Book excerpt: La Belle Créole re-creates the dramatic story of Cuba's earliest female author, the adventurous 19th-century countess nicknamed La Belle Créole: María de las Mercedes Santa Cruz y Montalvo, or Mercedes, and later the Comtesse Merlin. Alina García-Lapuerta draws from Mercedes' memoirs and letters and contemporary accounts to bring to life this Havana-born aristocrat who was years ahead of her time as a writer, socialite, salon host, and participant in the Cuban slavery debate. Eventually celebrated on both sides of the Atlantic, at age 13 headstrong young Mercedes was shipped off to live with her glamorous mother in Spain. Though political chaos blanketed Europe, Mercedes triumphed, charming aristocrats from all sides with her beauty and singing voice. She married General Merlin in Napoleon's army, watched her mother have an intimate affair with Joseph Bonaparte, and discussed painting with Goya. Arriving in Paris after the French defeat, Mercedes, one of the greatest amateur sopranos of her day, hosted the city's premier musical salon where Liszt, Rossini, and great divas performed for Rothschilds, Balzac, and royalty. Increasingly, she turned to her memoirs and travel writings, which have recently been rediscovered and, scholars agree, deserve a place in the canon of Latin American literature. Alina García-Lapuerta was born in Cuba and travels frequently to Miami and Cuba, retaining strong ties with her Cuban-based family and the Cuban American community. She holds a bachelor's degree in international economics from Georgetown University and a master's degree in international relations from Tufts University. She lives in London.