Nobel laureate in literature, the Peruvian writer Mario Vargas Llosa, was honored in Madrid with a recent Cervantes Prize event that gathered voices from across Latin American letters. The evening celebrated a long arc of journalistic work centered on culture and especially on literary criticism, marking the first volume of a broader study that chronicles six decades of writing and inquiry.
In a conversation led by the editor and featuring a panel including the Colombia native Carlos Granés and the Nicaraguan Sergio Ramírez, the volume Fire of imagination: books, scenes, screens and museums, published in 2023, received its focus. Vargas Llosa reflected on his beginnings as a writer and admitted that many early articles no longer reflect his current views, yet together they form a portrait of a writer in motion. The work spans roughly eight hundred pages and traces the author’s literary life through pieces written over more than twenty years, starting from his earliest readings in Lima.
He noted that a number of texts from past decades do not align with his present stance, but the collection remains a vital author’s record. Its pages reveal a rich, sometimes contradictory past that helps illuminate episodes in Peruvian and Latin American history that deserve renewed attention as time passes.
The discussion touched on Vargas Llosa’s own early entry into writing through schoolyard journalism. He recalled the isolation Peru faced in accessing world literature and the challenge of crossing borders to engage with international works. The author recalled a pivotal moment when he first encountered Borges, a relationship that carried tension with the political currents of his youth yet sparked a lifelong fascination with ideas that seemed to challenge conventional reality and social norms. The narrative underscores how early exposure to global authors helped shape a writer who would later travel, read, and rewrite his own path.
Vargas Llosa recalled a crucial moment in his life when he decided that pursuing writing in Peru could be financially precarious. The dream of traveling to Paris grew alongside a turning point that arrived when he read a classic novel that fueled his belief in the power of fiction. Madame Bovary became a life changing touchstone, giving him both passion for the novel and faith in his vocation as a writer.
Speaking about the contemporary condition of writers in the region, he observed a shift in Latin American culture and politics. A stern right flank, supported in part by military institutions, now presents a different climate for authors, including debates around prizes and recognition. The discourse touched on the political dynamic in Nicaragua, with a reference to national debates surrounding authors and the question of nationality. The conversation highlighted a broader concern that literary life is not equally open to all voices.
Ramírez added his perspective, noting that a central tension in Latin American literary freedom is that liberal rights may be unevenly distributed. He pointed to ongoing debates about democracy and the tension between accountability and dissent that still shape the region. The exchange also signals how modern Peruvians and other Latin Americans view the responsibilities of writers toward social issues, culture, and the shaping of public memory.
Plans for additional volumes of Vargas Llosa’s journalism and essays on literature and art were mentioned, with a focus on more intimate explorations of global concerns, personal journeys, and the people who influenced the author. The forthcoming sections, published by Alfaguara, promise continued engagement with the themes of travel, culture, and the pressures of today’s world.
The event drew the attention of Spanish and Latin American writers living in Madrid who participated in the memory of Vargas Llosa and his work. Names noted in attendance included Rosa Montero, Héctor Abad Facilone, Gioconda Belli and Jorge Eduardo Benavides, who contributed to a two day dialogue celebrating literary life across continents. The gathering underscored the ongoing connection between writers across the Americas and the enduring impact of Vargas Llosa on contemporary storytelling and critical thought. [CITATION: Instituto Cervantes Madrid; remarks and dialogue during the prize event; accompanying essays and interviews.]