I learned to read at the age of five, in Brother Justiniano's class at the De la Salle Academy in Cochabamba, Bolivia. It is the most important thing that has ever happened to me. Almost seventy years later I remember clearly how the magic of translating the words in books into images enriched my life, breaking the barriers of time and space.
Mario Vargas LlosaRevolution will free society of its afflictions, while science will free the individual of his.
Mario Vargas LlosaI have been always fascinated and seduced by history, which I think is very close, very close to literature.
Mario Vargas LlosaIf you are killed because you are a writer, that's the maximum expression of respect, you know.
Mario Vargas LlosaI always write a draft version of the novel in which I try to develop, not the story, not the plot, but the possibilities of the plot. I write without thinking much, trying to overcome all kinds of self-criticism, without stopping, without giving any consideration to the style or structure of the novel, only putting down on paper everything that can be used as raw material, very crude material for later development in the story.
Mario Vargas Llosa