Monday, April 14, 2025 - Mario Vargas Llosa, the
Peruvian-Spanish Nobel Prize-winning author whose work explored the dangers of
totalitarianism and who once ran for president, has died at the age of 89,
according to his family.
“It is with
deep sorrow that we announce that our father, Mario Vargas Llosa, passed away
peacefully in Lima today, surrounded by his family,” read a family statement
shared by his son Álvaro Vargas Llosa on X.
Vargas Llosa is best remembered for novels such as
Conversation in the Cathedral (1969), The War of the End of the World (1981),
and Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter (1977), the latter of which was adapted
into the 1990 film Tune in Tomorrow, starring Barbara Hershey and Keanu Reeves.
In 2010, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature for
what the Swedish Academy described as “his cartography of structures of power
and his trenchant images of the individual’s resistance, revolt, and defeat.”
In their statement, the novelist’s children said, “His
departure will sadden his relatives, his friends and his readers around the
world. But we hope that they will find comfort, as we do, in the fact that he
enjoyed a long, adventurous and fruitful life, and leaves behind him a body of
work that will outlive him.”
Vargas Llosa will be farewelled at a private ceremony
attended by family and close friends.
Peru’s President, Dina Ercilia Boluarte Zegarra, expressed
her condolences, calling him an “illustrious Peruvian of all time.” A statement
from the presidential office added, “His intellectual genius and vast body of
work will remain an everlasting legacy for future generations.”
Born in Arequipa, southern Peru, Vargas Llosa spent his
early childhood in Cochabamba, Bolivia, where his grandfather served as the
Peruvian consul. He later studied at a military school and the National
University of San Marcos in Lima. By 1952, he had published his first work, a
play titled La Huida del Inca, and became a regular contributor to Peru’s
literary press.
He worked as a journalist and broadcaster, later attending the University
of Madrid before moving to Paris. In 1963, he published his first novel, La
ciudad y los perros (The Time of the Hero), which received international
acclaim and was translated into more than a dozen languages. Subsequent works
included The Green House (1966) and Captain Pantoja and the Special Service
(1973).
After teaching stints in London, a residency at Washington State
University in the U.S., and time in Barcelona, he returned to Lima in 1974. A
translated collection of his essays was published in English in 1978.
In 1990, Vargas Llosa ran for president of Peru on a classical liberal
platform promoting individual freedom and limited government. After losing to
Alberto Fujimori in a runoff election, he moved to Spain and became a Spanish
citizen in 1993. He was awarded the prestigious Cervantes Prize a year later.
His later novels include The Feast of the Goat (2000) and The Bad Girl
(2006).
When awarded the Nobel Prize, Vargas Llosa cited French writer Gustave
Flaubert as an inspiration, praising his dedication and discipline in
developing his craft. He also emphasized the connection between literature and
politics, saying literature awakens society to suffering, injustice, and
inequality.
“I think literature is pleasure,” he said, “but it’s also a very important instrument to move forward in life.”
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