's daughter. So controversial was Sab 's theme of miscegenation and its parallel between the powerlessness and enslavement of blacks and the economic and matrimonial subservience of women that the book was not published in Cuba until 1914, seventy-three years after its original 1841 publication in Spain. Also included in the volume is Avellaneda's Autobiography (1839), whose portrait of an intelligent, flamboyant woman struggling against the restrictions of her era amplifies the novel's exploration of the patriarchal oppression of minorities and women.
- GenresFiction
185 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1993
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About the author
Gertrudis Gómez de Avellaneda
166 books25 followersGertrudis Gómez de Avellaneda y Arteaga (pen name La Peregrina) came from a noble background; her father, Manuel Gómez de Avellaneda, was a descendent of the royal family of Navarre and aristocracy of Vizcaya of Spain, and also a commander of the Spanish navy in charge of the central regions of Cuba. Her mother, Francisca de Arteaga y Betancourt, was also from a wealthy Spanish family that had lived in Puerto Príncipe. It is said that her mother’s family is the one that inspired the family in her first novel, Sab.
At the age of nine, her father died and her mother remarried ten months later to don Isidoro de Escalada, who was also a Spanish officer in Cuba. At 22, in 1836, she left Cuba with her family for A Coruña, Spain. Soon after, she and her brother left the family for Cádiz then Seville. When she arrived in Spain, la Avellaneda was already recognized as a talented writer. She continued to gain popularity throughout Spain by writing more literary works. When she began writing her new novel, Sab, contributions from advance subscriptions paid for its publication and she quickly became famous in Latin America.
As a child Avellaneda was not interested in feminine materials. She was given a tutor and soon became engulfed in the books she was given to read. Her mother tried unsuccessfully to get her daughter away from reading so many books and into the more accepted role of young girls. She even attempted to get Avellaneda to be more social. Although Avellaneda did not have many friends, she often took the ones she had and placed them into roles of the plays she had written, taking the male roles for herself.
As a young woman Avellaneda took a more feminine approach. She studied new fashions instead of books. She took up dancing, music, and painting. She was even engaged to a young man. It was an arranged marriage to a distant relative, she later refused to marry him. She insisted that she could not go on with the ceremony when it was not what she wanted. After rejecting the marriage, a tear in the family put la Avellaneda into a deep depression.
In Spain she had a number of tumultuous love affairs, some with prominent writers associated with Spanish Romanticism. Her affairs included several engagements to different men. The first man that Avellaneda had a love affair with was Ignacio de Cepeda, who was the focus of many of her writings, mainly love letters. (There were forty love letters total, spanning from 1839 until 1854. After his death, his widow inherited and published them.). Though she loved Cepeda very much, he did not want to pursue a marriage with her. One reason he gave was that she was not rich enough. He also gave reason that she was not feminine enough stating that she was more verbal than should be and was often too aggressive for a woman of the 19th century.
After her relationship with Cepeda ended, she went to Cádiz. There, she met and had an affair with Gabriel Garcia Tassara. He was also a poet from Seville. In 1844, she had a daughter out of wedlock with Tassara. Soon after the baby was born, Tassara left her and the baby, refusing to call her his daughter. The baby died several months later. This left Avellaneda heartbroken at the height of her career.
Gertrudis in her later years
Avellaneda soon married a younger man by the name of Pedro Sabater who worked for the Cortes and was very wealthy. He was also a writer and wrote many poems for his wife. They married on May 10, 1846. Sabater was extremely sick with what was believed to be cancer. He died shortly after their marriage leaving Avellaneda devastated. As a result, she entered a convent right after his death and wrote a play called Egilona which did not receive good reviews like her last one had.
In January 1863, she tried to enroll into the Royal Academy in after a seat belonging to a dead friend of hers became vacant. Even though she was admired by many, being a woman meant that it was not her place to be writing public
At the age of nine, her father died and her mother remarried ten months later to don Isidoro de Escalada, who was also a Spanish officer in Cuba. At 22, in 1836, she left Cuba with her family for A Coruña, Spain. Soon after, she and her brother left the family for Cádiz then Seville. When she arrived in Spain, la Avellaneda was already recognized as a talented writer. She continued to gain popularity throughout Spain by writing more literary works. When she began writing her new novel, Sab, contributions from advance subscriptions paid for its publication and she quickly became famous in Latin America.
As a child Avellaneda was not interested in feminine materials. She was given a tutor and soon became engulfed in the books she was given to read. Her mother tried unsuccessfully to get her daughter away from reading so many books and into the more accepted role of young girls. She even attempted to get Avellaneda to be more social. Although Avellaneda did not have many friends, she often took the ones she had and placed them into roles of the plays she had written, taking the male roles for herself.
