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Dubai Eye
14-04-2025
- Politics
- Dubai Eye
Nobel prize-winning novelist Mario Vargas Llosa dies at 89
Peruvian writer Mario Vargas Llosa, who enchanted readers with his intellectual rigour and lyrical prose for five decades and nearly became president of his country, died on Sunday aged 89. He died in the country's capital Lima surrounded by his family and "at peace," his son Alvaro Vargas Llosa, a well-known political commentator, said on X. A leading light in the 20th-century Latin American literature boom, Vargas Llosa won the Nobel Prize for literature in 2010 for works like Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter, Death in the Andes, and The War of the End of the World. But early on he abandoned the socialist ideas that were embraced by many of his peers, and his dabbling in politics and conservative views annoyed much of Latin America's leftist intellectual class. In 1990, he ran for president of Peru, saying he wanted to save his country from economic chaos and a Marxist insurgency. He lost in the run-off to Alberto Fujimori, a then-unknown agronomist and university professor who defeated the insurgents but was later jailed for human rights crimes and corruption. Frustrated by his loss, the writer moved to Spain but remained influential in Latin America, harshly criticizing a new wave of strident leftist leaders led by then-Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. In his dozens of novels, plays and essays, Vargas Llosa told stories from various viewpoints and experimented with form, moving back and forth in time and switching narrators. His work crossed genres and established him as a foundational figure in a generation of writers that led a resurgence in Latin American literature in the 1960s. His books often examined the unnerving relationships between leaders and their subjects. The Feast of the Goat (2000) details the brutal regime of Dominican Republic dictator Rafael Trujillo, while The War of the End of the World (1981) tells the true story of a fanatical preacher whose flock dies in a deadly war with Brazil's army in the 1890s. "His intellectual genius and vast body of work will remain an everlasting legacy for future generations," Peru's President Dina Boluarte said in a post in X, calling him the "most illustrious Peruvian of all time." Born to middle-class parents in Arequipa, Peru, on March 28, 1936, Vargas Llosa frequently drew from personal experience and his family, at times inserting characters based on his own life into his tales. His acclaimed debut novel, The Time of the Hero (1963), was loosely based on his teenage life as a cadet at a military academy in Lima, while his 1993 memoir, A Fish in the Water, focused on his 1990 presidential run. Other works expressed deep concern for his country. The Storyteller (1987) deals with the clash of Indigenous and European cultures in Peru, while Death in the Andes (1993) recounts the haunting years of the Shining Path guerrilla movement. As his range of experiences grew, Vargas Llosa continuously experimented. The Bad Girl (2006) was his first try at a love story and was widely praised as one of his best. In the 1970s, Vargas Llosa, a one-time supporter of the Cuban revolution, denounced Fidel Castro, maddening many of his leftist literary colleagues like Colombian writer and fellow Nobel laureate Gabriel Garcia Marquez. In 1976, the two had a famous argument, throwing punches outside a theatre in Mexico City. A friend of Garcia Marquez said Vargas Llosa was upset that the Colombian had consoled his wife during an estrangement but Vargas Llosa refused to discuss it. Vargas Llosa became a staunch supporter of free markets mixed with libertarian ideals. Despite being outspoken on political issues, Vargas Llosa said he was a reluctant politician when he ran for president of Peru. "In reality, I never had a political career," Vargas Llosa once said. "I took part in politics under very special circumstances ... and I always said that whether I won or lost the elections, I was going back to my literary, intellectual job, not politics." His personal life was worthy of a novel itself - and indeed, Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter (1977) was loosely based on the story of his first marriage at the age of 19 to Julia Urquidi, 10 years his senior and the former wife of his mother's brother. His second wife was his first cousin Patricia - but he left her in 2015 after 50 years for the charms of Isabel Preysler, the mother of singer Enrique Iglesias. That relationship ended in 2022. He had three children, including Alvaro, with Patricia.
