Gertrudis Gómez de Avellaneda was a 19th century Cuban writer born in 1814 who came from a wealthy Spanish background. She wrote poems and plays from a young age. Her most famous work was the novel Sab, published in 1841, which criticized slavery in Cuba and addressed issues of race and gender. Sab told the story of a slave named Sab who falls in love with his master's daughter and examined the moral differences between black and white characters regarding slavery. The book was controversial for its time due to its anti-slavery message and portrayal of interracial relationships.