2010 Nobel Literature Laureate Publicly Criticizes China Over COVID-19

Photo by Yonhap News Agency

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Byung-hee] Mario Vargas Llosa (83, photo), a Peruvian novelist and the 2010 Nobel Prize in Literature laureate, strongly criticized the Chinese government regarding the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). China immediately retaliated.

On the 15th (local time), Vargas Llosa wrote a column titled "A Return to the Middle Ages?" for the Peruvian daily La Rep?blica and the Spanish daily El Pa?s. He compared the COVID-19 situation to the Black Death epidemic in medieval Europe. He criticized the Chinese government for trying to conceal the truth about the COVID-19 outbreak, which worsened the situation.

Vargas Llosa pointed out, "At least one prominent doctor, perhaps several, discovered this virus early on," and said the Chinese government, instead of taking appropriate measures, tried to hide the news as all dictatorships do, silenced voices of reason, and tried to prevent the news from spreading.

China immediately responded through its embassy in Peru. The Chinese Embassy in Peru warned Vargas Llosa in a statement, saying, "As a public figure, do not spread irresponsible and biased opinions." They also refuted the phrase "virus from China" at the beginning of the column as "inaccurate." Furthermore, they claimed, "The World Health Organization (WHO) has not yet identified the origin of COVID-19."

Vargas Llosa, well known for works such as "The Green House" and "The Feast of the Goat," is a representative novelist of Latin America. El Pa?s reported that after Vargas Llosa's column was published, his books disappeared from Chinese online bookstores.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.