Gulf Today
14-04-2025
- Politics
- Gulf Today
Peruvian writer and Nobel Prize winner Mario Vargas Llosa dies age 89
Peruvian writer Mario Vargas Llosa, who enchanted readers with his intellectual rigor and lyrical prose for five decades and came close to being president of his country, died on Sunday aged 89. He died in the country's capital Lima surrounded by his family and "at peace," his son Alvaro Vargas Llosa, a well-known political commentator, said on X. A leading light in the 20th century Latin American literature boom, Vargas Llosa won the Nobel Prize for literature in 2010 for works like "Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter," "Death in the Andes," and "The War of the End of the World." But early on he abandoned the socialist ideas that were embraced by many of his peers, and his dabbling in politics and conservative views annoyed much of Latin America's leftist intellectual class. In 1990, he ran for president of Peru, saying he wanted to save his country from economic chaos and a Marxist insurgency. He lost in the run-off to Alberto Fujimori, a then-unknown agronomist and university professor who defeated the insurgents but was later jailed for human rights crimes and corruption. Frustrated by his loss, the writer moved to Spain but remained influential in Latin America, where he harshly criticized a new wave of strident leftist leaders led by then-Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. Mario Vargas Llosa is pictured as he visits an exhibition about his work "Mario Vargas Llosa, La liberte et la vie (Freedom and life)," at the Maison de l'Amerique Latine on September 13, 2010 in Paris. AFP In his dozens of novels, plays and essays, Vargas Llosa told stories from various viewpoints and experimented with form -moving back and forth in time and switching narrators. His work crossed genres and established him as a foundational figure in a generation of writers that led a resurgence in Latin American literature in the 1960s. His books often examined the unnerving relationships between leaders and their subjects. "The Feast of the Goat" (2000) details the brutal regime of Dominican Republic dictator Rafael Trujillo, while "The War of the End of the World" (1981) tells the true story of a fanatical preacher whose flock dies in a deadly war with Brazil's army in the 1890s. NOVELS FED BY EXPERIENCE Born to middle-class parents in Arequipa, Peru, on March 28, 1936, Vargas Llosa lived in Bolivia and the Peruvian capital Lima. He later made a home in Madrid, but retained influence in Peru, where he wrote for newspapers about current events. Vargas Llosa frequently drew from personal experience and his family, at times inserting characters based on his own life into his tales. His acclaimed debut novel, "The Time of the Hero" (1963), was loosely based on his teenage life as a cadet at a military academy in Lima, while his 1993 memoir, "A Fish in the Water," focused on his 1990 presidential run. Other works expressed deep concern for his country. "The Storyteller" (1987) deals with the clash of Indigenous and European cultures in Peru, while "Death in the Andes" (1993) recounts the haunting years of the Shining Path guerrilla movement. "An author's work is fed by his own experience and, over the years, becomes richer," Vargas Llosa told Reuters in an interview in Madrid in 2001. As his range of experiences grew, so did his writing. Vargas Llosa continuously experimented with perspective and his subjects. Isabel Preysler (left) and writer Mario Vargas Llosa arrive at the red carpet of the Goya Film Awards Ceremony in Madrid, Spain, Feb. 6, 2016. AP "The Bad Girl" (2006) was his first try at a love story and was widely praised as one of his best. DENOUNCED CASTRO, CHAVEZ In the 1970s, Vargas Llosa, a one-time supporter of the Cuban revolution, denounced Fidel Castro, maddening many of his leftist literary colleagues like Colombian writer and fellow Nobel laureate Gabriel Garcia Marquez. In 1976, the two had a famous argument, throwing punches outside a theater in Mexico City. A friend of Garcia Marquez said Vargas Llosa was upset that the Colombian had consoled his wife during an estrangement but Vargas Llosa refused to discuss it. Vargas Llosa became a staunch supporter of free markets mixed with libertarian ideals. Despite being outspoken on political issues, Vargas Llosa said he was a reluctant politician when he ran for president of Peru. "In reality, I never had a political career," Vargas Llosa once said. "I took part in politics under very special circumstances... and I always said that whether I won or lost the elections, I was going back to my literary, intellectual job, not politics." His personal life was worthy of a novel itself - and indeed, "Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter" (1977) was loosely based on the story of his first marriage at the age of 19 to Julia Urquidi, 10 years' his senior and the former wife of his mother's brother. His second wife was his first cousin Patricia - but he left her in 2015 after 50 years for the charms of Isabel Preysler, the mother of singer Enrique Iglesias. That relationship ended in 2022. He had three children, including Alvaro, with Patricia. Reuters
