Mario Vargas Llosa has died • Hacker News Board

Re: Mario Vargas Llosa has died

#51

Post by froidpink » Mon, Apr 14, 2025, 4:01 PM UTC

solarexplorer wrote: post #43

JadeNB wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> The biggest challenge I found reading Vargas Llosa is that section and chapter breaks tend to be infrequent giving fewer opportunities to pause while reading. I don't mean to be snarky, but, seriously, can't you just pause whenever you want? I understand that the lack of breaks mean that the book doesn't define natural points to pause, but it still seems that one can impose such breaks oneself.

Yes, in theory you can pause at any point, but in practice it is not that easy to stop. I remember not hearing the boarding call and losing a flight while reading La fiesta del chivo…

that good eh

Re: Mario Vargas Llosa has died

#52

Post by CalChris » Mon, Apr 14, 2025, 4:04 PM UTC

billfor wrote: post #30

SettembreNero wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

there's nothing dubious about Le Pen, she was found guilty of embezzlement for €3millions of public funds.

It’s not dubious but it’s not equal justice. The head of the IMF, Christine Lagarde, was found guilty of transferring €403 million from EU taxpayers to a certain tycoon, but she did not receive a verdict and now runs the ECB.

Le Pen was convicted of embezzlement for transferring European Parliament funds to run her National Front.

Legarde was convicted of negligence for approving the payout of the two decade long Tapie arbitration.

These are not the same.

Re: Mario Vargas Llosa has died

#53

Post by sbassi » Mon, Apr 14, 2025, 4:12 PM UTC

owebmaster wrote: post #48

tirant wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Many prominent figures in Latin America and Spain turned away from socialist and communist positions after experiencing their effects: Guillermo Cabrera Infante, Octavio Paz (also Nobel Prize), Fernando Savater, Jorge Edwards, Jorge Luis Borges, Teodoro Petkoff...

Where were they from? As a South American I'm having difficult figuring out which country is socialist in this continent. Venezuela?

[flagged]

Re: Mario Vargas Llosa has died

#54

Post by Mainan_Tagonist » Mon, Apr 14, 2025, 4:17 PM UTC

treetalker wrote: post #3

I can recommend his Los cachorros ( The Cubs ).

I acquired that one in Argentina last year, will probably read it next week. I only ever read Lituma en Los Andes and El Sueño del Celta, they were nice enough.

Re: Mario Vargas Llosa has died

#55

Post by agigao » Mon, Apr 14, 2025, 4:25 PM UTC

yaur wrote: post #20

agigao wrote: post #4

The 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.

Will do, thanks for the recommendation.

Re: Mario Vargas Llosa has died

#56

Post by nomdep » Mon, Apr 14, 2025, 4:28 PM UTC

owebmaster wrote: post #48

tirant wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Many prominent figures in Latin America and Spain turned away from socialist and communist positions after experiencing their effects: Guillermo Cabrera Infante, Octavio Paz (also Nobel Prize), Fernando Savater, Jorge Edwards, Jorge Luis Borges, Teodoro Petkoff...

Where were they from? As a South American I'm having difficult figuring out which country is socialist in this continent. Venezuela?

Most (all?) the terrorist groups of Latin America were self-declared marxist/communist, like "Shining Part" in Peru: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shining_Path

Re: Mario Vargas Llosa has died

#57

Post by nomdep » Mon, Apr 14, 2025, 4:37 PM UTC

alanvillalobos wrote: post #5

Probably 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.

He was a hugely talented writer, but I hate all his books because of how depressing they are.

Re: Mario Vargas Llosa has died

#58

Post by urda » Mon, Apr 14, 2025, 4:48 PM UTC

Gift link: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/13/books/review/mario-vargas...

Re: Mario Vargas Llosa has died

#59

Post by pitpatagain » Mon, Apr 14, 2025, 4:52 PM UTC

tirant wrote: post #26

l3x wrote: post #13

Recent 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...

Many prominent figures in Latin America and Spain turned away from socialist and communist positions after experiencing their effects: Guillermo Cabrera Infante, Octavio Paz (also Nobel Prize), Fernando Savater, Jorge Edwards, Jorge Luis Borges, Teodoro Petkoff...

Jorge Luis Borges neither started from a socialist position nor ever experienced the effects of socialism, so I don't know what he's doing on this list.

Re: Mario Vargas Llosa has died

#60

Post by next_xibalba » Mon, Apr 14, 2025, 4:52 PM UTC

ses1984 wrote: post #35

next_xibalba wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The media's use of the the term "far right" for democratically elected politicians is actually a really useful tell. They are unintentionally signaling how biased they are. Either: "This politician, who received millions of votes is very far right of me (I am very far to the left)." Or: "I am the center of the left-right spectrum, and this politician who received millions of votes is quite a ways to the right of me (…

if someone is democratically elected they can’t have en extreme ideology?

Extreme relative to what? The left-right framework is purely arbitrary and relative. I would argue the center should be set at the political views of the average voter. If 50% of voters elect a politician, I would then argue the candidate is quite close to the “center”.