Editing Mario Vargas Llosa (section)

==Writing career==
===Beginning and first major works===
Vargas Llosa's first novel, ''[[The Time of the Hero]]'' (''{{lang|es|La ciudad y los perros}}''), was published in 1963. The book is set among a community of cadets in a Lima military school, and the plot is based on the author's own experiences at Lima's [[Leoncio Prado Military Academy]].<ref name="Kristal32">{{Harvnb|Kristal|1998|p=32}}</ref> This early piece gained wide public attention and immediate success.<ref name="Cevallos273">{{Harvnb|Cevallos|1991|p=273}}</ref> Its vitality and adept use of sophisticated literary techniques immediately impressed critics,<ref name="Kristal33">{{Harvnb|Kristal|1998|p=33}}</ref> and it won the ''[[Premio de la Crítica Española]]'' award.<ref name="Cevallos273" /> Nevertheless, its sharp criticism of the Peruvian military establishment led to controversy in Peru: several generals attacked the novel, claiming that it was the work of a "degenerate mind" and stating that Vargas Llosa was "paid by Ecuador" to undermine the prestige of the Peruvian Army.<ref name="Cevallos273" />

In 1965, Vargas Llosa published his second novel, ''[[The Green House]]'' (''{{lang|es|La casa verde}}''), about a brothel called "The Green House" and how its quasi-mythical presence affects the lives of the characters. The main plot follows Bonifacia, a girl who is about to receive the vows of the church and her transformation into ''{{lang|es|la Selvática}}'', the Green House's best-known [[Prostitution|prostitute]]. The novel was immediately acclaimed, confirming Vargas Llosa as an important voice of Latin American narrative.<ref name="Kristal xi"/> ''The Green House'' won the first edition of the [[Rómulo Gallegos Prize|Rómulo Gallegos International Novel Prize]] in 1967, contending with works by veteran Uruguayan writer [[Juan Carlos Onetti]] and by [[Gabriel García Márquez]].<ref name=GallegosPrize>{{Harvnb|Armas Marcelo|2002|p=102}}. See also {{citation|title=I Edition of the International Novel Prize Rómulo Gallegos|publisher=Gobierno Bolivariano de Venezuela Ministerio del Poder Popular para La Cultura|url=http://www.celarg.org.ve/Ingles/Premio%20Romulo%20Gallegos%201%20Edicion.htm|access-date=16 April 2008|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716052005/http://www.celarg.org.ve/Ingles/Premio%20Romulo%20Gallegos%201%20Edicion.htm|archive-date=16 July 2011}}</ref> This novel, alone, accumulated enough awards to place the author among the leading figures of the [[Latin American Boom]].<ref name="Booker6" /> Some critics still consider ''The Green House'' to be Vargas Llosa's finest and most important achievement.<ref name="Booker6">{{Harvnb|Booker|1994|p=6}}</ref> Indeed, Latin American literary critic [[Gerald Martin]] suggests that ''The Green House'' is "one of the greatest novels to have emerged from Latin America".<ref name="Booker6" />

Vargas Llosa's third novel, ''[[Conversation in The Cathedral]]'' (''{{lang|es|Conversación en La Catedral}}''), was published in 1969, when he was 33. This ambitious narrative is the story of Santiago Zavala, the son of a government minister, and Ambrosio, his chauffeur.<ref>{{Harvnb| Kristal |1998|p=61}}</ref> A random meeting at a [[dog pound]] leads the pair to a riveting conversation at a nearby bar known as "The Cathedral".<ref>{{Harvnb|Castro-Klarén|1990|p=80}}</ref> During the encounter, Zavala searches for the truth about his father's role in the murder of a notorious Peruvian underworld figure, shedding light on the workings of a dictatorship along the way.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Da serra à costa O Peru e as obras de Mario Vargas Llosa de 1950 a 1960|author=Barroso Sacoman, Mateus|isbn=978-3-330-74802-6|edition=1. Auflage, neue Ausgabe|location=Saarbrücken|oclc=962093882|date = 13 October 2016}}</ref> Unfortunately for Zavala, his quest results in a dead end with no answers and no sign of a better future.<ref name="Castro106">{{Harvnb|Castro-Klarén|1990|p=106}}</ref> The novel attacks the dictatorial government of Odría by showing how a dictatorship controls and destroys lives.<ref name="Cevallos273" /> The persistent theme of hopelessness makes ''Conversation in The Cathedral'' Vargas Llosa's most bitter novel.<ref name="Castro106"/>