ARN News Center
14-04-2025
- Politics
- ARN News Center
Nobel prize-winning novelist Mario Vargas Llosa dies at 89
Peruvian writer Mario Vargas Llosa, who enchanted readers with his intellectual rigour and lyrical prose for five decades and nearly became president of his country, died on Sunday aged 89. He died in the country's capital Lima surrounded by his family and "at peace," his son Alvaro Vargas Llosa, a well-known political commentator, said on X. A leading light in the 20th-century Latin American literature boom, Vargas Llosa won the Nobel Prize for literature in 2010 for works like Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter, Death in the Andes, and The War of the End of the World. But early on he abandoned the socialist ideas that were embraced by many of his peers, and his dabbling in politics and conservative views annoyed much of Latin America's leftist intellectual class. In 1990, he ran for president of Peru, saying he wanted to save his country from economic chaos and a Marxist insurgency. He lost in the run-off to Alberto Fujimori, a then-unknown agronomist and university professor who defeated the insurgents but was later jailed for human rights crimes and corruption. Frustrated by his loss, the writer moved to Spain but remained influential in Latin America, harshly criticizing a new wave of strident leftist leaders led by then-Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. In his dozens of novels, plays and essays, Vargas Llosa told stories from various viewpoints and experimented with form, moving back and forth in time and switching narrators. His work crossed genres and established him as a foundational figure in a generation of writers that led a resurgence in Latin American literature in the 1960s. His books often examined the unnerving relationships between leaders and their subjects. The Feast of the Goat (2000) details the brutal regime of Dominican Republic dictator Rafael Trujillo, while The War of the End of the World (1981) tells the true story of a fanatical preacher whose flock dies in a deadly war with Brazil's army in the 1890s. "His intellectual genius and vast body of work will remain an everlasting legacy for future generations," Peru's President Dina Boluarte said in a post in X, calling him the "most illustrious Peruvian of all time." Born to middle-class parents in Arequipa, Peru, on March 28, 1936, Vargas Llosa frequently drew from personal experience and his family, at times inserting characters based on his own life into his tales. His acclaimed debut novel, The Time of the Hero (1963), was loosely based on his teenage life as a cadet at a military academy in Lima, while his 1993 memoir, A Fish in the Water, focused on his 1990 presidential run. Other works expressed deep concern for his country. The Storyteller (1987) deals with the clash of Indigenous and European cultures in Peru, while Death in the Andes (1993) recounts the haunting years of the Shining Path guerrilla movement. As his range of experiences grew, Vargas Llosa continuously experimented. The Bad Girl (2006) was his first try at a love story and was widely praised as one of his best. In the 1970s, Vargas Llosa, a one-time supporter of the Cuban revolution, denounced Fidel Castro, maddening many of his leftist literary colleagues like Colombian writer and fellow Nobel laureate Gabriel Garcia Marquez. In 1976, the two had a famous argument, throwing punches outside a theatre in Mexico City. A friend of Garcia Marquez said Vargas Llosa was upset that the Colombian had consoled his wife during an estrangement but Vargas Llosa refused to discuss it. Vargas Llosa became a staunch supporter of free markets mixed with libertarian ideals. Despite being outspoken on political issues, Vargas Llosa said he was a reluctant politician when he ran for president of Peru. "In reality, I never had a political career," Vargas Llosa once said. "I took part in politics under very special circumstances ... and I always said that whether I won or lost the elections, I was going back to my literary, intellectual job, not politics." His personal life was worthy of a novel itself - and indeed, Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter (1977) was loosely based on the story of his first marriage at the age of 19 to Julia Urquidi, 10 years his senior and the former wife of his mother's brother. His second wife was his first cousin Patricia - but he left her in 2015 after 50 years for the charms of Isabel Preysler, the mother of singer Enrique Iglesias. That relationship ended in 2022. He had three children, including Alvaro, with Patricia.
