22 moments

1. Birth in Arequipa

   1936-03-28 · Arequipa, Peru

   

   Mario Vargas Llosa was born in Arequipa, beginning the life of the Peruvian novelist, essayist, journalist, and later political candidate.

2. Move to Lima

   1946-01-01 · Lima, Peru

   At age ten, Vargas Llosa moved to Lima, where he met his father for the first time and later attended school. Coordinates represent central Lima; the source does not identify his exact residence at the time of the move.

3. Cadet at Leoncio Prado

   1950-01-01 · Leoncio Prado Military Academy, Callao, Peru

   Vargas Llosa attended the Leoncio Prado Military Academy in Callao as a teenager, an experience that later informed The Time of the Hero. The year is derived from his documented birth date and stated age of fourteen; the source does not supply a calendar year in this sentence.

4. Enrollment at San Marcos

   1953-01-01 · National University of San Marcos, Lima, Peru

   

   He enrolled at Lima's National University of San Marcos to study law and literature, beginning his university education in the capital.

5. Study scholarship in Madrid

   1958-01-01 · Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain

   After graduating from San Marcos, Vargas Llosa received a scholarship to study at the Complutense University of Madrid. The evidence establishes study in Madrid in 1958 but does not provide an arrival date.

6. Arrival and residence in Paris

   1960-01-01 · Paris, France

   After his Madrid scholarship expired, Vargas Llosa went to France and remained in Paris with Julia Urquidi, where he wrote prolifically. Coordinates represent central Paris.

7. Lecturer at King's College London

   1969-01-01 · King's College London, Strand Campus, London, United Kingdom

   Vargas Llosa taught Spanish American Literature at King's College London before becoming a full-time writer. The source supports a 1969–1970 appointment; this card is dated to its first documented year.

8. Doctorate at Complutense

   1971-01-01 · Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain

   Vargas Llosa received his doctorate in Philosophy and Letters at the Complutense University of Madrid, with a thesis later published as García Márquez: historia de un deicidio. The Spanish source states that he obtained the doctorate at the university in 1971; no exact ceremony date is supplied.

9. Bellas Artes encounter

   1976-02-12 · Palacio de Bellas Artes, Mexico City, Mexico

   Vargas Llosa was at Mexico City's Palacio de Bellas Artes for the premiere of Sobrevivientes de los Andes, where his rupture with Gabriel García Márquez occurred.

10. Simón Bolívar Professor at Cambridge

    1977-01-01 · University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom

    

    Vargas Llosa served as Simón Bolívar Professor at the University of Cambridge during the 1977/78 academic year. The university source identifies the 1977/78 academic-year professorship; coordinates represent the University of Cambridge.

11. Uchuraccay commission assembly

    1983-02-11 · Uchuraccay, Huanta Province, Ayacucho, Peru

    As president of the government-appointed Investigatory Commission, Vargas Llosa was present for a communal assembly in Uchuraccay while the commission investigated the killing of journalists. Coordinates are a representative point for the village of Uchuraccay.

12. Visiting professor at Syracuse

    1988-01-01 · Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York, United States

    Vargas Llosa served as the Jeanette K. Watson Distinguished Visiting Professor at Syracuse University in the spring of 1988. The source supplies the season and year, but not precise dates.

13. Freedom conference address

    1990-08-30 · Mexico City, Mexico

    Following his presidential-election defeat, Vargas Llosa attended and addressed Mexico's conference The 20th Century: The Experience of Freedom. The source calls the venue Mexico but does not name a building; coordinates represent central Mexico City.

14. Boston University commencement keynote

    1992-03-04 · Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts, United States

    Vargas Llosa delivered Boston University's commencement keynote, urging graduates to uphold liberty and oppose discrimination and violence. Boston University's timeline dates this entry March 4, 1992.

15. Royal Spanish Academy inauguration

    1996-01-15 · Real Academia Española, Madrid, Spain

    Vargas Llosa formally took his seat in the Royal Spanish Academy, delivering his admission speech Las discretas ficciones de Azorín.

16. Nobel Lecture

    2010-12-07 · Swedish Academy, Börshuset, Stockholm, Sweden

    Vargas Llosa delivered his Nobel Lecture, In Praise of Reading and Fiction, at the Swedish Academy in Stockholm.

17. Nobel Prize award ceremony

    2010-12-10 · Stockholm Concert Hall, Stockholm, Sweden

    Vargas Llosa received his Nobel Medal and Diploma from King Carl XVI Gustaf at the Nobel Prize Award Ceremony. The Nobel Foundation gallery identifies the event as the 2010 award ceremony at Stockholm Concert Hall.

18. Universitario tribute

    2011-02-02 · Estadio Monumental, Lima, Peru

    Vargas Llosa was honored as an honorary member of Universitario de Deportes before a crowd at Lima's Monumental Stadium. The article was published February 3 and describes the tribute as occurring the previous night.

19. Return to Peru

    2023-01-01 · Lima, Peru

    Vargas Llosa chose to return to his native Peru as he retired from writing novels after publication of Le dedico mi silencio. The article establishes his return to Peru in 2023 but does not provide a specific arrival date or city; Lima is used as a representative coordinate.

20. Académie Française induction

    2023-02-09 · Institut de France, Paris, France

    Vargas Llosa read an address and took possession of seat 18 at the Académie Française, becoming its first member whose work was exclusively in a foreign language. Coordinates identify the Institut de France on Quai de Conti, the site of the Académie Française ceremony.

21. Hospitalization in Madrid

    2023-07-07 · Hospital Ruber Internacional, Madrid, Spain

    After a COVID-19 hospitalization, Vargas Llosa was discharged from Madrid's Hospital Ruber Internacional. The report identifies Hospital Ruber Internacional; coordinates represent its Madrid location.

22. Death in Lima

    2025-04-13 · Lima, Peru

    Vargas Llosa died in Lima at age 89, ending a literary career that had made him one of the leading writers of the Latin American Boom. Coordinates approximate the documented Malecón Paul Harris–Jirón Las Magnolias area of his final Lima residence.