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.”
