Nobel literature laureate Mario Vargas Llosa died Sunday at the age of 89 in the Peruvian capital, his family announced on the social network X.
Vargas Llosa's passing marks the close of the era of Latin America's literary golden generation, of which he was the last living member.
"It is with deep sorrow that we announce that our father, Mario Vargas Llosa, passed away peacefully in Lima today, surrounded by his family," wrote his eldest son Alvaro in a message also signed by his siblings Gonzalo and Morgana Vargas Llosa.
Rumors of the writer's deteriorating health had spread in recent months, during which he had been living out of the public eye.
In October, his son Alvaro said he was "on the verge of turning 90, an age when you have to reduce the intensity of your activities a little."
Born into a middle-class Peruvian family, Vargas Llosa was one of the greats of the Latin American literary "boom" of the 1960s and 1970s, along with Colombia's Gabriel Garcia Marquez and Argentina's Julio Cortazar.
The writer's "passing will sadden his relatives, his friends and his readers around the world," the family statement read.
"But we hope that they will find comfort, as we do, in the fact that he enjoyed a long, adventurous and fruitful life, and leaves behind him a body of work that will outlive him."
The family said that "no public ceremony will take place," in accordance with instructions left by Vargas Llosa himself.
"Our mother, our children and ourselves trust that we will have the space and privacy to bid him farewell in the company of family members and close friends," the siblings added.
Vargas Llosa's body will be cremated, in accordance with his wishes, they said.
Peru’s President Dina Boluarte expressed condolences for the death of Mario Vargas Llosa, praising his "intellectual genius" and lasting legacy.
The renowned Peruvian writer, celebrated for works like The City and the Dogs and Conversation in the Cathedral.
Known for his vivid portrayal of social realities, Vargas Llosa's works were translated into 30 languages.
A Francophile, he became the first foreign author in 2016 to join France's Pleiade literary collection.
Bd-Pratidin English/ARK
