About Juan David Morgan

Getting to know the Writer

The youngest of Eduardo Morgan and Benigna Gonzalez’ six children, Juan David Morgan was born on April 6th, 1942 in the city of David, Chiriqui, in the Republic of Panama. In the country’s capital, Panama City, he finished high school at Colegio Javier, a school run by Jesuits priests graduating first in his class. From a young age, encouraged by a very artistic family, he showed interest in literature, music and singing. Although he is retired from practicing law, he continues to lead the firm´s social responsibility and pro-bono activities.

Foto: Laura Muñoz

La Prensa – Jihan Rodríguez

He has been a columnist and member of the editorial board of local newspapers and magazines published in Panamá. Mr. Morgan is the author of fourteen novels, many of which are historical, numerous essays, a play and a book of poems and has been a speaker at several historical, literary, and legal forums.

Main civic activities

· Co-Founding partner of Morgan & Morgan Law Firm in Panama (1964) and CEO of Morgan & Morgan (1984-2020)

· Professor of Private International Law, University of Panama, (1966-67)

· Deputy Minister and Ad interim Minister of Foreign Affairs, (1967-68)

· Member of the Bolivarian Society of Panama since 1968

· Director of the Board of Trustees of University of Panama, (1995-98)

·Member of the Board of Editors and columnist of the weekly publication El Heraldo, (1995-2000)

·Columnist of La Prensa daily newspaper (1998-2004) and member of its Board of Editors (2000-2004)

·Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Panama Interoceanic Canal Museum, (1996-2018)

·President of the Board of Trustees and of the Board of Directors of the City of Knowledge Foundation since 1998.

·>Director and Vice President for Central America and the Caribbean of Terralex, a worldwide network of independent law firms, (2000-2006)

·Member of the Republic’s Centennial Advisory Committee, (2003)

·Member of the National Council of Foreign Affairs, (1996-98 and 2005-2009)

·Permanent member of the Panamanian Academy of the Spanish Language and corresponding member of the Real Academia Española (RAE), since 2011

·Corresponding member of the Academy of History of Cartagena de Indias, Colombia, since 2017.

·President of the Board of Directors of the National Theatre (Patronato del Teatro Nacional), since 2018.

·Member of the Circle of Friends of the Americas Program of the Carter Center, Atlanta, GA (2015 to 2018)

·Member of the Advisory Committee of the Board of Directors of Todo Panamá, a civic movement created in response to the needs generated by the COVID 19 pandemic.

·Member of the social and economic think tank Repensar Panamá.<

·Member of the Cátedra Vargas Llosa, since 2022

Honors

· “Medalla Ricardo J. Alfaro” (award for achieving the highest point average in the Law School, University of Panama, 1964)

· “Orden de Mayo al Mérito” (award granted by the Government of Argentina, 1996)

· “Escritor del año” (award granted by Cámara Panameña del Libro as writer of the year, 1999)

· “Hijo Meritorio del Distrito de David” (award granted by the Municipality of David, 2000) and by the Governor’s Office of the Province of Chiriqui, in recognition for his valuable literary contribution, 2007)

· “Amigo de la Sociedad Argentina de Escritores” (award granted in Buenos Aires by the Argentina Society of Writers, 2004)

· “Medalla René De Lima” (award granted by the Private Sector Council for Educational Assistance COSPAE, 2014)

· “Maestro Ramón Guerra” (award granted by the Mayor’s Office of David, Chiriquí, Culturama and United for Education of the City of David, 2016)

· “Medalla Fernando Eleta Almarán” (granted by the Panamanian Business Executives Association, APEDE, 2021)

· “Medalla Justo Arosemena” (granted by the National Bar Association, CNA, 2021). The last four awards were given in recognition of his efforts in the field of education in Panama

Publications

· “El Pensamiento Social de Bolívar”, 1968. Essay
· “Fugitivos del paisaje”, 1992. Novel*
· “Cicatrices inútiles”, 1994. Novel*
· “Entre el cielo y la tierra”, 1996. Historical novel*
· “Con ardientes fulgores de gloria”, 1999. Historical novel*
· “La rebelión de los poetas y otros cuentos”, 2001. Short stories*
· “El Veredicto”, 2003. Play (jointly written with Ernesto Endara)* (*all these books under the pseudonym Jorge Thomas)
· “¡Arde Panamá!, 2003. Historical novel (Colombian edition of Con ardientes fulgores de gloria)
· “El caballo de oro”, 2005. Historical novel
· “El silencio de Gaudi”, 2007. Novel
· “El ocaso de los inocentes”, 2011. Novel
· “Entre el honor y la espada”, 2013. Historical novel
· “Los Susurros”, 2016. Novel
· “La rebelión de los poetas”, 2017 Novel
· “Hay días tan azules”, 2020 Poems
· “La muerte de Daniel”, 2021 Novel
· “La cabeza de Balboa”, 2021 Historical novel
· Articles in El Heraldo (weekly), 1998-2000
· Articles in La Prensa Newspaper (bimonthly) 2000-2004

Mr. Morgan has been speaker at many educational, historical, literary and legal forums and has presented
numerous books of various authors.

Main conferences

· “Remembranzas de Panamá en el siglo XIX” (Club Unión, 2001)

· “Escribir un libro” (Asociación Médica Nacional, 2002)

· “Pervivencia de Bolívar (Sociedad Bolivariana de Panamá. Julio 2002)

· “La literatura panameña en el siglo XX” (Club Unión, 2003)

· “Panamá: literatura e identidad” (Congreso “Escribir desde el Centro de América”, Casa de América, Madrid, 2004

· ¿Es necesaria una Constituyente? (Foro/debate Cambios a la Constitución, Un Asunto de Todos. 2004)

· “Panamá, sus historias y su literatura” (VII Congreso de la Fundación Caballero Bonald, Jerez de la Frontera, 2005).

· “Panamá: historia y novela” (Universidad José Matías Delgado, San Salvador. Noviembre 2008)

· “Panamá: literatura e identidad” (OEA, Washington. Septiembre 2012)

· “La Novela Histórica: ¿Autenticidad o verosimilitud?” (Discurso de recibimiento de la Academia Panameña de la Lengua. Octubre 2012)

· “Panamá: historia, identidad e independencia” (Asociación Panameña de Ejecutivos de Empresa (APEDE), Noviembre 2012)

· Discurso inaugural del VI Congreso Internacional de la Lengua Española en Panamá. (Octubre 2013.)

· “Panamá y su canal”. Centroamérica Cuenta, Managua, 2014.

· Constituyente vs Reformas Constitucionales (APEDE, Septiembre, 2016)

· Ponencia en el foro Panamá, Mosaico de Oportunidades, convocado por la Congregación Kol Shearith (2016)

· “Historia, Diplomacia y Desarrollo Cultural” (Discurso inaugural del Conjunto Documental y Patrimonial del Palacio Bolívar del Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores. Junio 2019)

· Conversatorio sobre Pedrarias y Balboa. Foro Panamá 500 años (abril, 2019).

· “La novela histórica: pasado, presente y futuro”. Foro Fundación Panamá Viejo (abril, 2019)

· Panamá Briefly / Breve historia de Panamá. (British Chamber Business Forum 2019)

· Reseña de Panamá (embajadores de Canadá en América Latina y el Caribe, 2019)