has continued to work steadily--his most recent novel, "The Bad Girl" (2007), is an updating of sorts of "Madame Bovary"--he hasn't published a truly significant literary work since 1981's "The War of the End of the World." In part, suggests Ilan Stavans, editor of "The Norton Anthology of Latino Literature" and a professor at Amherst College, this has to do with his immersion in politics, which culminated with his unsuccessful 1990 run for the Peruvian presidency. "When it comes to Vargas Llosa," Stavans says, "there are really two careers: before and after the election. Before, he was a writer and an apprentice politician; literature was his obsession. Afterward, it was no longer fiction that mattered to him. He became a first-rate essayist instead."from David L. Ulin: Los Angeles Times: Critic's Notebook: Mario Vargas Llosa's work and life push boundaries
then David L. Ulin: Los Angeles Times: Critics Notebook: Literature as a competitive sport
~~~~~~~~~~~
No comments :
Post a Comment