Mario Vargas Llosa was born on March 28, 1936 in Peru. The parents of the future poet had average income, but soon his father divorced, and little Mario and his mother moved to Cochabamba, where his grandfather, the respected consul of the country, lived. He owned cotton plantations, so Mario had no shortage. In 1946, the parents began to live together again, the family settled in Lima. After graduating from Sunday school, his father sent Mario to the military school named after Leoncio Prado, but
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Mario Vargas Llosa was born on March 28, 1936 in Peru. The parents of the future poet had average income, but soon his father divorced, and little Mario and his mother moved to Cochabamba, where his grandfather, the respected consul of the country, lived. He owned cotton plantations, so Mario had no shortage. In 1946, the parents began to live together again, the family settled in Lima. After graduating from Sunday school, his father sent Mario to the military school named after Leoncio Prado, but he did not like studying there, so, before graduating, he got a job as a journalist in the newspaper La Industria. In 1953 Vargas Llosa began his studies at the Faculty of Philology, but continued his education in Europe, where he received a degree from the University of Madrid and later defended his thesis on the work of Ruben Dario.
In 1960, the writer moved to France with his cousin and common-law wife Julia Urquidi in the hope of obtaining a grant for research in literature. Although he was never granted a grant, Vargas Llosa stayed in Paris as a journalist. After 4 years, the couple broke up, and in 1965 Mario married another cousin – Patricia, who bore him three children. His eldest son, Alvaro Vargas Llosa, also became a writer and publicist.
His first novel, The City and Dogs, appeared in 1963 and laid the foundations for his future popularity. It outlines the real negative impressions of Vargas from studying at a military school. This book became a cult work for the youth of the USSR and was even burned on the parade ground by Leoncio Prado, causing a scandal in Peru. In 1986, the novel was filmed in the USSR under the name Jaguar. For some time, Mario Vargas Llosa lived in Spain and England and led a teaching career (1969-1970), and then decided to closely study literature. In 1971 Vargas Llosa defended his thesis on creativity.