Mario Vargas Llosa: Life and Literature Biography Peruvian writer, Mario Vargas Llosa, is known as one of the

most important and influential writers in Latin America and the best of his generation. He was born in Arequipa, Peru in 1936 and early in life had a passion for writing. When his father discovered he was writing poetry, he shipped him off to military school in hopes that he would grow out of his literary dreams. However, by the age of 15 Vargas Llosa was writing for the Lima newspaper La Crnica. In 1959, Vargas Llosa moved to Europe, living in Paris, London and Barcelona, subsequently writing and teaching while abroad. His first novel, The Time of the Hero (1963) was inspired by his time at Leoncio Prado Military Academy. When the novel was published, Vargas Llosas fame soared and it set the stage for a successful career. Throughout his years in Europe he continued to publish more and more creative works depicting and criticizing the social, moral and economic levels in his birthplace of Peru. In 1975, Vargas Llosa returned to Peru. He continued to produce compelling novels and became extremely politically active within his own country as well as other countries of Latin America. Vargas Llosa, who originally supported the Cuban revolution as a young man, began to criticize the administration of Fidel Castro and hosted a political TV show on which he opposed to statists measures that were taken by the president of Peru at the time. He decided to run for President of Peru in 1990 on a conservative ticket. Unfortunately, Vargas Llosa lost the election to Alberto Fujimori. Literature Mario Vargas Llosa has received numerous prestigious literature awards; however the greatest honor was bestowed upon him in 2010 when he became a Nobel Laureate. Vargas Llosas works are comprised of various fictitious short stories and novels that expose political corruption, machismo, racial prejudices and violence. Among his most notable works are: The Bosses (1959) The Time of the Hero (1963) The Green House (1968) Conversation in the Cathedral (1975) Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter (1977) The War of the End of the World (1981) The Feast of the Goat (2000) The Bad Girl (2007)