U-turn After Patricia Llosa's Firm Decision, Mario Vargas Llosa's Wife

The literary world is in mourning after the loss of the giant Mario Vargas Llosa. However, amid the grief, it has been his wife, Patricia Llosa, along with their children, who have taken the reins of the situation with surprising determination. The family has announced a firm decision regarding the final farewell to the Nobel Prize winner: there will be no public ceremonies.

This unexpected turn of events contrasts with the magnitude of Vargas Llosa's figure, from whom a massive funeral was expected so that his admirers could pay tribute. What has motivated Patricia Llosa to reject a public event for a universal figure like Vargas Llosa?

U-turn After Patricia Llosa's Firm Decision to Avoid a Public Ceremony

The Loss of Mario Vargas Llosa marks the end of an era in Hispanic American literature. Since he rose as a figure of the Latin American "boom," sharing status with Gabriel García Márquez, Julio Cortázar, or Carlos Fuentes, his name has been synonymous with narrative excellence.

The writer, born in Arequipa in 1936, kept a notable intellectual activity until his last years, despite the progressive deterioration of his health. He resided in Lima since his breakup with Isabel Preysler and had rekindled the bond with Patricia Llosa, the woman with whom he shared five decades of marriage and three children.

His last birthday, this past March 28, was spent in private. Despite the author's international relevance, the details of his last days have been kept in the strictest privacy.

His passing has been managed with equal discretion by his family, who have followed to the letter the instructions left by the author. This intimate approach, unexpected for a figure of his stature, is consistent with the last years of a man who, after decades of media prominence, chose seclusion and tranquility.

"There will be no public ceremony." This was the emphatic statement included in the official statement signed by Álvaro Vargas Llosa on behalf of the family. A sober text, full of emotion and respect, that closes the door to any institutional or media act.

"With deep sorrow, we release that our father, Mario Vargas Llosa, has passed away today in Lima, surrounded by his family and in peace," it begins. "Our mother, our children, and we ourselves trust to have the space and privacy to say goodbye to him as a family, in the company of close friends. His remains, as was his will, will be cremated," they added.

This decision marks an unexpected turn in the public narrative of Vargas Llosa's death. Against the expectation of a solemn funeral, perhaps in Madrid, Paris, or Lima, with readers bidding him farewell en masse, his family has opted for an intimate act.

A Delicate Last Year with Patricia Llosa

In the last year, Mario Vargas Llosa's health had experienced a notable deterioration, which had drastically reduced his public appearances. His last visit to Spain was last summer, where he was seen walking with the help of a cane.

His love for Spain was well-known, a country where he spent long periods and was part of one of the most media-covered romantic relationships with Isabel Preysler. However, his longest-lasting love story was with Patricia Llosa, whom he married in 1965 and with whom he formed a large family.

During the Nobel Prize ceremony in 2010, Vargas Llosa dedicated some emotional words to Patricia. "Without her, my life would have dissolved long ago in a chaotic whirlwind and Álvaro, Gonzalo, Morgana, nor the six grandchildren would have been born. She does everything well," he commented.

Their separation was dated in 2015, after 50 years of marriage, motivated by his relationship with Isabel Preysler. However, fate wanted Vargas Llosa and Patricia to reunite after his breakup with the socialite in 2022. This made Patricia once again occupy a central place in the writer's life in his last years.

There is no doubt that the loss of Mario Vargas Llosa leaves an immense void in the literary world, but also a final message marked by simplicity. Patricia Llosa, firm and serene, has decided along with her children to respect the Nobel's will to the end. Is this the last act of love toward a man whose public life was intense, but who chose intimacy for his final farewell?