Every March 8 we celebrate International Women's Day , a date on which we celebrate the achievements of women, but we also remember that there is still - in various parts of the world - a gender gap that is very difficult to close.

From the United Nations website , when searching for the date, a message states: “International Women's Day is a good time to reflect on the progress made, call for more changes and celebrate the courage and the determination of ordinary women who have played a key role in the history of their countries and communities.

If we refer to literature, women have gradually made their way, and today there are many successful authors, and also female characters who have marked times.

That is why Cubaliteraria has called its March series Mujeres y Libros , which will appear every Monday of the month on our website.
For today we have selected Cecilia Valdés, protagonist of the homonymous novel by Cuban writer Cirilo Villaverde .

Cecilia is the center of a story, which despite being fictional, shows the reality of the 19th century on the island: the horrors of the slave system, the contradictions between social classes, racism.

Cecilia Valdés or the Loma del Ángel is a novel classified as romantic, manners and antislavery; and its protágonico character, a mulatto woman, is considered a symbol of Cubanness.

Cecilia has gone through the pages of books, and has been taken to the cinema, to the theater, to the zarzuela, and those who have had the opportunity to visit the Loma del Ángel can find a bronze sculpture that represents her.

Our José Martí , when referring to Villaverde, described him as "the old man who gave Cuba his blood, never repentant, and an unforgettable novel."