Vargas Llosa lectured on Spanish American Literature at [[King's College London]] from 1969 to 1970.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.kcl.ac.uk/newsevents/news/newsrecords/2010/oct/TenthNobelPrizeWinner.aspx |title=Tenth Nobel Prize Winner |date=10 December 2010 |work=King's College London |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304080209/http://www.kcl.ac.uk/newsevents/news/newsrecords/2010/oct/TenthNobelPrizeWinner.aspx |archive-date=4 March 2016}}</ref>

===1970s and the "discovery of humor"===
In 1971, Vargas Llosa published ''García Márquez: Story of a Deicide'' (''{{lang|es|García Márquez: historia de un deicidio}}''), which was his doctoral thesis for the Complutense University of Madrid.<ref>Jaime Perales Contreras, review of Mario Vargas Llosa, ''Obras Completas'', Vol. VI, Tomo. I, in ''Americas Magazine'', Organization of American States, July–August 2007.</ref><ref name="Shaw431">{{Harvnb|Shaw|1973|p=431}}</ref> Although Vargas Llosa wrote this book-length study about his then friend, the Colombian [[Nobel Prize in Literature|Nobel laureate]] writer Gabriel García Márquez, they did not speak to each other again. In 1976, Vargas Llosa punched García Márquez in the face at the [[Palacio de Bellas Artes]] in [[Mexico City]], ending the friendship.<ref>"Todo occurrió en 1976, en el Palacio de Bellas Artes de la ciudad de México.&nbsp;... todos los presentes quedaron impresionados y sorprendidos por el puñetazo que MVLL propinó a García Márquez cuando el escritor colombiano venía a abrazar al novelista peruano." {{Harvnb|Armas Marcelo|2002|p=110}}</ref> <!-- Journalist Francisco Igartua, Vargas Llosa's friend, witnessed the event. In his book, ''{{lang|es|Huellas de un Destierro}}'', Igartua states that after knocking García Márquez out, leaving him on the floor, Vargas Llosa said: "That's for what you did to Patricia in Barcelona."<ref>"Esto es por lo que le hiciste a Patricia en Barcelona." {{Harvnb|Igartua|1998|p=??}}. See also {{Harvnb|Coca|2006}}</ref> --> Neither writer publicly stated the underlying reasons for the quarrel.<ref>{{Harvnb|Dammann|2007|}}</ref> A photograph of García Márquez sporting a black eye was published in 2007, reigniting public interest in the feud.<ref name="Cohen">{{Harvnb|Cohen|2007}}</ref> Despite the decades of silence, in 2007, Vargas Llosa agreed to allow part of his book to be used as the introduction to a 40th-anniversary edition of García Márquez's ''[[One Hundred Years of Solitude]]'', which was re-released in Spain and throughout Latin America that year.<ref>{{Harvnb|Vincent|2007|p=3}}</ref> ''Historia de un Deicidio'' was also reissued in that year, as part of Vargas Llosa's complete works.

