According to reports by The Guardian of the UK, on April 13 local time, famous Peruvian writer and Nobel Prize winner in Literature Mario Vargas Llosa passed away in Lima, the capital of Peru, due to illness at the age of 89.

Vargas Llosa is one of the representative writers of the Latin American literary boom. With the passing of both Marquez and Vargas Llosa, the era of the Latin American literary boom has also come to an end.

The Guardian described his life as colorful as his own novels: he once ran for president of Peru but unfortunately failed; he had a long-standing feud with another literary master, Marquez; he won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2010.

Vargas Llosa has had a profound impact on the Chinese literary circle. He once wrote to Chinese readers saying, "China is a very real and very powerful country," and during Trump's first term, he wrote that "China and Russia will occupy the positions left by the United States."

Photo material of Vargas Llosa. The Guardian

The last mainstay of the Latin American literary explosion

Vargas Llosa, who holds dual nationality of Peru and Spain, is recognized worldwide as a giant of Latin American literature. His representative works include "The Time of the Hero", "The Green House", and "Conversation in the Cathedral". He, along with Colombian writer Marquez, Mexican writer Fuentes, and Argentine writer Cortazar, became the main figures of the Latin American literary boom period.

Vargas Llosa's creative genres are extensive, his style versatile, and he is keen on experimenting with language. His works deeply expose violence, corruption, and individual resistance in Latin American society. He has written numerous novels, plays, essays, poetry, literary criticism, political essays, and has also directed stage plays, films, and hosted television and radio programs.

Born on March 28, 1936, in Arequipa City, the capital of the Arequipa Province in southern Peru, into a middle-class family, Vargas Llosa joined the Communist study group organized by the Peruvian Communist Party while studying at university. He studied the works of thinkers such as Marx, Engels, Lenin, and Mao, served as a guide, and briefly joined the Peruvian Communist Party. In the 1960s, he also warmly supported the Cuban Revolution.

In 1976 in Mexico City, Vargas Llosa physically assaulted fellow Nobel laureate Marquez, later mocking him as "Castro's prostitute." Whether this dispute was due to political reasons or personal grievances remains a mystery, and both writers have consistently declined to publicly discuss it.

In 1989, Vargas Llosa ran for president of Peru and was once the most popular candidate. He advanced to the second round with Fujimori but ultimately lost to Fujimori, who has since passed away last September. After losing the election, Vargas Llosa accepted a guest professorship at Princeton University in the United States and completed his memoir "Fish in the Water" there, detailing his political activities from 1987 to 1990.

Cover of the Chinese translation of Vargas Llosa's masterpiece "Conversation in the Cathedral"

Once wrote to Chinese readers: "Now I know..."

Vargas Llosa himself has visited China multiple times and has been friendly towards China. He is generous when negotiating copyrights, and his works are well-known among Chinese readers. Some comments say that you can see traces of Vargas Llosa in many avant-garde writers like Mo Yan, Ge Fei, Su Tong, and Yu Hua.

In June 2011, Vargas Llosa visited China. During his nine-day trip to China, one stop was in Shanghai, where he gave public speeches and read from his works at Shanghai International Studies University and Shanghai Theatre Academy.

About this visit to China, Vargas Llosa once wrote a letter to Chinese readers: "I never imagined that the stories I wrote could reach such distant places, even the country that seemed to be part of my dreams since childhood, and the non-real part of my imagination, just like the many strange and unbelievable countries I read about in adventure stories. Now I know that China is a very real and very powerful country. Among her vast population, some readers share with me the magical world created in my novels, which is a great compensation for the stories and novels I spent so much time writing and put so much effort into."

Chinese writer Ye Zhaoying, who once had a dialogue with Vargas Llosa, said that he "had a blank mind after going on stage," and admitted that he had lost the prepared questions and speech on the train to Shanghai. Later, Ye Zhaoying wrote an article, stating, "The Latin American literary explosion influenced the world. We are part of the influence, we are being 'blown up,' willingly accepting the bombardment, and therefore, we should express our gratitude."

In January 2018, Vargas Llosa published an article in Spain's El País criticizing newly inaugurated U.S. President Trump, calling his tweets "viruses," completely "unread books," causing chaos in the White House.

Vargas Llosa referred to the United States as a "pitiful country" and stated, "The consequences are predictable: China and Russia will occupy the positions left by the United States, gaining political and economic influence in third-world countries and parts of Eastern Europe. Perhaps this process cannot be stopped."

(Compiled from reports by The Guardian of the UK, Xinmin Evening News, Jiemian News, and The Paper, etc.)

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Original source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7493097235912098342/

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