A historical and sociopolitical approach to works by the Panamanian Bertalicia Peralta

Abstract

This dissertation is a historical and a sociopolitical approach to Bertalicia Peralta's poetic and narrative discourse. Our analysis includes selections from her poetic collections Dos poemas, Himno a la alegria, Libro de las fabulas, Casa flotante, Piel de gallina, Invasion U.S.A., 1989: Cronicas de una memoria and three short stories from her book Puros cuentos. The particular contribution of this study is to recognize and introduce Peralta as an outstanding writer, poet, journalist and educator. In chapter one, we approach this study with the help of a personal interview, direct correspondence with the author and studies on revolutionary philosophies. Chapter two centers its attention on Panamanian history and how it's reflected in Peralta's work. The third chapter focuses on Panamanian sociopolitical issues. It shows the strategies and conventions employed by the author. Among the critical references used to support Peralta's commitment to humanity in general are the ideas of James Iffland, Louis Althusser, Goran Therborn, Terry Eagleton, John Beverley, Marc Zimmerman and others. Finally, in the fourth chapter the works of Mariblanca Staff Wilson, CODEHUCA's research on human rights and literary feminist criticism are used in order to illustrate and represent the role of women in Peralta's work. This dissertation concludes accepting her written discourse as a literary expression that promotes an understanding of our society. For the above reasons, her work is a true literary contribution, worthy of scholarly attention.