The Profundity of First Love

In the 1960s and 1970s, Latin American literature experienced an unexpected but welcome boost when a group of young and upcoming writers earned global acclaim and recognition, hence, placing Latin American literature in the global limelight. This group, boasting some of the most prominent names in contemporary Latin American, if not global literature, contributed some of the most germane works in the global literary canon. Their works revolutionized contemporary Latin American literature through their innovative writing that pushed the boundaries of storytelling as we know it by integrating elements of magical realism, modernism, and even political activism in their exploration of a myriad of themes and subjects, with the Latin American identity as its core. This movement would eventually be called the Boom Latinoamericano or the Latin American Boom.

Undeniably, the movement’s influences on modern Latin American literature and world literature as a whole transcend time. The movement’s core group is comprised of a quartet of literary mavericks. 1982 Nobel Laureate in Literature Gabriel García Márquez’s Cien años de soledad, published in 1967, is one of the early works that marked the advent of the key literary movement. Translated into English One Hundred Years of Solitude, it would be recognized as one of the most germane works in the canon, not only of Latin American and Spanish literature but of world literature as a whole. Argentine writer Julio Cortázar’s Rayuela (1963; Hopscotch) furthered the movement. It is also the first of the Boom novels to gain global recognition. Over in Mexico, Carlos Fuentes’ La muerte de Artemio Cruz (1962; The Death of Artemio Cruz) is a modern classic. Fuentes and Cortázar were also part of the perennial discussion for the Nobel Prize in Literature although neither gained the recognition.

Completing the quartet of key Boom writers is Jorge Mario Pedro Vargas Llosa. Hailing from Peru, he made his literary debut in 1963 with La ciudad y los perros. It was an immediate sensation, earning the former journalist several prestigious prizes, including the 1963 Premio de la Crítica Española. Translated into English as The Time of the Hero, it also catapulted Vargas Llosa to global recognition, marking the ascent of a new literary voice. It would also be heralded as one of the hallmarks of the Latin American Boom. Vargas Llosa followed up his sensational debut with equally compelling stories that further underscored his status as one of the foremost contemporary Latin American writers. The diversity and the vast extent of his oeuvre earned him the Swedish Academy nod in 2010 for “his cartography of structures of power and his trenchant images of the individual’s resistance, revolt, and defeat.”

An office had been set up for him in the concierge’s cubbyhole. In this tiny room, with a low ceiling and walls badly damaged by the dampness and by the ravages of time and desecrated by countless graffiti, there was now a monumental wooden desk, so dilapidated that it was about to fall apart, but nonetheless as imposing as the enormous typewriter rumbling away on it. The outsize dimensions of the desk and the Remington literally swallowed up the little runt. He had put a couple of cushions on the seat of his chair, but even so, his face came up no higher than the keyboard, so that he was typing away with his hands at eye level, thus causing him to appear to be boxing.

Mario Vargas Llosa, Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter

Among his other significant works is La tía Julia y el escribidor. Originally published in 1977, it was made available to Anglophone readers in 1982 as Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter. Set in 1950s Peru, the novel was narrated by an 18-year-old university student named Marito Varguitas; he was variously called Mario or Varguitas. When the story commenced, Marito introduced himself as an eighteen-year-old student who was also writing news bulletins for Radio Panamerica, the lesser of Lima’s two radio stations owned by the Genaro family. Marito is residing with his maternal grandparents, with whom his parents left him; his parents have moved to the United States. Marito then splits his time between Lima and Miraflores where he was raised. Marito was also a consummate lover of literature who aspired to be a writer. However, only his best friend Javier, knows about his passions.

Meanwhile, Marito’s family had designs for him to become a lawyer. The dutiful grandson was prompted to study law at the University of San Marcos. While legal studies barely hold his interest, he manages to get by and even forges useful acquaintances and friendships. Marito’s life took a turn when he struck a friendship with Pedro Camacho, an odd-looking man from Bolivia. He was hired by Radio Panamerica to be a scriptwriter for their radio serials; he was the titular scriptwriter. Camacho is a talented writer whose soap operas sweep Lima. Rarely running out of literary inspiration, he worked tirelessly for eighteen hours daily crafting stories. His dedication to and passion for his craft is beyond compare, earning the younger man’s admiration. However, what he possesses in abundance as a writer is in stark contrast to what he lacks, social skills. Nevertheless, Camacho and Marito forged an unusual friendship which inspired Marito to strive to be a better writer.

The friendship between Marito and Camacho forms one of the novel’s two major plotlines. The other half and the crux of the story was the arrival of the other titular character. Julia was the sister of Marito’s aunt by marriage. Thirty-two years old and recently divorced, Julia moved from Bolivia to Peru and stayed with Marito’s Aunt Olga and Uncle Lucho. When he first met her, Marito didn’t have a favorable impression of “Aunt” Julia. However, his dislike for Aunt Julia was soon eroded by her beauty and charm. It transforms into one of admiration and, eventually, passion. With Marito faithfully visiting his Uncle’s house weekly, interactions with Aunt Julia were inevitable, and perhaps serendipitous. Slowly, he warms up to her, her beauty irresistible. As the attraction grew, he stole a kiss on the dance floor, stunning her. She was resistant to the idea of romance: ”Me, seducing a kid? Never!”

