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Three Plays
WINNER OF THE NOBEL PRIZE IN LITERATURE
Mario Vargas Llosa, the internationally acclaimed novelist and a cultural and political figure in Peru, explores the complexities of Peruvian society and the writer's imagination in three dramas.
In T he Young Lady from Tacina , history and fiction collide in a 100-year-old woman known as Mamae, as her grand nephew attempts to turn the rich but contradictory stories of her life into a single narrative.
In Kathie and the Hippopotamus , a banker's wife recounts her travel adventures to a writer, but as he embellishes the tales with his own style and tastes, they transform into something altogether new and unexpected.
Finally, in La Chunga , the regulars in a small-town bar trade speculations about what happened between the bar’s female owner, a local pimp, and their shared object of desire, who has disappeared.
Vargas Llorca introduces each play with a foreword that helps to place the action in context.
Mario Vargas Llosa, the internationally acclaimed novelist and a cultural and political figure in Peru, explores the complexities of Peruvian society and the writer's imagination in three dramas.
In T he Young Lady from Tacina , history and fiction collide in a 100-year-old woman known as Mamae, as her grand nephew attempts to turn the rich but contradictory stories of her life into a single narrative.
In Kathie and the Hippopotamus , a banker's wife recounts her travel adventures to a writer, but as he embellishes the tales with his own style and tastes, they transform into something altogether new and unexpected.
Finally, in La Chunga , the regulars in a small-town bar trade speculations about what happened between the bar’s female owner, a local pimp, and their shared object of desire, who has disappeared.
Vargas Llorca introduces each play with a foreword that helps to place the action in context.
224 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 1990
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About the author
Mario Vargas Llosa
535 books9,312 followersJorge Mario Pedro Vargas Llosa, 1st Marquess of Vargas Llosa, more commonly known as Mario Vargas Llosa, was a Peruvian novelist, journalist, essayist, and politician. Vargas Llosa was one of the Spanish language and Latin America's most significant novelists and essayists and one of the leading writers of his generation. Some critics consider him to have had a more substantial international impact and worldwide audience than any other writer of the Latin American Boom. In 2010, he won the Nobel Prize in Literature "for his cartography of structures of power and his trenchant images of the individual's resistance, revolt, and defeat".
Vargas Llosa rose to international fame in the 1960s with novels such as The Time of the Hero (La ciudad y los perros, 1963/1966), The Green House (La casa verde, 1965/1968), and the monumental Conversation in The Cathedral (Conversación en La Catedral, 1969/1975). He wrote prolifically across various literary genres, including literary criticism and journalism. His novels include comedies, murder mysteries, historical novels, and political thrillers. He won the 1967 Rómulo Gallegos Prize and the 1986 Prince of Asturias Award. Several of his works have been adopted as feature films, such as Captain Pantoja and the Special Service (1973/1978) and Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter (1977/1982). Vargas Llosa's perception of Peruvian society and his experiences as a native Peruvian influenced many of his works. Increasingly, he expanded his range and tackled themes from other parts of the world. In his essays, Vargas Llosa criticized nationalism in different parts of the world.
Like many Latin American writers, Vargas Llosa was politically active. While he initially supported the Cuban revolutionary government of Fidel Castro, Vargas Llosa later became disenchanted with its policies, particularly after the imprisonment of Cuban poet Heberto Padilla in 1971, and later identified as a liberal and held anti-left-wing ideas. He ran for the presidency of Peru in 1990 with the center-right Frente Democrático coalition, advocating for liberal reforms, but lost the election to Alberto Fujimori in a landslide.
Vargas Llosa continued his literary career while advocating for right-wing activists and candidates internationally following his exit from direct participation in Peruvian politics. He was awarded the 1994 Miguel de Cervantes Prize, the 1995 Jerusalem Prize, the 2010 Nobel Prize in Literature, the 2012 Carlos Fuentes International Prize, and the 2018 Pablo Neruda Order of Artistic and Cultural Merit. In 2011, Vargas Llosa was made the Marquess of Vargas Llosa by Spanish king Juan Carlos I. In 2021, he was elected to the Académie française.
