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Mario Vargas Llosa, Nobel laureate in literature, dies at the age of 89

The world bids farewell to one of the great storytellers of the 20th century

Peruvian writer Mario Vargas Llosa, winner of the 2010 Nobel Prize for Literature, died in Lima on 13 April 2025 at the age of 89. The news was confirmed by his children in an official statement, in which they stressed that the author had lived a “full life, dedicated to literature, ideas and freedom”. In accordance with his wishes, his remains will be cremated in a private ceremony, without public acts.

An immortal legacy in Hispanic literature

Born in Arequipa in 1936, Mario Vargas Llosa was one of the central figures of the so-called «Latin American boom», He has also worked with authors such as Gabriel García Márquez, Julio Cortázar and Carlos Fuentes. His first great novel, The city and the dogs (1963), marked a before and after in contemporary narrative. It was followed by essential titles such as Conversation in the Cathedral, The green house, The war at the end of the world y The Fiesta del Chivo.

Mario Vargas Llosa

In addition to being a novelist, he was an essayist, journalist and politician. Throughout his career, he received numerous awards, including the Cervantes Prize, the Prince of Asturias Prize and the aforementioned Nobel Prize for Literature. In 2023, he became the first non-French-speaking author to join the Académie Française.

Last years and farewell to the author

In recent years, Vargas Llosa lived between Peru and Spain, after his separation from Isabel Preysler, and published his latest novel, I dedicate my silence to you (2023), which explored the links between music, politics and violence in Peru.

His death has generated a wave of tributes in the cultural and political world. The Spanish prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, described him as “a universal master of the word”, while various literary figures have recalled his influence and his commitment to free thought.

The family has informed that there will be no public ceremonies and that his remains will be cremated. ​

La Voz de un Nobel: 10 quotes by Mario Vargas Llosa to remember

  1. Literature is fire. It is rebellion against reality.
  2. Writing is a form of protest. Whoever writes protests against reality as it is.
  3. Fiction teaches us to be others and, in so doing, makes us more human.
  4. Only those who have loved passionately know how close love and madness are.
  5. Freedom is undoubtedly the most important value of civilised life.
  6. Where there is culture, there is criticism. And where there is criticism, there is freedom.
  7. Every time we read a well-written novel, we discover something new about ourselves.
  8. Literature does not change the world, but it helps it not to despair.
  9. The writer's duty is to discomfort, to disturb, to shake consciences.
  10. Literature is not born to put human beings to sleep, but to wake them up.

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