Talking about successful people

In class, the teacher has assigned a Project to the students. This Project has to be in pairs.
Joao and Julius decided to work together. They agreed to meet after class.

A. Joao: Well, Julius. Let’s meet after class in the cafeteria!

B. Julius: Why don’t we meet at the library?

A. Joao: Ok, it’s a good idea.

B. Julius: Perfect! I have to return the book I borrowed from the library, too.

A. Joao: Which book is it?

B. Julius: Conversation in the Cathedral by Mario Vargas Llosa.

A. Joao: Interesting! What was the book like?

B. Julius: Fantastic! "Conversation in the Cathedral" was definitely a big work of art, my
first book by Vargas Llosa. My friend Miryam suggested it and I loved it. I want to read
some more of his books.

A. Joao: So, you have become a Mario Vargas Llosa fan.

B. Julius: Of course! Ask me any question.

A. Joao: Let me see. Where was he born?

B. Julius: He was born in Arequipa in 1936.

A. Joao: You’re right!

B. Julius: Let me tell you more. His mother told him a lie about his father. She told him that
his father was dead, but, in 1946, his father appeared unexpectedly to take him away
from his mother’s parents. Then, Mario and his parents moved to Lima. As he grew up,
he read books by Dumas and Victor Hugo.

A. Joao: Interesting! He has had a difficult life. How could he achieve his goals?
B. Julius: Well, in fact, some personal episodes have been the inspiration for his novels.
Between 1950 and 1951, he studied in the Leoncio Prado Military Academy, where his
father sent him to forget his literary ambition through military discipline. However, Vargas
Llosa rebelled against his paternal oppression, not only pursuing a writing career, but
also falling in love with his maternal uncle’s sister-in-law Julia Urquidi. Julia was eleven
years older than him. He gained all these experiences to write his novel Aunt Julia and
the Scriptwriter, published in 1977.

A. Joao: I think he has gained a lot of experience.

B. Julius: He also ran for president of Peru, but he lost to Alberto Fujimori. Vargas Llosa
has always been politically engaged. In addition, many of his novels are about society
and power.

A. Joao: Has he won any prizes?

B. Julius: He was awarded with the 2010 Nobel Prize in Literature.

A. Joao: Thank you my friend. All this information really motivates me to read his novels.

B. Julius: Of course! You won’t be disappointed. Let’s meet at the library, then.