Universal writer from the complex Peruvian reality, Vargas Llosa was part of the call Latin American ‘boom along with other greats such as the Colombian Gabriel García Márquez, the Argentine Julio Cortázar or the Mexicans Carlos Fuentes and Juan Rulfo.
“With deep pain, we make public that our father, Mario Vargas Llosa, has died today in Lima, surrounded by his family and peace,” said his eldest son Álvaro on the social network, in a message also signed by his brothers Gonzalo and Morgana.
Vargas Llosa described social realities in masterpieces such as “The city and dogs” either “The goat party.” Admired in the literature, his liberal positions aroused hostility an intellectual medium with a tendency to the left.
“Latin Americans are dreamers by nature and we have problems to differentiate the real world and fiction. That is why we have such good musicians, poets, painters and writers, and also so horrible and mediocre rulers.”
Mario Vargas Llosa, before receiving the Nobel Prize in 2010
His universality was patented with the entrance to the French Language Academy in 2021
Born in the Southern Peruvian City of Arequipa on March 28, 1936 in a middle class family, he was educated by his mother and his maternal grandparents in Cochabamba (Bolivia) and then in Peru.
After his studies at the Military Academy of Lima he obtained a degree in Letters and took his first steps in journalism.
He settled in 1959 in Paris, where he married his political aunt Julia Urquidi, 10 years old (which she would inspire later “Aunt Julia and the writer”) and exercised several professions: translator, Spanish professor and journalist at the Agency France-Presse.
Years later, he broke with Urquidi and married his cousin sister and niece of his ex -wife, Patricia Llosa, with whom he had three children and fifty years of relationship.
Vargas Llosa divorced Patricia after starting in 2015, with almost 80 years, a romance with a well -known personality of the Madrid world, Isabel Preysler (ex -partner of singer Julio Iglesias). In 2022 they announced their separation.
Representative of the Latin American boom with a prolific literary career
His long literary career emerged in 1959, when he published his first book of stories, “The bosses”, with which he won the Leopold Alas Award. But he gained notoriety with the publication of the novel “The city and the dogs ”, In 1963, followed three years later by “The Green House.”
His prestige was consolidated with his work ‘Conversation in the cathedral‘(1969).
They followed later “Pantaleón and the visitors”, “Aunt Julia and the writer ‘,’ The War of the End of the World”, “Who killed Palomino Molero?”, “Lituma in the Andes” and “The fish in the water” (memories of your electoral campaign), “The goat party” either “Celta’s dream”published shortly before receiving the Nobel.
He already warned that he would continue writing until the last day of his life. And fulfilled. They came later “The discreet hero” either “RECIOUS TIMES”, About the agitated story of Guatemala In the twentieth century, which earned him the Francisco Umbral novel Award.
With his work translated into 30 languages, Vargas Llosa received multiple awards: Cervantes Award, Prince of Asturias de las Letras, Brief Library, that of Spanish criticism, the National Novel Prize of Peru and the Romulo Gallegos.
In April 2022, Vargas Llosa presented Madrid his book “The still look (from Pérez Galdós)”an essay on the Spanish writer Benito Pérez Galdós.
Laureado writer … controversial in politics
If your literary legacy is unquestionable, your political legacy is controversial. Politically he was seduced by Fidel Castro, but in 1971 he broke with the Castro revolution in the case of the poet Heberto Padilla, forced by the regime to make a “self -criticism.”
He was a candidate for the Presidency of Peru in 1990. He was a favorite until the then agronomist Alberto Fujimori appeared, who was finally elected. His participation since then in Peruvian politics has been marginal.
After his political failure he returned to the letters, where he said, he had never left.
He had a close friendship with the Colombian writer García Márquez who ended abruptly with a punch of the Peruvian, surrounded by mystery. “That the biographers take care of that issue,” said Vargas Llosa.
Vargas Llosa lived vividly the evolution of world politics, to attack in recent years against populism.
Vargas Llosa obtained Spanish nationality in 1993.