Who was Mario Vargas Llosa? Everything You Need to Know

Quick Facts

Also Known As: Jorge Mario Pedro Vargas Llosa, 1st Marquis of Vargas Llosa

Died At Age: 89

Family:

Spouse/Ex-: Julia Urquidi, Patricia Llosa

father: Ernesto Vargas Maldonado

mother: Dora Llosa Ureta

siblings: Ernesto Vargas

children: Álvaro Vargas Llosa, Gonzalo Vargas Llosa, Morgana Vargas Llosa

Born Country: Peru

Nobel Laureates In Literature Essayists

Died on: April 13, 2025

place of death: Lima, Peru

Ancestry: Peruvian Spanish

Notable Alumni: National University Of San Marcos

Founder/Co-Founder: Democratic Front

More Facts

education: Complutense University Of Madrid, National University Of San Marcos

awards: Nobel Prize in Literature - 2010
Miguel de Cervantes Prize - 1995
Premio Planeta de Novela - 1993 · Death in the Andes

Peace Prize of the German Book Trade - 1996
Rómulo Gallegos Prize - 1967 · The Green House
Jerusalem Prize for the Freedom of the Individual in Society - 1995
Grinzane Cavour Prize - 1986 · The Real Life of Alejandro Mayta
Maria Moors Cabot Prizes - 2006
Prix mondial Cino Del Duca - 2008
Menéndez Pelayo International Prize - 1999
Irving Kristol Award - 2005
PEN/Nabokov Award - 2002
Prince of Asturias Award for Literature - 1986
National Book Critics Circle Award for Criticism - 1997 · Making Waves
Carlos Fuentes Prize - 2012

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1

What are some of Mario Vargas Llosa's notable works?

Mario Vargas Llosa was known for his famous works such as "The Time of the Hero," "Conversation in the Cathedral," "The Green House," "The Feast of the Goat," and "Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter."
2

What is the significance of Mario Vargas Llosa's writing style?

Mario Vargas Llosa was known for his intricate narrative techniques, blending reality with fiction and incorporating historical events into his works. His writing style often explores complex themes such as power dynamics, identity, and political corruption.
3

How had Mario Vargas Llosa's background influenced his writing?

Mario Vargas Llosa's upbringing in Peru and experiences living in various countries had heavily influenced his writing. His works often reflected themes of Latin American culture, societal issues, and political unrest.
4

What were some critical opinions on Mario Vargas Llosa's literary impact?

Critics often praised Mario Vargas Llosa for his ability to blend genres, explore complex themes, and create compelling characters. His works are celebrated for their intellectual depth and engagement with social and political issues.
5

What was Mario Vargas Llosa's perspective on the role of the writer in society?

Mario Vargas Llosa believed that writers had a responsibility to engage with and challenge society. He advocated for the freedom of expression and the importance of literature in sparking dialogue and promoting social change.

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Childhood & Early Life

Mario Vargas Llosa was born on March 28, 1936, in Arequipa, Peru, to a middle-class family.

His parents, Ernesto Vargas Maldonado and Dora Llosa Ureta, separated shortly before Vargas Llosa’s birth and, as a result, he lived primarily with his mother’s family.

During his early childhood, he moved from Arequipa to the Bolivian town of Cochabamba and back to Plura, Peru, a result of various diplomatic posts that his maternal grandfather held.

At the age of ten, he moved to Lima, where he lived for the first time with both his parents, who had reconciled.

During his teenage years, he began working as an amateur journalist for various Lima newspapers.

Although his father got him enrolled in a military school, he withdrew and re-enrolled in a Piura high school, where he continued working for local newspapers.

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Career

At the age of 17, he enrolled in the National University of San Marcos, Lima, to study law and literature.

After graduating from the National University of San Marcos, he received a scholarship to study at the Complutense University in Madrid, Spain, where he completed a doctoral thesis.

In 1960, he moved to Paris, hoping to receive a scholarship to continue his studies. Although his application was rejected, he continued to reside in Paris and devoted his energies to writing, full-time.

