Cirilo Villaverde (1812–1894)

Set in colonial Havana, Cecilia Valdés by Cirilo Villaverde opens a window to the evils of slavery and colonialism in early 19th century Cuba. Written in 1839, Villaverde was describing contemporary evils much as Harriet Beecher Stowe did. Think of it as the Cuban Uncle Tom's Cabin, even if it goes light on violence and heavy on flowery romance.

Our eponymous heroine is a strikingly beautiful quadroon orphan who -- unbeknownst to her -- is the product of an adulterous union between Cándido show more de Gamboa, a lustful and wealthy landowner and slaveholder, and a mulata slave, who dies in childbirth. Eager to avoid a scandal, Don Cándido ships his illegitimate mixed-race daughter Cecilia to an orphanage. Her grandmother, Chepilla, after five years, is able to regain custody of the girl through threats of exposure, and brings Cecilia up, but Chepilla doesn't disclose Cecilia's paternity. The coquettish and beautiful Cecilia has many admirers, but she gains a dangerous one: Don Cándido's legitimate eldest son and heir, Leonardo.

Leonardo Gamboa is engaged to the well-born and white Isabel Ilincheta from Alquízar, a good match arranged by Leonardo's mother with a girl Leonardo has known since boyhood. However, like his father, Leonardo has a roving eye. Leonardo unwittingly falls in love with Cecilia, his half-sister, and she with him. But the fickle Leonardo abandons Cecilia for Isabel Ilincheta and respectability. Needless to say, this tale of star-crossed lovers will end tragically.

In addition to critcisms of slavery, the novel also shines a light on the racial and class system of colonial America. The Spanish-born oligarchs top the social hierarchy, followed by the white Cuban colonists (criollos), sorted by wealth and family distinction. Class distinctions also exist among those who are mixed race and those who black, between those who are free and those who are still enslaved, those who toil on the sugar plantations and those in domestic service at the homes of the elite, between those who were born on Cuban soil and those who were plucked from Africa.

The novel needs to be read in light of its 19th century origins. Like the Spanish literature of its day on which this Cuban classic was modeled, Cecilia Valdés is a great deal more flowery than Latin American or Spanish literature today -- or even than the novel's British or American contemporaries. Like 19th century novels, Cecilia Valdés reads as a melodrama. However, the story is still a great one, and Cecilia Valdés is still considered the greatest Cuban novel of the 19th century.

This abridged Audible.com edition is an excellent introduction to 19th century Spanish literature (Cuba was still a Spanish colony then) for upper-level Spanish students and especially for hispanohablantes like me trying to get a firmer foundation in the great literature of heritage. The multi-cast recording makes the action easy to follow, and at just a little over two hours, this abridged version won't get too overwhelming. This isn't just for those trying to improve their Spanish. show less

SPOILERS FOR MOVIE!!!

Page 491 and she's still alive. Yes, I finished [Cecelia Valdez, or El Angel Hill] today. I'll refrain from critiquing the movie... or at least I'll try to. Now I know one more reason why the movie, Cecilia, is called the most controversial movie in Cuban history. No, not because it might offend Castro. It's because the over-the-top religious symbolism including the bit where Cecilia dresses up as the Virgin and throws herself off a bell tower is Humberto Solas' show more invention, not Cirilo Villaverde's. Except for the names of the characters, the movie doesn't follow the book at all. Imagine if you'd gone to see Lord of the Rings, and in the end Frodo became a 6 foot tall hunk and decides to go look for a blonde in the land of men... Yup. You got the idea.

As for the book, it was set in 1830s Havana, and written in exile shortly after that time period. Imagine Flaubert crossed with Nicolai Gogol but gone Cuban with a sprinkle of Gone with the Wind on top, and you're getting there. The translation is a bit clunky, but since this is a hard-to-find classic, we'll forgive that. The charm of the novel isn't really its plot, two lovers who can't be together because unbeknownst to them they are brother and sister. Yes, it goes a bit melodramatic at the end. Neither of the characters are nice enough to weep buckets for their difficulties, and you'll want to shake several people who aren't be blunt enough to make the lovers see that they are little too close in kinship. Denial is powerful, even in 1830.

The reason to read this book is its intricate detail of the lifestyle, conventions and race assumptions of the time. Once you've finished reading this book, you'll be able to mill sugar cane in your own backyard. You'll know proper etiquette for a white-only ball, an all-race ball, and a colored ball. Amazingly enough, this level of detail doesn't drive the reader mad. It may come close, but then you realize Villaverde actually had a point for that digression. Either it will be for humor, or it will be to introduce a person who becomes important later, or a situation that will be repeated but in a more significant manner. Everything is beautifully foreshadowed.

But no, Cecilia does not throw herself off of the bell tower. You won't weep at the end of the book because Cecilia just went splat. You may, however, weep because you have to leave 1830s Cuba. show less

A fascinating read! Set in the early 1800s in Cuba, this novel encompasses a marvelous melodrama and genuinely interesting, if depressing, history of social class and slavery of the period. The only negative is that the ending, after 490 pages of detail and delight wraps up in 1 page in a very unsatisfying manner.

While Cirilo Villaverde's, "Cecilia Valdes or EL Angel Hill", is not written in the breathtaking prose some of my favorites are, it is an incredible novel depicting nineteenth century Cuba. It can be considered, and is, one of the "Greats". When I purchased this book, I found out that it is part of a small library of Latin American Literature published by the Oxford University Press (www.oup.com - Library of Latin America Editions). I highly recommend this Library to anyone interested in show more Latin American history, culture or literature. Outstanding! show less