It is with great joy today that I post the Nobel Prize for Literature has returned to Latin America after a 20 year drought (Mexican Poet, Octavio Paz won in 1990). Mario Vargas Llosa, a Peruvian, won the grand-daddy of all literature prizes last week (for a great article by one of my favorite professors click on the link). Unfortunately, I have not read a lot of his novels. In fact, the only novel that I began to read was "La Ciudad y Los Perros" (The Time of a Hero), to only stop reading it after my father rented the movie, and of course spoiled the ending.
I have read a lot of his criticism of Latin America though. During my graduate years at the University of Arizona, I read a lot of his articles criticizing the intellectual left of Latin America, such as Gabriel Garcia Marquez (Noble Prize Winner 1982) for their ideologies of what Latin America should be. It is always interesting to me how intellectuals in Latin America are perceived. For instance, Vargas Llosa is considered very right-wing, but for American standards, I'd say his views would be considered pretty moderate.
I am also glad the Nobel Committee was able to put political views aside and pick a candidate for their work of art. I say this because, as many literature aficionados would tell you, one of the greatest writers of all-time Jorge Luis Borges was denied a Nobel Prize because of his political views (so the rumor says).
Nevertheless, the Nobel Prize returning to Latin America puts an exclamation mark once again on how great writers of the Spanish language are. It is a triumph for everyone who speaks or loves the Spanish language. Congratulations Mario Vargas Llosa on uniting Latin America once again!
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