The Franco-Cuban writer María de las Mercedes Santa Cruz y Montalvo, better known as Condesa de Merlin [Countess Merlin], was born on 5 February 1789 in Havana, Cuba, and died in France on 31 March 1852. An aristocrat who arrived in Europe at age twelve, she wrote exclusively in French and held one of the most celebrated Parisian salons of the first half of the nineteenth century. Mercedes Merlin wrote political as well as social critiques of the colonial system, slavery, and women’s role in society. She followed the early romantics’ notions of the self as an invaluable source of inspiration and creative energy, and her own life and circumstances remained at the heart of all her works. Conscious of her foreignness on both sides of the Atlantic, Merlin used her dual identity to…
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Citation: Martin, Claire Emilie. "María de las Mercedes Santa Cruz y Montalvo". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 29 August 2024 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=15261, accessed 23 November 2024.]