Following the monumental work ''Conversation in The Cathedral'', Vargas Llosa's output shifted away from more serious themes such as politics and problems with society. Raymond L. Williams, a scholar of Latin American literature, describes this phase in his writing career as "the discovery of humor".<ref name="QC273">Qtd. in {{Harvnb|Cevallos|1991|p=273}}</ref> His first attempt at a satirical novel was ''Captain {{lang|es|Pantoja}} and the Special Service'' (''{{lang|es|Pantaleón y las visitadoras}}''), published in 1973.<ref>{{Harvnb|Castro-Klarén|1990|p=136}}</ref> This short, comic novel offers vignettes of dialogues and documents about the Peruvian armed forces and a corps of prostitutes assigned to visit military outposts in remote jungle areas.<ref name="Booker33">{{Harvnb|Booker|1994|p=33}}</ref> These plot elements are similar to Vargas Llosa's earlier novel ''The Green House'', but in a different form. ''Captain {{lang|es|Pantoja}} and the Special Service'' is, therefore, essentially a parody of both ''The Green House'' and the literary approach that novel represents.<ref name="Booker33" /> Vargas Llosa's motivation to write the novel came from actually witnessing prostitutes being hired by the Peruvian Army and brought to serve soldiers in the jungle.<ref>{{Harvnb|Setti|1989|p=65}}</ref>

From 1974 to 1987, Vargas Llosa focused on his writing, but also took the time to pursue other endeavours.<ref name="Williams60">{{Harvnb|Williams|2001|p=60}}</ref> In 1975, he co-directed an unsuccessful motion-picture adaptation of his novel, ''Captain {{lang|es|Pantoja}} and the Secret Service''.<ref name="Williams60"/> In 1976 he was elected President of [[PEN International]], the worldwide association of writers and oldest [[human rights]] organization, a position he held until 1979.<ref name="Williams60"/> During this time, Vargas Llosa frequently travelled to speak at conferences organized by international institutions such as the [[Hebrew University of Jerusalem]] and the [[University of Cambridge]], where he was Simón Bolívar Professor and an Overseas Fellow of [[Churchill College]] in 1977–78.<ref>{{Harvnb|Williams|2001|pp=60–61}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Simón Bolívar Chair |url=http://www.latin-american.cam.ac.uk/staff/bolivar.html |publisher=Centre of Latin American Studies, University of Cambridge |access-date=16 January 2012 |date=1 December 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120128163017/http://www.latin-american.cam.ac.uk/staff/bolivar.html |archive-date=28 January 2012 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Nobel Prizes in Medicine, Economics, and Literature for Churchill Fellows |url=http://www.chu.cam.ac.uk/about/news/robert_edwards.php |publisher=[[Churchill College, Cambridge]] |access-date=22 February 2011 |date=12 October 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101007141030/http://www.chu.cam.ac.uk/about/news/robert_edwards.php |archive-date=7 October 2010 }}</ref>

In 1977, Vargas Llosa was elected as a member of the [[Academia Peruana de la Lengua|Peruvian Academy of Language]]. That year, he also published ''[[Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter]]'' (''{{lang|es|La tía Julia y el escribidor}}''), based in part on his marriage to his first wife, Julia Urquidi, to whom he dedicated the novel.<ref>{{Harvnb|Kristal|1998|p=91}}</ref> She later wrote a memoir, ''{{lang|es|Lo que Varguitas no dijo}}'' (''What Little Vargas Didn't Say''), in which she gives her personal account of their relationship. She states that Vargas Llosa's account exaggerates many negative points in their courtship and marriage while minimizing her role of assisting his literary career.<ref>{{Harvnb|Kristal|1998|p=221}}</ref> ''Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter'' is considered one of the most striking examples of how the language and imagery of popular culture can be used in literature.<ref>{{Harvnb|Booker|1994|p=54}}</ref> The novel was adapted in 1990 into a Hollywood feature film, ''[[Tune in Tomorrow]]''.