Vargas Llosa rose to international fame in the 1960s with novels such as The Time of the Hero (La ciudad y los perros, 1963/1966), The Green House (La casa verde, 1965/1968), and the monumental Conversation in The Cathedral (Conversación en La Catedral, 1969/1975). He wrote prolifically across various literary genres, including literary criticism and journalism. His novels include comedies, murder mysteries, historical novels, and political thrillers. He won the 1967 Rómulo Gallegos Prize and the 1986 Prince of Asturias Award. Several of his works have been adopted as feature films, such as Captain Pantoja and the Special Service (1973/1978) and Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter (1977/1982). Vargas Llosa's perception of Peruvian society and his experiences as a native Peruvian influenced many of his works. Increasingly, he expanded his range and tackled themes from other parts of the world. In his essays, Vargas Llosa criticized nationalism in different parts of the world.
Like many Latin American writers, Vargas Llosa was politically active. While he initially supported the Cuban revolutionary government of Fidel Castro, Vargas Llosa later became disenchanted with its policies, particularly after the imprisonment of Cuban poet Heberto Padilla in 1971, and later identified as a liberal and held anti-left-wing ideas. He ran for the presidency of Peru in 1990 with the center-right Frente Democrático coalition, advocating for liberal reforms, but lost the election to Alberto Fujimori in a landslide.
Vargas Llosa continued his literary career while advocating for right-wing activists and candidates internationally following his exit from direct participation in Peruvian politics. He was awarded the 1994 Miguel de Cervantes Prize, the 1995 Jerusalem Prize, the 2010 Nobel Prize in Literature, the 2012 Carlos Fuentes International Prize, and the 2018 Pablo Neruda Order of Artistic and Cultural Merit. In 2011, Vargas Llosa was made the Marquess of Vargas Llosa by Spanish king Juan Carlos I. In 2021, he was elected to the Académie française.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
December 24, 2015
Timing is everything. I read in El País that they are presently staging "Kathie and the Hippopotamos" in Madrid. In my books-to-read bookcase, I came across this trilogy of plays. This collection was directed and translated by David Graham-Young in 1989 at the Gate Theater in Notting Hill, England.
Being a big fan of Vargas Llosa, these plays deliver the witty, intelligent and wide range of story telling. Each play has a forward explaining his views and thoughts which help to set up the action. "The Young Lady from Tacna" has that historical story of a 100-year old woman being written by her young grand nephew. The historical flavour adds to the mood but the outcome is typical Vargas Llosa....with a good twist.
"Kathie and the Hippopotamos" is a brilliant play on reality. The actors interchange several family members which makes it very challenging but creates a highly-charged farce.
"La Chunga" is the Vargas Llosa I am familiar with: smoky bar, the seedy characters including a mysterious woman owner of the bar. Moreinteresting, it includes a character called Lituma, who first appears in "Quién mató a Palomino Molero" also written in the same year, 1986, then again in "Lituma en los Andes" and his latest book, "El hero discreto". The play setting works and can be easily visualized.
I loved these plays. Vargas Llosa takes full advantage of the play setting and sadly, would love to see any of them staged. Almost makes me want to fly to Madrid!
Being a big fan of Vargas Llosa, these plays deliver the witty, intelligent and wide range of story telling. Each play has a forward explaining his views and thoughts which help to set up the action. "The Young Lady from Tacna" has that historical story of a 100-year old woman being written by her young grand nephew. The historical flavour adds to the mood but the outcome is typical Vargas Llosa....with a good twist.
"Kathie and the Hippopotamos" is a brilliant play on reality. The actors interchange several family members which makes it very challenging but creates a highly-charged farce.
"La Chunga" is the Vargas Llosa I am familiar with: smoky bar, the seedy characters including a mysterious woman owner of the bar. Moreinteresting, it includes a character called Lituma, who first appears in "Quién mató a Palomino Molero" also written in the same year, 1986, then again in "Lituma en los Andes" and his latest book, "El hero discreto". The play setting works and can be easily visualized.
I loved these plays. Vargas Llosa takes full advantage of the play setting and sadly, would love to see any of them staged. Almost makes me want to fly to Madrid!
December 30, 2018
Una experiencia interesante leer estas tres obras teatrales escritas por el premio nobel MVLL. Mi favorita fue la señorita de Tacna. Kathie and the hippopotamus me pareció muy complicada, no me enganchó y es por ello que no lo acabé, mientras que la Chunga si me pareció interesante y me gustó. Espero seguir leyendo más obras de este autor.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews