The true story of the Lopez family in Cuba from 1940-1950 is a told primarily through the eyes of Maruja, the five year-old granddaughter of Señor Lopez. This is the first draft of a script adapted from a novel I am writing about my great-grandfather’s effort to create the first national bank of Cuba in the 1940’s. Jose Lopez Fernandez, my great-grandfather, wrote an extensive four volume collection entitled "Mi Batalla por la Banca Nacional" ("My Battle for the National Bank") documenting the steps he took to open El Banco Continental Cubano. What is not included in his books is the rich family history, the flamboyant lifestyle, and the real life sacrifices he made in the hope of fulfilling his dream.
The historical novel, "La Famila Lopez," also tells the true human tale of a love story going terribly wrong. At a time where women were subservient, my grandmother Fina, slowly changed and grew through the drama of the family’s lives. Growing up and marrying in a very male-dominated society, Fina rose above social stigmas and came to exemplify the change of attitude that planted the seeds for the women’s liberation movement, which would not take place for twenty years.
These grown up concepts are filtered through Maruja’s eyes, and this young girl grows into a strong woman despite being forced to follow the rules of polite society. Maruja is a risk taker, born from risk takers, and though tragedy finds her and the Lopez clan, she learns from it and gains strength.
If this were a television series, it would encompass the unique decades that the Lopez family survives in the book: 1940-1950 “El Primer Banco Continental de Cuba”; 1950-1959 “Change in regime”; 1959-1970 “First Generation Americans”.