===Later novels===
[[File:Mariovargasllosa.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Vargas Llosa in 1982]]

Vargas Llosa's fourth major novel, ''[[The War of the End of the World]]'' (''{{lang|es|La guerra del fin del mundo}}''), was published in 1981 and was his first attempt at a historical novel.<ref name="Kristal140">{{Harvnb|Kristal|1998|p=140}}</ref> This work initiated a radical change in Vargas Llosa's style towards themes such as [[messianism]] and irrational human behaviour.<ref>{{Harvnb|Campos|Oviedo|1981|p=299}}</ref> It recreates the [[War of Canudos]], an incident in 19th-century Brazil in which an armed [[millenarian]] cult held off a siege by the national army for months.<ref name="Booker75">{{Harvnb|Booker|1994|p=75}}</ref> As in Vargas Llosa's earliest work, this novel carries a sober and serious theme, and its tone is dark.<ref name="Booker75" /> Vargas Llosa's bold exploration of humanity's propensity to idealize violence, and his account of a man-made catastrophe brought on by fanaticism on all sides, earned the novel substantial recognition.<ref name="Kristal124">{{Harvnb|Kristal|1998|p=124}}</ref> Because of the book's ambition and execution, critics have argued that this is one of Vargas Llosa's greatest literary pieces.<ref name="Kristal124" /> Even though the novel has been acclaimed in Brazil, it was initially poorly received because a foreigner was writing about a Brazilian topic.<ref>{{Harvnb|Setti|1989|p=46}}</ref> The book was also criticized as revolutionary and anti-[[socialist]].<ref name=Setti42/> Vargas Llosa said that this book was his favourite and was his most difficult accomplishment.<ref name=Setti42>{{Harvnb|Setti|1989|p=42}}</ref>

After completing ''The War of the End of the World'', Vargas Llosa began to write novels that were significantly shorter than many of his earlier books. In 1983, he finished ''The Real Life of Alejandro Mayta'' (''{{lang|es|Historia de Mayta}}'', 1984).<ref name="Kristal140"/> The novel focuses on a leftist insurrection that took place on 29 May 1962, in the [[Andes|Andean]] city of [[Jauja]].<ref name="Kristal140"/> Later the same year, during the [[Sendero Luminoso]] uprising, Vargas Llosa was asked by President [[Fernando Belaúnde Terry]] to join the Investigatory Commission, a task force to inquire into the massacre of eight journalists at the hands of the villagers of [[Uchuraccay]].<ref>{{Harvnb|Kristal|1998|pp=150–151}}</ref> The commission's main purpose was to investigate the murders to provide information regarding the incident to the public.<ref name="Kristal151">{{Harvnb|Kristal|1998|p=151}}</ref> Following his involvement with the Investigatory Commission, Vargas Llosa published a series of articles to defend his position in the affair.<ref name="Kristal151"/> In 1986, he completed his next novel, ''Who Killed {{lang|es|Palomino Molero}}?'' (''{{lang|es|¿Quién mató a Palomino Molero?}}''), which he began writing shortly after the end of the Uchuraccay investigation.<ref name="Kristal151"/> Though the plot of this [[Mystery (fiction)|mystery novel]] is similar to the tragic events at Uchuraccay, literary critic Roy Boland points out that it was not an attempt to reconstruct the murders, but rather a "literary exorcism" of Vargas Llosa's own experiences on the commission.<ref>{{Harvnb|Boland|Harvey|1988|p=164}}</ref> The experience also inspired one of Vargas Llosa's later novels, ''[[Death in the Andes]]'' (''{{lang|es|Lituma en los Andes}}''), originally published in 1993 in Barcelona.<ref name="franco56" /> In the spring of 1988, Vargas Llosa served as the Jeanette K. Watson Distinguished Visiting Professor at [[Syracuse University]], where he wrote ''A Writer’s Reality {{lang|es|La verdad de las mentiras: ensayos sobre la novela moderna}}'' which was published in 1991 with an introduction by Myron Lichtblau.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Herbert |first1=Geoff |title=Author, Nobel laureate with Syracuse University ties dies at 89 |url=https://www.syracuse.com/entertainment/2025/04/author-nobel-laureate-with-syracuse-university-ties-dead-at-89.html |access-date=24 April 2025 |work=[[Syracuse Post-Standard]] |date=14 April 2025 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Enslin |first1=Rob |title=SU symposium explores legacy of Peruvian author Mario Vargas Llosa Oct. 21 |url=https://news.syr.edu/blog/2011/10/13/mario-vargas-llosa/ |access-date=24 April 2025 |work=[[Syracuse University News]] |date=13 October 2011}}</ref>