Al Jazeera
14-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Al Jazeera
Peru mourns death of literary giant Mario Vargas Llosa
Peru has declared a national day of mourning with flags flying at half-mast on government premises in memory of writer and Nobel laureate Mario Vargas Llosa. Vargas Llosa died at the age of 89 on Sunday in the Peruvian capital, Lima, surrounded by his family. His body will be cremated and 'no public ceremony will take place', in accordance with his wishes and instructions, his family 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,' his eldest son Alvaro wrote in a message on X, also signed by his siblings Gonzalo and Morgana Vargas Llosa, on Sunday. It is with deep sorrow that we announce that our father, Mario Vargas LLosa, passed away peacefully in Lima today, surrounded by his family.@morganavll — Álvaro Vargas Llosa (@AlvaroVargasLl) April 14, 2025Vargas Llosa was a leading light in the 20th-century Latin American literature boom, which also included Colombian Gabriel Garcia Marquez, and won the Nobel Prize for literature in 2010 for works like Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter, Death in the Andes, and The War of the End of the World. Born to middle-class parents in Arequipa, Peru, on March 28, 1936, Vargas Llosa frequently drew from personal experience and his family, at times inserting characters based on his own life into his tales. His acclaimed debut novel, The Time of the Hero (1963), was loosely based on his teenage life as a cadet at a military academy in Lima, while his 1993 memoir, A Fish in the Water, focused on his 1990 presidential run. Other works expressed deep concern for his country. The Storyteller (1987) deals with the clash of Indigenous and European cultures in Peru, while Death in the Andes (1993) recounts the haunting and bloody years of the Shining Path hardline movement. 'An author's work is fed by his own experience and, over the years, becomes richer,' Vargas Llosa told the Reuters news agency in an interview in Madrid in 2001. The Nobel Committee said in 2010 it was awarding him 'for his cartography of structures of power and his trenchant images of the individual's resistance, revolt, and defeat'. Paying tribute to his colleague, fellow Peruvian writer Alfredo Bryce Echenique hailed Vargas Llosa's 'enormity'. He told Peruvian radio RPP his friend's death was 'a sorrow for Peru'. In a post on X, Peru's President Dina Boluarte called him the 'most illustrious Peruvian of all time'. 'His intellectual genius and vast body of work will remain an everlasting legacy for future generations,' she added. Vargas Llosa's works were also translated into some 30 languages. US Deputy State Secretary State Christopher Landau said, 'To label him as just Peruvian would be a disservice because his themes and interests were timeless and universal.' 'He will live on in my bookshelves and many others in Latin America and around the world,' Landau wrote on X. Besides authoring books, Vargas Llosa was also outspoken on political issues. Although an early supporter of the Cuban revolution led by Fidel Castro, he later grew disillusioned and denounced Castro's Cuba. By 1980, he said he no longer believed in socialism as a solution for developing nations. In 1990, Vargas Llosa ran for president of Peru, saying he wanted to save his country from economic chaos and a Marxist armed rebellion. He, however, lost in the run-off to Alberto Fujimori, a then-unknown agronomist and university professor who defeated the armed rebels but was later jailed for human rights crimes and corruption. Frustrated by his loss, the writer moved to Spain but remained influential in Latin America, harshly criticising a new wave of strident left-wing leaders led by then-Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. 'In reality, I never had a political career,' Vargas Llosa once said. 'I took part in politics under very special circumstances … and I always said that whether I won or lost the elections, I was going back to my literary, intellectual job, not politics.'
