[New Release] Nobel Literature Prize Winner Vargas Llosa's 'Conversations at the Cathedral Pub'

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[Asia Economy Reporter Byunghee Park] The Peruvian novelist Mario Vargas Llosa (84), winner of the 2010 Nobel Prize in Literature, published this novel in 1969. It has been translated and published in Korea for the first time. It is the 79th-80th book in the Changbi World Literature series.

The novel is set during the military dictatorship of President Manuel Odr?a, who ruled Peru from 1948 to 1956. The protagonist, Santiago Zavala, grows from a youth into an adult during Odr?a's military dictatorship.

Santiago's father, Ferm?n Zavala, colluded with the Odr?a regime to gain enormous profits. Thanks to this, Santiago grew up in a comfortable life but developed resentment toward his father. After entering San Marcos University, which his family opposed, Santiago joins the anti-dictatorship communist student movement. During the student movement, he is arrested by the police and released, after which he becomes independent from his parents. Later, while working as a journalist, Santiago accidentally discovers a secret about his father's sexual identity. His father maintained a secret relationship with Ambrosio, his chauffeur.

Ferm?n is blackmailed by Hortensia, a cabaret singer in Lima known by the nickname "La Musa" because of his sexual identity. Hortensia was the mistress of Cayo Berm?dez, one of the powerful figures in the Odr?a dictatorship, but after being abandoned by Berm?dez and suffering financial hardship, she learned Ferm?n's secret and used it to blackmail him. Ambrosio, the chauffeur, kills Hortensia for Ferm?n and then leaves far away.

The novel is structured as a conversation between the protagonist Santiago, now in his 30s, and Ambrosio at the Catedral bar, where they reminisce about the past. Through the dialogue between Zavala and Ambrosio, the entire story of the novel unfolds.

The book includes a short preface written by Vargas Llosa in June 1998 at the beginning.

Vargas Llosa reveals that during the eight years of the Odr?a dictatorship, the most serious issue was not the various crimes and human rights abuses committed by the regime but the deep-rooted corruption in society. He explains that corruption originating from the center of power spread to all sectors and institutions of society, plunging the lives of Peruvians at the time into ruin. He further states that the cynicism, indifference, resignation, and moral decay prevalent in Peru at the time are the main themes of the novel.

Vargas Llosa says that he has never found writing as difficult as when he wrote "Conversations in the Catedral," and that his attachment to this novel is therefore special. He concludes by saying, "If I had to save only one of my works from a blazing fire, I would choose this one without hesitation."

(Conversations in the Catedral (2 volumes) / Mario Vargas Llosa / Translated by Um Ji-young / Changbi)

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