Death of Mario Vargas Llosa: the giant of Latin American literature died at the age of 89

The Nobel Prize for Hispano-Peruvian Literature Mario Vargas Llosa died this Sunday, April 13, 2025 in Lima at the age of 89, marking the end of an era: that of the golden generation of Latin American literature, of which he was the last big representative.

Born in a family in the Peruvian middle class, Mario Vargas Llosa was one of the great protagonists of the “boom” Latin American literary from the 1960s and 1970s, with the Colombian Gabriel Garcia Marquez and the Argentinian Julio Cortazar.

“It is with deep sadness, that we announce that our father, Mario Vargas Llosa, died today in Lima, surrounded by his family and in peace”announced his son Alvaro in a message on X, also signed by his brother Gonzalo and his sister Morgana.

No ceremony

The family did not specify the time or the causes of his death, but the health of the writer was fragile since his return to the Peruvian capital in 2024, after his departure from Madrid. For the past few months, he had lived back from public life.

“His departure will sadden his loved ones, his friends and his readers all over the world but we hope they will find a consolation, like us, in the fact that he enjoyed a long, multiple and fruitful life”added her children.

Outside the writer’s house, facing the Pacific Ocean, in the Bohème district of Barranco, a small group of people gathered in silence at the announcement of his death, holding copies of his works in hand.

“I did not believe it and I wanted to come near his house because they will not organize vigil”said one of these people, Gustavo Ruiz, on RPP radio.

“No public ceremony will take place”announced the writer’s family, who also indicated that his body would be cremated. “We will carry out in the hours and days to come in accordance with his instructions”she said.

“Intellectual genius”

In a message published on X, the president of Peru Dina Boluarte regretted the death of the writer. “His intellectual genius and his vast work will remain a lasting heritage for future generations.”

The president of Guatemala, Bernardo Arévalo, described on X the writer of “Great columnist for Hispanic America and insightful interpreter of his paths and destinies”.

“Mario Vargas Llosa has died, a master of masters. He leaves us his work, his admiration and his example. He leaves us a way to follow for the future”reacted the former Colombian President Alvaro Uibe on the same network.

Peruvian writer Alfredo Bryce Echenique, author of“A world for Julius” And friend of Mario Vargas Llosa, estimated on RPP radio that his death constituted “Mourning for Peru because no one has represented us as much in the world as him, with his work in general, his tenacity, his purity and his immensity”.

COVVI-19 infection in 2023

Born in the city of Arequipa on March 28, 1936, Mario Vargas Llosa spent her last months surrounded by her family, far from public events.

A few days before his 89th birthday, he appeared in a series of three photos taken in places where he wrote his novels “In the five streets, Lima” (2016) et “I dedicate my silence” (2023).

It was not the first time that his son shared photos of him in places in the capital who had inspired him to write some of his emblematic works.

The health of Vargas Llosa had deteriorated considerably from 2023, after being hospitalized in June due to an infection at COVID-19, while he lived in Spain, a country whose nationality he had obtained in 1993.

Pléiade, French Academy

Admired for his description of social realities, the author of masterpieces Comme “the city and the dogs” or “Conversation in the cathedral” was also criticized by South American intellectual circles for its conservative positions.

Translated into around thirty languages, this Francophile author, who lived in Paris for several years, was the first foreign writer to enter the prestigious collection of the Pléiade in 2016. He was elected to the French Academy in 2021.