Mario Vargas Llosa FKC

Mario Vargas Llosa, Nobel Prize-winning author and a former King’s lecturer, passed away in April 2025 at the age of 89.

A towering literary figure with more than 50 works to his name, Mario will be remembered for his phenomenal contribution to Latin American literature and culture.

Early chapters

Mario was born in Peru in 1936. When his parents separated, he moved to Bolivia to live with his great-grandparents. At the age of 16, Mario moved back to Peru and wrote his first play, The Escape of the Inca.

As a teenager, Mario spent two years at the Leoncio Prado Military Academy. This experience would inspire his debut novel, The Time of the Hero (published in 1962), which depicts corruption and abuse at a Peruvian military school.  

Mario graduated from Lima’s National University of San Marcos with a degree in Law and Literature. He would later go on to study in Spain, before moving to Paris.

Launching the Latin American Boom

In 1965, Mario published his second novel, The Green House. Set in the Peruvian desert and jungle, the novel explores themes of conflict, religion and sexuality.

The Green House received immediate acclaim. Mario quickly became a star of the Latin American Boom literary movement (1960s and 70s), categorised by experimental and explicitly political work. Other major names of the movement included the prolific Gabriel García Márquez, with whom Mario shared a turbulent friendship.

In the late 60s and early 70s, Mario’s literary talents led him to King’s, where he lectured on Spanish American Literature.

Political pursuits

As reflected in his early work, Mario was initially sympathetic towards left-wing ideas. However, he grew more and more disillusioned with Latin American revolutionary causes. In 1990, Mario unsuccessfully ran for Peruvian presidency with a centre-right party.

A divinely gifted storyteller

Mario won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2010. Described by judges as ‘a divinely gifted storyteller’ he received particular praise for The Feast of the Goat (2000). The novel focuses on the assassination of Dominican dictator, Rafael Trujillo.

Mario spent his later years in Peru and Madrid. Throughout his life, he continued using his gift for the written word to expose state corruption and challenge abuses of power. Though gone, his legacy lives on through his extraordinary body of work. Our thoughts are with his family and loved ones.

Details for this obituary were taken from the BBC website.