William Cuthbert Faulkner: American Literature contributor

William Cuberth Faulkner who was born in September 25, 1897 in New Albany, Mississippi, and who died in July 6, 1962, was a Nobel Prize-winning American author. He is considered as one of the most influential writers of the 20th century due to his novels, novellas, as well as short stories in which he made emphasis. Furthermore, he was also known as a published poet and occasional screenwriter. Faulkner is considered as one of the most important Southern writers along with his contemporary colleges Mark Twain and Tennessee Williams. While most of his works were published regularly starting in the mid 1920s, he was relatively unknown before receiving the 1949 Nobel Prize in Literature which means that not many people before 1949 relied on his extremely terrific output. As of this year, he has often been cited as one of the most relevant writers in the history of American Literature. Most of his works are set in his native state of Mississippi, and even though his, was not a totally global work, he was one of the pioneers of many American literature's genres. A very curious piece of information is that William Faulkner made an adjustment to his family name, he changed his last name from Falkner to Faulkner.

WRITING AND AWARDS

During the early 1920s Faulkner published 13 novels and numerous short stories, the body of works that grounds his reputation and whereby he was awarded the Nobel Prize at the age of 52. This output considered as prodigious was mainly driven by an obscure writer's needs for money, and if this seems amazing, the fact that it includes his most celebrated novels such as The Sound and The Fury, Light in August and Absalom is much more interesting. Faulkner also wrote two volumes of poetry which were published in small printings, The Marble Faun (1924) and A Green Bough (1933), and a collection of crime-fiction short stories, Knight's Gambits (1949).
The most relevant distinction he acquired was the 1949 Nobel Prize for "his powerful and artistically unique contribution to the modern American novel." He donated a portion of his Nobel winnings to establish a fund to support and encourage new fiction writers which was of a lot of significance for those who were willing to follow Faulkner's example. A local Oxford was also favored with Faulkner's contribution; he provided another portion to grant African-American students, so they would have the opportunity to obtain major education at nearby Rust College in Holly Springs, Mississippi.

Panamanian Music: Tipico or Pindin

HISTORY

Panamanian typical music comes from folklore and tradiditonal trends influenced in one way or the other by European dancer and African drums.

It all started when the Spanish conquerors arrived on the isthmus in the early part of the XVIth Century. Music was part of the long journey made by the sailors who brought styles and dances such as flamenco, tap dance or "zapateo" known today as "mejorana" dance accompanied by rustic guitars. Many slaves were brought to Panama during XVIIth, XVIIIth, and XIXth centuries and tehy brought with them their homemade drums that were heard on the docks as well as in tobacco and sugar plantations. Panamanians adopted theses rhythms and created fusions such as tamborito, tamborera, punto, denesa, mejorana and zarancude. The Spanish influence merged with the African rhythms. Today decimas (ten line verses) are similar to those from Spain and are sung backed by guitars. These ten line verses reflect the feeling of the common person in the streets.

Dances, above all, are choreagraphed with African movements as in the case of congos from Colon. The tamborito es played with the small drums known as bonko chemiya in Cuba, with roots in a bigger African drum known as "yucca." The rhythm is danced by women dressed in colorful "polleras" and sandals wearing golden jelwery and men with stylishly adorned white "guayaberas" shirts, and the "montun" hat known also as "pintao."

Another aspect of Panamanian typical music are the "Diablitos Sucios" (Dirty Evils) dressed in colorful outfits and masks who tap dance as they clap with the Spanish castanuts. Theses dances represent good against evil and the struggles that indigenous groups had with the conquerors.

TIPICO OR PINDIN

The music genre that predominates in Panama and that best defines what our typical music is like is "tipico" or "pindin"which includes instruments such as guiro, conga and especially the accordion. Some Panamanian famous artists are Ulpiano Vergara, Dorindo Cardenas, Victorio Vergara and the siblings Samy and Sandra Sandoval just to name a few.

MODERN TIMES

Reggae en Espanol originated in Panama, known as Spanish Reggae is very popular among youth and some of the pioners of this music genre are El General, Nando Boom, Renato, Aldo Ranks, and so on. As of 2006, Panama has become a major source and contributor, and especially as Reggaeton from Panama is on the rise and continues to dominate charts in the United States and broad.

Panamanian Literature: Ricardo Miro and his poem Patria

Panamanian literature comprises all the literary works written in Panama. The first manifestations of literature written in Panama come from the 17th century with the title of "Llanto de Panama con la muerte de don Enrique Enriquez" (Crying from Panama at the Death of Don Enrique Enriquez.) which belongs to the group of works formed during the Colony, but it was not until the mid-19th century when the activity of Panamanian authors reached its maximum, and when literary production laid its foundations until the present time.

If someone asks a Panamanian about her/his native literature knowledge, 90 % of them will say something related to Ricardo Miro or his poem Patria (Homeland), and the reason why is because this famous writer who was born in Panama, Panama City,in November 5, 1883, is considered as the noteworthy poet of this country due to all his prominent literary works in which he used to reflect patriotic emotion and unified national feeling demostrating he was the first one thinking out of the box. Patria (Homeland) (Ricardo Miro's most famous poem), is also an outstanding icon that represents what Panamanian literature is, and there is just one fact for this, it is considered as our second national anthem because of its context and the realistic way it expresses how we got independent and how difficult it was for all of us. His poetry with its "themes of love, of patriotic emotion and of admiration on the presence of landscapes" unified national feeling and influenced the republic movement in Panama. In 1909, he published his poem " Native Land" where nostalgia stands out for the feels of being far from his land, which at the same time reaffirms his way of developing his poems. Miro is known as the national poet of Panama.