Vargas Llosa, who died in Lima at age 89, was a protagonist of the Latin American Boom, a chronicler of his time, and a rigorous observer of the human condition

Mario Vargas Llosa, who has died at the age of 89 in his native Peru, was a towering figure in Latin American literature and culture who rarely shied away from controversy.With more than 50 works to his name,

Vargas Llosa’s unparalleled awareness of his craft made him perhaps the most accomplished writer among his contemporaries. His discipline to writing, and to doing so impeccably, was absolute. I interviewed him several times,