THE AVATAR IN PANAMA - Theses - Flinders University

Appendix B: Enrique Jaramillo Levi:Un hombre de letrasrecognised as an advocate of cultural and literary awarenessthroughout Panama, Mexico, and Central America. He has contributedsignificantly to the promotion and advancement of Panamanian arts andliterature, and holds a special interest in encouraging and supportingfledgling writers in Panama:sobre todo me he dedicado a editar libros yrevistas literarias en los que fundamentalmenteprocuro descubrir y promover nuevos talentosliterarios (de cualquier edad y tendencia, perosobre todo entre la gente joven). Esta ha sidouna de las pequeñas pasiones conocidas de mivida, al igual que la conducción de talleresliterarios.As a role model and source of inspiration to young writers inand around Panama, he began his role as cultural ambassador,particularly in the area of literature, in Mexico when he publishedAntología crítica de joven narrativa panameña (Federación EditorialMexicana, México, 1971). In it, he promotes two generations of writersmost of whom were unknown outside of Panama until its release. 13Another publication similar in this respect was Hasta el sol de mañana(50 cuentistas panameños nacidos a partir de 1949) (FundaciónCultural Signos, Panamá, 1998). 14Jaramillo Levi is indispensable to the organisation of literaryevents, workshops and conferences in Panama and has conducted hisown creative writing short story workshops and literary seminars both at13 They included Pedro Rivera, Moravia Ochoa López, Enrique Chuez, BertaliciaPeralta, Dimas Lidio Pitty, Griselda López, Benjamín Ramón, Luis Carlos JiménezVarela, Arysteides Turpana and Roberto McKay. Of the books of Panamanian fictionhe has published, most of them have been young authors particularly in the areas ofshort story, poetry and essay. Many of the authors included in his various compilationssince then have made their name in the field of literature: Félix Armando QuirósTejeira, Porfirio Salazar, Allen Patiño, Oscar Isaac Muñoz, David Róbinson, MelanieTaylor, Carlos Raúl Acevedo, Luis Xavier Collado, Luis A. Guardia, Basilio DobrasRamos, Yolanda J. Hackshaw M., Leadimiro González, Vielka Ureta de Carrillo,Ricardo Segura J., and Damaris Serrano Guerra among many others. Of the books ofPanamanian fiction he has published, most of them have been young authorsparticularly in the areas of short story, poetry and essay.14 “Aquí cabe acotar que en 1997 Jaramillo Levi convierte su Editorial Signos en laFundación Cultural Signos, la cual, como tal, ha publicado hasta la fecha 20 títulosmás de autores panameños, casi todos muy jóvenes, y en muchos casos se trata desu primer libro”. http://www.pa/cultura/escritores/jaramillo_v_enrique.html. 20 March,2006.vii