As a young woman Avellaneda took a more feminine approach. She studied new fashions instead of books. She took up dancing, music, and painting. She was even engaged to a young man. It was an arranged marriage to a distant relative, she later refused to marry him. She insisted that she could not go on with the ceremony when it was not what she wanted. After rejecting the marriage, a tear in the family put la Avellaneda into a deep depression.
In Spain she had a number of tumultuous love affairs, some with prominent writers associated with Spanish Romanticism. Her affairs included several engagements to different men. The first man that Avellaneda had a love affair with was Ignacio de Cepeda, who was the focus of many of her writings, mainly love letters. (There were forty love letters total, spanning from 1839 until 1854. After his death, his widow inherited and published them.). Though she loved Cepeda very much, he did not want to pursue a marriage with her. One reason he gave was that she was not rich enough. He also gave reason that she was not feminine enough stating that she was more verbal than should be and was often too aggressive for a woman of the 19th century.
After her relationship with Cepeda ended, she went to Cádiz. There, she met and had an affair with Gabriel Garcia Tassara. He was also a poet from Seville. In 1844, she had a daughter out of wedlock with Tassara. Soon after the baby was born, Tassara left her and the baby, refusing to call her his daughter. The baby died several months later. This left Avellaneda heartbroken at the height of her career.
Gertrudis in her later years
Avellaneda soon married a younger man by the name of Pedro Sabater who worked for the Cortes and was very wealthy. He was also a writer and wrote many poems for his wife. They married on May 10, 1846. Sabater was extremely sick with what was believed to be cancer. He died shortly after their marriage leaving Avellaneda devastated. As a result, she entered a convent right after his death and wrote a play called Egilona which did not receive good reviews like her last one had.
In January 1863, she tried to enroll into the Royal Academy in after a seat belonging to a dead friend of hers became vacant. Even though she was admired by many, being a woman meant that it was not her place to be writing public
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
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November 1, 2023Mixed feelings. Can't rate this one. Especially when reading for a history course. The prose was enjoyable, the over all political messaging was underwhelming and frustrating, but I understand that it was radical for its period.
February 17, 2008
For me, romantic literature is likened to doing something incredibly forbidden on the contemporary scene--overwriting, melodrama, volcanic outbursts of emotion--so I always feel a bit of guilt when I read those passionate passages and realize that I actually like them and they are speaking to me, since writing as such would be incredibly taboo nowadays. However, the link she makes between slave and women with the confined restraints and ultimate life goal of being bought and sold are well worth picking up and analyzing.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 2, 2014
Devoured this in a few hours at the NYPL's research library. What seems to be a typical 19th century romance novel imbued with abolitionist and feminist ideology that, in that time period, was shockingly radical.
September 15, 2011
Liked this book better after reading a critical analysis of it. As for my initial thoughts? A bad copy of romanticism...a little over the top. Yet a radical book for it's time.
February 7, 2017
An excellent, enthralling little novelita with important social and political subtext. I think for this book (perhaps as with any other book) it's important to understand the contemporary context
September 24, 2025
This book is so dated feeling that it's only really of interest if you have specific interests in the region and time period, it is interesting that it's ahead of it's time politically, but still from here it's pretty dated and anachronistic, ahh the old world was not very nice unfortunately
April 26, 2019
I read this as a set text in a literature course and I had never come across the author before. There are many aspects of this tragedy - greed, prejudice, love, suspicion...an interesting read!
November 4, 2016
As a student of nineteenth-century Spanish American literature, I have had the pleasure of reading and rereading Avellaneda's most famous novel several times. This year, I decided to share it with undergraduate students enrolled in a "World Literature" course at a small liberal arts college. They didn't love reading it, but they carried on some pretty amazing conversations about slavery, the "right" and "wrong" ways to argue against it, and the author's division between "superior" and "inferior" souls. Considering how brief and important the novel is, I'm surprised it isn't included in the anthologies that typically determine the curriculum of these kinds of classes. It's a gripping translation that does the original Spanish justice, and it's an essential piece of reading for, well, just about anyone.
July 28, 2010
Ugh what a dry book. I really could not get into this book, and it was assigned as summer reading for my Latin American Literature class for my senior year of high school. I actually had the priviledge of talking to the translator on skype, and what she said was extremely interesting. As for the book itself, it probably ranks of some of my least favorite books I have ever read.
May 9, 2012
Wonderful book that takes place in the times of slavery in Cuba. Also notably written by a woman, which was not as frequent to find. Shows the many levels of family obligations, the walls that are put up in terms of expressing emotion, and interracial struggles. Definitely recommend!
February 15, 2008
Goddamn hate the Romantics. Makes me want to hurt things.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews