I can recommend his Los cachorros ( The Cubs ).
I've read many of his books and I could certainly recommend all of them.
He was an extraordinary writer.
Mario Vargas Llosa has died
11–20 of 84 posts
Re: Mario Vargas Llosa has died
#12He once punched Gabriel García Márquez. I remember learning about this while reading Vargas Llosa as an adolescent, still sounds hard to believe: https://www.theparisreview.org/blog/2019/03/06/when-mario-va...
More details here: https://archive.ph/vabvA (Spanish)
Re: Mario Vargas Llosa has died
#13Recent article on him in the London Review of Books, exploring his rightward turn as he grew older:
https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v47/n05/tony-wood/why-did-he...
Re: Mario Vargas Llosa has died
#14Read him while learning Spanish. Conversación en la Catedral is very saddening, but left long lasting impressions and made me a hint to read on history of South America.
Re: Mario Vargas Llosa has died
#15Recent article on him in the London Review of Books, exploring his rightward turn as he grew older: https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v47/n05/tony-wood/why-did-he...
Fairly biased article:
“In 2018, he celebrated Lula’s imprisonment in Brazil on dubious corruption charges, and the following year exulted in the right-wing coup that deposed Evo Morales in Bolivia. Since then he has voiced his support for far-right candidates such as José Antonio Kast in Chile and Jair Bolsonaro in Brazil…”
“Dubious” charges against Lula? — He was convicted of accepting a seaside apartment as a bribe for helping the OAS construction company get lucrative deals with state oil firm Petrobras.
Did Lula not do that? The claim is that Lula was targeted to keep him out of the election. Seems exactly the motivation for the various charges against Trump. Are charges dubious only when the right does that against the left? Marine Le Pen is another recent example of “dubious” charges being ok as long as it’s only going left against right.
Also Bolsonaro was termed “far right,” but Lula not called “far left?”
Does anyone actually do any neutral reporting or analysis? It seems that anyone to the right of JFK is “far right” while anyone to the left of Marx is “left leaning.”
More importantly, does anyone care any more? Seems like tribalism has gotten much worse over the past few years. The truth is, in the example of Lula is that is is/was very corrupt, but that he’s a leftist seems to excuse that.
Re: Mario Vargas Llosa has died
#16Re: Mario Vargas Llosa has died
#17Recent article on him in the London Review of Books, exploring his rightward turn as he grew older: https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v47/n05/tony-wood/why-did-he...
Fairly biased article: “In 2018, he celebrated Lula’s imprisonment in Brazil on dubious corruption charges, and the following year exulted in the right-wing coup that deposed Evo Morales in Bolivia. Since then he has voiced his support for far-right candidates such as José Antonio Kast in Chile and Jair Bolsonaro in Brazil…” “Dubious” charges against Lula? — He was convicted of accepting a seaside apartment as a brib…
Lula "far left" lol I wish...
Re: Mario Vargas Llosa has died
#18Probably my favorite author of fiction. The feast of the goat (la fiesta del chivo) is at the top of my list if you have not read him.
"La Fiesta del Chivo" brilliantly captures the vibrant essence of Dominican mannerisms and the melodic rhythm of the Spanish accent, instantly transporting me back to the DR. Beyond its rich cultural portrayal, the novel masterfully unfolds its gripping subject matter with unforgettable power.
Que en paz descanze.
Re: Mario Vargas Llosa has died
#19Recent article on him in the London Review of Books, exploring his rightward turn as he grew older: https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v47/n05/tony-wood/why-did-he...
Fairly biased article: “In 2018, he celebrated Lula’s imprisonment in Brazil on dubious corruption charges, and the following year exulted in the right-wing coup that deposed Evo Morales in Bolivia. Since then he has voiced his support for far-right candidates such as José Antonio Kast in Chile and Jair Bolsonaro in Brazil…” “Dubious” charges against Lula? — He was convicted of accepting a seaside apartment as a brib…
Bolsonaro termed "far right" seems to be on the mark though. The guy praises military dictatorship, with many military figures in his government. He targeted the press and judiciary as enemies of the nation, and so on.
Lula hasn't nationalized industries, hasn't seized wealth, or even tried to, so "far left" doesn't seem to be as fitting. Where are the burnt churches?
Now, about corruption, I'm pretty sure neither shine, but that's Brazil for you. Wasn't the Bolsonaro family found to have bought around 50 properties in cash? Smells about as corrupt as the other side, sadly.
Re: Mario Vargas Llosa has died
#20The War of the End of the World, unfortunately the only book I read, but it left a lasting impression. Rest in peace.
Give feast of the goat a shot. It’s still great and a much quicker read.