The Guadalajara International Book Fair, considered the largest publishing event in Spanish, paid an emotional farewell to Mario Vargas Llosa, a key figure in the Latin American boom
and a regular presence at this forum since its inception.
In a ceremony filled with memories, readings, and personal anecdotes, colleagues, publishers, and readers evoked the work and personality of the man many consider one of the most important writers in contemporary Spanish-language literature.
The tribute, which bore the meaningful title “El privilegio de apagar la luz” (The Privilege of Turning Off the Light), brought together prominent voices from the Spanish literary world: writers Javier Cercas and Leonardo Padura, publisher Pilar Reyes, and FIL director Marisol Schulz Manaut, moderated by journalist Xavi Ayén. Throughout the session, a poetic portrait of the Peruvian author was drawn, from the admiration of readers to the publishing world, with constant references to how his work influenced several generations of writers in both Europe and Latin America.