In the early 1960s, his novels received critical attention for the first time.

In 1963, his first novel, based on his experiences at a Lima military school, received widespread acclaim including a Spanish literary prize.

Between 1965 and 1969, his second and third novels solidified his reputation as a literary heavyweight.

In 1971, he published a biographical work on fellow “boom” writer, Gabriel García Márquez.

In the early 1970s, he began writing novels with more humor, including the satirical novel ‘Captain Pantoja and the Special Service.’

By the late 1970s, he began holding various positions within literary organizations and universities, serving as president of PEN International from 1976 to 1979.

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Vargas Llosa’s teaching positions included work as a traveling lecturer in the late 1970s, at various institutions including the University of Cambridge and Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

In 1987, Vargas Llosa helped form and lead the Movimiento Libertad, a party that may be termed ‘neoliberal’, despite Vargas Llosa’s own dislike of the epithet.

In 1990, he ran for presidency of Peru as the FREDEMO (Frente Democrático) candidate, but lost to Alberto Fujimori, an experience he later described in ‘A Fish in the Water’.

Since the 1990s, Vargas Llosa had spent part of his time in Spain, dividing his residence between Madrid and his native Peru. As a dual national of both countries, he frequently expressed a deep sense of kinship with both nations.

Major Works

In 1966, he published his first novel, ‘The Green House’, which received critical appreciation, including the description by Gerald Martin as “one of the greatest novels to have emerged from Latin America.”

In 1969, he wrote ‘Conversation in the Cathedral’, which catapulted his name into worldwide literary circles.

In 1981, Vargas Llosa’s first historical novel ‘The War of the End of the World’ was acclaimed as one of his most ambitious and most successful works.

In 2000, his political thriller ‘The Feast of the Goat’ received widespread acclaim as one of his most important works.

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Awards & Achievements

In 1986, Vargas Llosa received the highly regarded Prince of Asturias Award for Literature, a Spanish prize.

In 2010, he received the Nobel Prize for Literature, “for his cartography of the structures of power and his trenchant images of the individual’s resistance, revolt and defeat.”

In later years, he received various European and Latin American prizes related to arts and letters, including the ‘Austrian Cross of Honour for Science and Art’; the ‘Chevalier of the Legion of Honour’, from France; the ‘Order of the Aztec Eagle’, from Mexico; and the ‘Grand Cross with Silver Star of the Order of Christopher Columbus’, from the Dominican Republic.

Personal Life, Death & Legacy

At 19, he married Julia Urquidi, the sister-in-law of his maternal uncle, who was ten years his senior.

In 1964, Mario and Julia separated and, in 1965, he remarried, this time to his first cousin, Patricia Llosa, with whom he had three children.

His influence as a novelist and writer is largely seen in later generations of Spanish-language authors as well as international writers.

He has been described by literary critic Gerald Martin, as “perhaps the most successful… certainly the most controversial Latin American novelist of the past twenty-five years.”

Death

Mario Vargas Llosa passed away on April 13, 2025, in Lima, surrounded by his family and "at peace," according to a statement by his son Álvaro Vargas Llosa on his X account. He was 89 years old. It was also announced that his remains would be cremated in a private ceremony.

Facts About Mario Vargas Llosa

Mario Vargas Llosa was an avid soccer fan and had written extensively about the sport, including a book titled "A Fish in the Water: A Memoir."

He once ran for president of Peru in 1990, but ultimately lost to Alberto Fujimori.

Vargas Llosa was known for his love of classical music and often listens to it while writing.

He had a keen interest in journalism and had worked as a newspaper columnist throughout his career.

Vargas Llosa was a polyglot, fluent in Spanish, English, French, and Italian, which had greatly influenced his writing style and themes.

Mario Vargas Llosa Biography

You wanted to know

What are some of Mario Vargas Llosa's notable works?

What is the significance of Mario Vargas Llosa's writing style?

How had Mario Vargas Llosa's background influenced his writing?

What were some critical opinions on Mario Vargas Llosa's literary impact?

What was Mario Vargas Llosa's perspective on the role of the writer in society?

Death