It was almost 20&nbsp;years before Vargas Llosa wrote another major work: ''[[The Feast of the Goat]]'' (''{{lang|es|La fiesta del chivo}}''), a [[political thriller]], was published in 2000 (and in English in 2001). According to Williams, it is Vargas Llosa's most complete and most ambitious novel since ''The War of the End of the World''.<ref name="Williams267">{{Harvnb| Williams |2001|p=267}}</ref> Critic Sabine Koellmann sees it in the line of his earlier novels such as ''Conversation in The Cathedral'' depicting the effects of authoritarianism, violence and the abuse of power on the individual.<ref name="Koellmann239ff">{{Harvnb| Koellmann |2002|pp=239 ff}}.</ref> Based on the dictatorship of [[Rafael Trujillo]], who governed the [[Dominican Republic]] from 1930 until his assassination in 1961, the novel has three main strands: one concerns Urania Cabral, the daughter of a former politician and Trujillo loyalist, who returns for the first time since leaving the Dominican Republic after Trujillo's assassination 30&nbsp;years earlier; the second concentrates on the assassination itself, the conspirators who carry it out, and its consequences; and the third and final strand deals with Trujillo himself in scenes from the end of his regime.<ref name="Williams267"/> The book quickly received positive reviews in Spain and Latin America<ref>{{Harvnb| Williams |2001|p=268}}</ref> and is regarded as one of Vargas Llosa's best works.<ref name="Williams267"/>

In 2003, he wrote ''[[The Way to Paradise]]'' in which he studies [[Flora Tristan]] and [[Paul Gauguin]]. In 2006, Vargas Llosa wrote ''[[The Bad Girl]]'' (''{{lang|es|Travesuras de la niña mala}}''), which journalist Kathryn Harrison argues is a rewrite (rather than simply a recycling) of [[Gustave Flaubert]]'s ''[[Madame Bovary]]'' (1856).<ref>{{Harvnb|Harrison|2007}}</ref> In Vargas Llosa's version, the plot relates the decades-long obsession of its narrator, a Peruvian expatriate in Paris, with a woman with whom he first fell in love when both were teenagers. In 2019 he published the novel ''[[Harsh Times (novel)|Harsh Times]]'' (''{{lang|es|Tiempos recios}}''), about the [[1954 Guatemalan coup d'état|1954 coup in Guatemala]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.latinamericanliteraturetoday.org/en/2020/february/tiempos-recios-mario-vargas-llosa|title=Tiempos recios by Mario Vargas Llosa|date=15 February 2020|website=Latin American Literature Today}}</ref> In 2023, Vargas Llosa announced that he would publish his final novel, ''{{lang|es|Le dedico mi silencio}}'' (''I Give You My Silence''), and retire.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Jones |first1=Sam |title=Mario Vargas Llosa says latest novel will be his last |url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2023/oct/26/mario-vargas-llosa-latest-novel-will-be-last |access-date=14 April 2025 |work=The Guardian |date=26 October 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Rodenas de Moya |first1=Domingo |title='I dedicate my silence to you': Vargas Llosa returns to Peru with his last novel before retiring |url=https://english.elpais.com/culture/2023-10-31/i-dedicate-my-silence-to-you-vargas-llosa-returns-to-peru-with-his-last-novel-before-retiring.html |access-date=14 April 2025 |work=EL PAÍS English |date=31 October 2023 |language=en-us}}</ref>