CBC
14-04-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Peru's Mario Vargas Llosa, Nobel prize-winning novelist, dies at 89
Social Sharing Peruvian writer Mario Vargas Llosa, who enchanted readers with his intellectual rigour and lyrical prose for five decades and nearly became president of his country, died on Sunday. He was 89. He died in the country's capital Lima surrounded by his family and "at peace," his son Alvaro Vargas Llosa, a well-known political commentator, said on X. A leading light in the 20th century Latin American literature boom, Vargas Llosa won the Nobel Prize for literature in 2010 for works like Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter, Death in the Andes, and The War of the End of the World. But early on he abandoned the socialist ideas that were embraced by many of his peers, and his dabbling in politics and conservative views annoyed much of Latin America's leftist intellectual class. In 1990, he ran for president of Peru, saying he wanted to save his country from economic chaos and a Marxist insurgency. He lost in the run-off to Alberto Fujimori, a then-unknown agronomist and university professor who defeated the insurgents but was later jailed for human rights crimes and corruption. Frustrated by his loss, the writer moved to Spain but remained influential in Latin America, harshly criticizing a new wave of strident leftist leaders led by then-Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. In his dozens of novels, plays and essays, Vargas Llosa told stories from various viewpoints and experimented with form, moving back and forth in time and switching narrators. His work crossed genres and established him as a foundational figure in a generation of writers that led a resurgence in Latin American literature in the 1960s. His books often examined the unnerving relationships between leaders and their subjects. The Feast of the Goat (2000) details the brutal regime of Dominican Republic dictator Rafael Trujillo, while The War of the End of the World (1981) tells the true story of a fanatical preacher whose flock dies in a deadly war with Brazil's army in the 1890s. "His intellectual genius and vast body of work will remain an everlasting legacy for future generations," Peru's President Dina Boluarte said in a post in X, calling him the "most illustrious Peruvian of all time." Novels fed by experience Born to middle-class parents in Arequipa, Peru, on March 28, 1936, Vargas Llosa frequently drew from personal experience and his family, at times inserting characters based on his own life into his tales. His acclaimed debut novel, The Time of the Hero (1963), was loosely based on his teenage life as a cadet at a military academy in Lima, while his 1993 memoir, A Fish in the Water, focused on his 1990 presidential run. Other works expressed deep concern for his country. The Storyteller (1987) deals with the clash of Indigenous and European cultures in Peru, while Death in the Andes (1993) recounts the haunting years of the Shining Path guerrilla movement. "An author's work is fed by his own experience and, over the years, becomes richer," Vargas Llosa told Reuters in an interview in Madrid in 2001. As his range of experiences grew, Vargas Llosa continuously experimented. The Bad Girl (2006) was his first try at a love story and was widely praised as one of his best. Denounced Castro, Chavez In the 1970s, Vargas Llosa, a one-time supporter of the Cuban revolution, denounced Fidel Castro, maddening many of his leftist literary colleagues like Colombian writer and fellow Nobel laureate Gabriel Garcia Marquez. In 1976, the two had a famous argument, throwing punches outside a theater in Mexico City. A friend of Garcia Marquez said Vargas Llosa was upset that the Colombian had consoled his wife during an estrangement but Vargas Llosa refused to discuss it. Vargas Llosa became a staunch supporter of free markets mixed with libertarian ideals. Despite being outspoken on political issues, Vargas Llosa said he was a reluctant politician when he ran for president of Peru. "In reality, I never had a political career," Vargas Llosa once said. "I took part in politics under very special circumstances ... and I always said that whether I won or lost the elections, I was going back to my literary, intellectual job, not politics." His personal life was worthy of a novel itself, and indeed, Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter (1977) was loosely based on the story of his first marriage at the age of 19 to Julia Urquidi, 10 years his senior and the former wife of his mother's brother. His second wife was his first cousin Patricia, but he left her in 2015 after 50 years for the charms of Isabel Preysler, the mother of singer Enrique Iglesias. That relationship ended in 2022. He had three children, including Alvaro, with Patricia.
