According to his family, Mario Vargas Llosa, a Spanish Nobel Prize writer in Peru, explores the dangers of totalitarianism, the once-run presidential campaign at the age of 89.
“We are sad to announce that our father Mario Vargas Llosa passed away peacefully in Lima today and was surrounded by his family.” His son Álvarovargas llosa shared a family statement on X.
Vargas Llosa is best suited for novels such as the Cathedral Dialogue (1969), The Doomsday War (1981) and Aunt Julia and Julia and the Craptriter (1977), who starred Barbara Hershey and Keanu Reeves in Tomorrow’s 1990 film tune.
In 2010, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature for what the Swedish Academy called “his power structure mapping and his stimulating image of resistance, uprising and failures.” ”
The novelist’s child said in their statement: “His departure will make his relatives, his friends and his readers sad for readers all over the world. But we hope they can find comfort as we do, as he enjoys a long, adventurous and fruitful life and leaves a whole lot of work that will surpass him.”
Vargas Llosa will say goodbye at a private ceremony attended by her family and close friends.
Peru’s President Dina Ercilia Boluarte Zegarra expressed his condolences, calling him “the outstanding Peruvian of all time.” A statement from the presidential office added: “His intellectuals and his vast work will be the eternal legacy of future generations.”
Vargas Llosa was born in Arequipa, southern Peru, and his childhood was spent in Cochabamba, Bolivia, where his grandfather served as Peru consulate in Peru. Later, he studied at a military school in Lima and at the National University of San Marcos. By 1952, he had published his first work, titled La Huida del Inca, and became a regular contributor to the Peruvian Literary Press.
He worked as a journalist and broadcaster, then went to the University of Madrid before moving to Paris. In 1963, he published his first novel, La Ciudad Y Los Perros (Age of Heroes), which received international acclaim and was translated into more than a dozen languages. Subsequent works include Greenhouse (1966) and Captain Pantoja and Special Services (1973).
He returned to Lima in 1974 after teaching a residency at Washington State University in London and Barcelona. The translation of his paper was published in English in 1978.
In 1990, Vargas Llosa ran for President of Peru on a classical freedom platform that promotes 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. A year later, he was awarded the prestigious Cervantes Award.
His later novels include The Goat Feast (2000) and The Bad Girl (2006).
When Vargas Llosa was awarded the Nobel Prize, he listed French writer Gustave Flaubert as inspiration for his dedication and discipline to develop his craft. He also emphasized the connection between literature and politics, saying that literature awakened society and suffering, injustice and inequality.
“I think literature is an honor, but it is also a very important tool to move forward in life,” he said.
