Cirilo Villaverde
Encyclopedia
Cirilo Villaverde was a Cuba
n poet, novelist, journalist and freedom fighter.
Born to a doctor on a sugar plantation, Villaverde was able to witness slavery and all of its evils from a very young age. When he grew up, he studied law in Havana. Although he never practiced the legal profession, he did write a number of short stories and published the first part of what would later become Cecilia Valdés.Beginning in 1840, Villaverde participated in the Cuban movement of independence against the Spanish colonial power. He was a secretary to Narciso López
, who undertook an attempted insurrection (1850 and 1851) to liberate Cuba from Spain with help from the USA, but failed because of lack of popular support. In 1848 Villaverde was arrested by Spanish soldiers in his own house but the following year successfully arranged his escape and arrived in the USA, where he was active politically in New York and worked as the editor and publisher of few different Cuban exile magazines, including La Verdad and El Independiente. His novel Cecilia Valdés
, published in 1882, is considered one of the most important works of Cuban literature. Although at the beginning of his political career, he favored U.S. annexation of Cuba, as he aged he grew disillusioned with the American imperial project, and pushed for true Cuban independence instead. Villaverde would never see the fruits of his lifelong labor, since he died before Cuba gained autonomy in 1898.
pays tribute to Cirilo Villaverde in her novel The Island of Eternal Love
(Riverhead, 2008), where he appears as one of the characters. In this book, Chaviano also offers a very different version of Villaverde's novel Cecilia Valdés
, re-writing the original story in one of the sub-plots.
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
n poet, novelist, journalist and freedom fighter.
Born to a doctor on a sugar plantation, Villaverde was able to witness slavery and all of its evils from a very young age. When he grew up, he studied law in Havana. Although he never practiced the legal profession, he did write a number of short stories and published the first part of what would later become Cecilia Valdés.Beginning in 1840, Villaverde participated in the Cuban movement of independence against the Spanish colonial power. He was a secretary to Narciso López
Narciso López
Narciso López was a Venezuelan adventurer and soldier, best known for an expedition aimed at liberating Cuba from Spain in the 1850s..- Life in Venezuela, Cuba, and Spain:...
, who undertook an attempted insurrection (1850 and 1851) to liberate Cuba from Spain with help from the USA, but failed because of lack of popular support. In 1848 Villaverde was arrested by Spanish soldiers in his own house but the following year successfully arranged his escape and arrived in the USA, where he was active politically in New York and worked as the editor and publisher of few different Cuban exile magazines, including La Verdad and El Independiente. His novel Cecilia Valdés
Cecilia Valdés
Cecilia Valdés is both a novel by the Cuban Cirilo Villaverde , and a zarzuela based on the novel. It is a work of importance for its quality, and its revelation of the interaction of classes and races in Cuba.- The novel :...
, published in 1882, is considered one of the most important works of Cuban literature. Although at the beginning of his political career, he favored U.S. annexation of Cuba, as he aged he grew disillusioned with the American imperial project, and pushed for true Cuban independence instead. Villaverde would never see the fruits of his lifelong labor, since he died before Cuba gained autonomy in 1898.
Works
- "The Girl with the Golden Arrow" (La joven de la flecha del oro)
- "The Farmer" (El Guajiro)
- "Cecilia ValdésCecilia ValdésCecilia Valdés is both a novel by the Cuban Cirilo Villaverde , and a zarzuela based on the novel. It is a work of importance for its quality, and its revelation of the interaction of classes and races in Cuba.- The novel :...
or the Hill of the Angel" (Cecilia Valdés o La Loma del Angel) This was the major work of his life, and generally regarded as the most significant Cuban novels of the 19th century. Available in its entirety at Project Gutenberg
Literary Homage
Cuban writer Daína ChavianoDaína Chaviano
Daina Chaviano is a Cuban writer.She is considered one of the three most important female fantasy and science fiction writers in the Spanish language, along with Angélica Gorodischer and Elia Barceló , forming the so-called “feminine trinity of science fiction in Latin America.”In Cuba, she...
pays tribute to Cirilo Villaverde in her novel The Island of Eternal Love
The Island of Eternal Love
The Island of Eternal Love is a novel by Cuban author Daína Chaviano.The plot is a family saga that takes place along two parallel lines: one during our time and another that begins in the 1850s....
(Riverhead, 2008), where he appears as one of the characters. In this book, Chaviano also offers a very different version of Villaverde's novel Cecilia Valdés
Cecilia Valdés
Cecilia Valdés is both a novel by the Cuban Cirilo Villaverde , and a zarzuela based on the novel. It is a work of importance for its quality, and its revelation of the interaction of classes and races in Cuba.- The novel :...
, re-writing the original story in one of the sub-plots.
Sources
- Cirilo Villaverde Criticism
- Cirilo Villaverde in Encyclopædia Britannica