Gertrudis Gómez de Avellaneda: role models

I am continuing my series on inspirational figures with another woman you have probably never heard of. Gertrudis Gomez de Avellaneda. She was born March 23rd, 1814, in Puerto Principe in Cuba. She is regarded as one of the most important Hispanic writers of the 19th century. She pioneered not only Latin American but also Spanish women's writing in the mid 19th century. Therefore, she is a major figure in world literature. 

Early life

She was born into and educated within the Cuban aristocracy in Puerto Principe but she spent most of her literary career in Spain. Her mother, Francisca Maria del Rosario de Arteaga was a criolla with ascendants from the Basque Country and the Canary Islands. Her mother was a member of one of the most prominent and important families in Puerto Principe at the time. 

Avellaneda's father died in 1823 when she was 9 years old and her mother remarried 10 months later to Gaspar Isidoro de Escalada, who was a Spanish lieutenant colonel. Avellaneda disliked him and was glad when he was stationed away from home. When she was 13, she had an arranged marriage to one of the wealthiest men in Puerto Principe. Her grandfather promised her a fifth of his money if she went through with this marriage. However, at the age of 15, she broke off the engagement and as a result she was left out of her grandfather's will. It is thought that this experience provoked her hatred of arranged marriages and patriarchal authority and her belief that married women were essentially slaves. 

As a child, Avellaneda was spoiled. She had a lot of free time and read voraciously. By 1836, Escalada, her stepfather, had become concerned about the idea of a slave rebellion that he persuaded Avellaneda's mum to sell of her property and the slaves and move the family from Cuba to Spain. Avellaneda, at the age of 22, supported the idea as she wanted to meet her real father's relatives in Andalusia. The family set sail for Europe on April 9, 1836, and arrived in France two months later. They spent 18 days there before sailing to Galicia in Spain. 

Later life 

In Spain, she was invited to distinguished social circles and in 1837 was engaged to Francisco Ricafort She did not marry him as she decided not to marry until she was economically independent. In 1839, she moved to Seville and fell in love with Ignacio de Cespeda, a wealthy well-educated man. The first man that Avellaneda loved and who was the focus of many of her writings, mainly love letters. She also wrote him an autobiography in July 1839. In 1840, she settled in Madrid and here, discovered a vibrant literary life. 

She confirmed her pre-literary status with her collection of poetry, 6 novels, over 20 plays, several short stories, a corpus of letters, biographical writings and two stories of journalistic essays on women. She inspired women and men alike with her stories of love, feminism and a changing world. Her poems reflect her life experiences including her rebellious attitude and independence in a male-dominated society, sense of loneliness and exile from Cuba and her melancholy and depression. 

The most controversial novel she wrote was Sab, which was published in 1841. Sab is about a Cuban slave, named Sab, who is in love with Carlota, his master's daughter. Carlota marries a rich white Englishman. The book stresses Sab's moral superiority over the white characters. Sab was banned in Cuba for its unconventional approach to society. It can be seen as an almost autobiographical literary vehicle for Avellaneda, who refused to abide by established roles. She skillfully uses Sab to turn and tired and deterritorialised language into a field of struggle for new meanings. 

Two famous poems were from her love letters to Ignacio de Cepeda. Both were called “A él” (“To Him”). The poems reflect her theme of love for Cepeda. The first poem, much longer and more complex than the second, regards her hope in being with Cepeda. However, because Cepeda did not want a committed relationship with her and married another woman, it made la Avellaneda suffer. As a result, the second poem is about their final break, her resignation to their relationship. 

In January 1853, she tried to enroll into the Royal Academy in after a seat belonging to a dead friend, Juan Nicasio Gallego, of hers became vacant. Even though she was admired by many, being a woman meant that it was not her place to be writing publicly. She was from an upper-class family of wealth and recognition, it did not give her the fame she desired from writing so easily. While all the males in the academy were aware of her works and were fascinated by them, they did not give her the right to enter, solely on the fact that she was a woman.

Avellaneda brought a forward-thinking attitude in a time where women were oppressed even more. She was pioneer for women's rights by challenging the traditional role of women in her works and trying to join the Royal Spanish Academy. In the view of subsequent scholars, her nonfiction writing made her the founder of modern Hispanic feminism. This is evident in 1845, where she published the essay "Capacidad de las mujeres para el gobierno." (Capacity of Women for Government." She constantly pushed for women's equality. 

In her letter to the academy, after being denied membership, she wrote: "“One's sex does not deprive one of proper reward for legitimate merit." She further stated: “If it really happens, as some academics fear, that an army of ladies comes to invade their chairs as soon as I am granted one … then the Academy and Spain ought to be congratulated for an event so without parallel or precedent in the world.” She attacked the academic for making their decision on the basis of gender than intellect. 

Avellaneda returned to Cuba in November 1859. While in Cuba, she continued writing novels and plays. She also founded and edited a women's magazine, the Album Cubano de lo bueno y lo bello ('The Cuban Album of the Good and the Beautiful'). In it, she promoted the emancipation of women by publishing a fourpart essay, 'La Mujer' (The Woman) focusing on women's roles in government, history, religion and literary life. 

At age 58, Gómez de Avellaneda died in Madrid, on February 1, 1873, of diabetes. Her work is still read and continues to be adapted into films and operas. Several modern novels feature her as a character, and she has been commemorated on postage stamps and in portraits in both Spain and Cuba.

Ultimately, Avellaneda can be seen as one of the greatest female poets of the Western Hemisphere. She was an early advocate for women's rights and a critic of slavery. She was ambitious and desired to further her reputation among literary society. She learned to use her attractiveness, her exotic background and undeniable literary talent into useful connections with men of influence in the world of letters. Whilst it did not get her a place in the Royal Academy of Spanish, she was an inspirational force and rightly deserves to be featured in my role models series.