South American Writer Mario Vargas Llosa Named Winner of 2010 Nobel Prize in Literature

Since 1901, the Nobel Committee has honored the most notable men and women in the fields of science, medicine, economics, peace and literature. As a legacy from inventor and industrialist Alfred Nobel's will has honored the likes of John Steinbeck, Toni Morrison, William Faulkner, and Ernest Hemingway. The 2010 winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature is Mario Vargas Llosa, the Peruvian-Spanish writer whose works include The Time of the Hero and Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter.

Born in Arequipa, Peru in 1936, Vargos Llosa began his career as a journalist after graduating from Leoncio Prado Military Academy. By 1953, he has enrolled in Lima's National University at San Marcos where he studied law and literature. Within four years, he began focusing on his literary career. His first novel, The Time of the Hero, was published in 1963. Vargos Llosa's gift for writing extended to other forms. In the 1970s, he published a study of Nobel Laureate Garcia Marquez. Vargos often addressed social and political ills in his work and at times ventured into the realm of parody and comedy. In the 1980s and 1990s, he dabbled with historical fiction with the publication of his fourth novel, The War at the End of the World, and mysteries, such as Death in the Andes. The author, essayist and journalist has continued to produce novels and studies through the last decade.

From 1952 to 2009, Vargos Llosa has produced an incredible body of work. With over 30 novels, plays, and essays to his credit, it is not surprising that he is one of the most acclaimed writers in the world. His work proves tha the is a master storyteller, who weaves in various elements of self determination and struggle into his characters and settings.

In 1995, he was awarded the Spanish-speaking world's most distinguished literary honor. The Cervantes Prize. In 2008, he was awarded the Stellfox Visiting Scholar and Writers Award.

Vargas Llosa earning the prestigious Nobel Prize in literature is the first time in almost three decades that the honor was awarded to a South American writer. The gifted Vargas Llosa will receive his award on December 10^th, which is the 109^th anniversary of Alfred Nobel's death.