The passing of Mario Vargas Llosa at 89 in Lima, Peru, marks the end of an era for Latin America’s literary landscape. A literary giant, Vargas Llosa dedicated his life to dissecting authoritarianism, corruption, and power through his writings and public life, including a presidential run in Peru in 1990.

Vargas Llosa’s literary legacy is built with works like “The War of the End of the World” and “The Feast of the Goat.” He won the 2010 Nobel Prize for Literature for his profound exploration of powerful structures.

However, his legacy is also marked by a public fight with fellow Nobel laureate Gabriel García Márquez. The two literary giants were friends and mutual admirers until a public fallout. This infamous incident took place in Mexico City in 1976 during a film premiere, where Vargas Llosa allegedly punched García Márquez, leaving him to bleed.

The reason behind the fallout remains unclear, with three competing theories. Some attribute it to a personal matter involving Vargas Llosa’s wife, while others cite ideological differences, particularly regarding Fidel Castro’s Cuba.

The feud reportedly lasted four decades before the two reconciled in 2007. Three years later, Vargas Llosa’s Nobel win was a testament to his literary impact. García Márquez had won the Nobel Prize in 1982 for “One Hundred Years of Solitude.”

Vargas Llosa’s Nobel recognition solidified his contribution to literature, mapping the complexities of power and authority.