Born: 28 March 1936 · Died: 13 April 2025 · Age: 89
Peruvian novelist of The Time of the Hero and Conversation in the Cathedral who ran for president and won the Nobel Prize
Did you know?In 1990, he launched a campaign for the presidency of Peru but was eventually defeated in a run-off election.
Quick facts
Date of birth28 March 1936
Date of death13 April 2025
Age at death89
NationalityPeruvian
BirthplaceArequipa, Peru
Occupationnovelist, dramaturge, politician
Editor's Take:
Mario Vargas Llosa was a giant of the Latin American literary boom. He grew up partly in Bolivia and went to a military school in Lima that inspired his first novel. His books explore power, corruption, sex and freedom with great technical daring. The Feast of the Goat dissects the Dominican dictator Trujillo. Once a leftist, he became a champion of free markets. He ran for president of Peru in 1990 and lost to Alberto Fujimori. He won the Nobel Prize in 2010.
Key Milestones
1963: The Time of the Hero – novel
1969: Conversation in the Cathedral – novel
1990: Election – runs for president
2000: The Feast of the Goat – novel
Jorge Mario Pedro Vargas Llosa, 1st Marquess of Vargas Llosa (28 March 1936 – 13 April 2025) was a Peruvian novelist, journalist, essayist, and politician. Vargas Llosa was one of the most significant Latin American novelists and essayists and one of the leading writers of his generation.