This did not hamper him from pursuing her, gradually opening his heart to her. He tells her of his biggest aspirations: running away to France and living in obscurity, devoting his life to the pursuit of writing and literature. They started going to the movies together. Slowly but surely, Marito and Aunt Julia fall madly deep in love. It was brimming with passion, transcending the boundaries of age. But as fate would have it, obstacles stand in their way. They had to keep their whirlwind love affair under wraps, far from the prying eyes of Marito’s tightly knit family. Beyond their age gap, Marito’s family disapproved of their scandalous relationship. which they deemed incestuous because of their proximity. Nevertheless, the palpable objection of Marito’s family did not hamper them from pursuing their love affair. Their forbidden romance blossoms and they are both willing to fight for their love.

From the most crowded section of the southern grandstand, an apparition suddenly emerged – black, thin, very tall, one enormous tooth – nimbly scaled the fence, and rushed out onto the playing field uttering incomprehensible cries. The people in the stands were less surprised to see that the man was nearly naked – all he had on was a tiny loincloth – than they were to see that his body was covered, from head to foot, with scars. A collective gasp shook the stands; everyone realized that the tattooed man intended to kill the referee. There could be no doubt of it: the shrieking giant was running straight toward the idol of the world of soccer, who, totally absorbed in his art, had not seen him and was going on modeling the match.

Mario Vargas Llosa, Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter

As Marito and Julia fight for their love, what ensues is a desperate but often times comedic adventure. Despite the resounding objections, they scoured the country trying to get married without the necessary parental consent. At one point, they attempted to find a bribeable mayor to formalize their union. Their attempts at elopement and marriage were on the cusp of absurdity. However, all secrets eventually come to light. When Marito’s family uncovered their affair, they started plotting their break up. But Marito was adamant, responding to his family’s challenge by proposing to Aunt Julia. The escalation of drama and the drizzles of comedy is reminiscent of the soap operas that Camacho writes. Latin American soap operas and radio serials, after all, have the reputation of being both melodramatic and absurd, bordering on comic.

In crafting his seventh novel, Vargas Llosa did not look too far. The love story between Marito and Julia was molded from his own first love affair; the novel is a roman à clef. Aunt Julia is fleshed out of  Julia Urquidi Illanes, his maternal uncle’s sister-in-law. At the age of nineteen, Vargas Llosa married Urquidi. Shortly after their marriage, Vargas Llosa commenced his literary career. Assuming the role of Marito, Vargas Llosa conveyed how, ten years into the future, Marito has become a successful writer living in Spain. However, the road to success is not always easy. He won some and lost some. Marito and Aunt Julia have divorced, like how Vargas Llosa and Urquidi divorced ten years into their marriage. The esteemed writer eventually married his first cousin, Patricia Llosa.

Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter, however, does not reduce itself to a mere May-December romance story. As the story alternates between the love story of Marito and Julia and Camacho’s soap operas, the novel explores the complexities of writing. The interjection of Camacho’s works adds layers to the story because the novel is a satire of the radio serials prevalent during the period. To be fair, Camacho’s soap operas immediately developed their own flock of followers; they were sensations, underscoring why he was imported by the Genaro family. However, Camacho soon fell victim to his own doing. As fatigue settled in, his works became increasingly bizarre, integrating elements such as his fear of aging, his constipation, and even advocating for masturbation for actors and priests. His scripts showed his intense dislike of Argentines, instigating diplomatic protests which he dismissed. Nevertheless, as Camacho encroaches on the bizarre, Vargas Llosa provides a glimpse into the vast landscape of a writer’s imagination.

As Camacho declines, he falls into an abyss of madness, and his works, getting stranger with every new episode, start to confuse his listeners. Meanwhile, Marito’s writing starts to take flight. When we first meet him, Marito’s aspirations to become a writer were merely his own (and Javier’s, and eventually, Julia’s). The arrival of Camacho slowly altered his perspective as he became drawn into Camacho’s world; not all manifestations of love in the novel were romantic. Camacho was one of the catalysts he needed to spur his creative side. At the start, Camacho was the antithesis of Marito. Camacho had a well of literary inspirations, a stark contrast with Marito’s lack of inspiration. The young man struggled to write a sensational or even just compelling story. Marito would start to write but struggled to complete it. Camacho need not have to concern himself with the same issue.

I explained to her that love didn’t exist, that it was the invention of an Italian named Petrarch and the Provencal troubadours. That what people thought was a crystal-clear outpouring of emotions, a pure effusion of sentiment, was merely the instinctive desire of cats in heat hidden beneath the poetic words and myths of literature. I didn’t really believe a word of what I was saying and was simply trying to impress her. My erotico-biological theory, however, left Aunt Julia quite skeptical: did I honestly believe such nonsense?

Mario Vargas Llosa, Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter

The novel astutely examines the factors for Marito’s lack of literary inspiration. What was holding him back from fully showcasing his talent was his inexperience and his naiveté. This lack of experience about the world and life holds him back from writing. It is at this critical juncture that Camacho entered his life. Camacho was germane in developing Marito’s writing prowess as the older man showed him how to tell stories. He also equipped him with the necessary skills to capture these stories in writing. When Camacho’s stories spiral – he would eventually be admitted into a mental institution – Marito’s stories start to take shape. In a way, he found his literary muse in Julia. His love for her fueled his desire to be a successful writer. Both Camacho and Julia then played a germane role in the development of Marito’s writing and prose.

Individually, the three characters provide unique but interesting layers to the story. Each provided depth. Marito’s growth and development, both as a person and writer, was the backbone of the story. He was a canvas that eventually transformed into a rich tapestry through his experiences and the influences of the people around him. Julia, on the other hand, was an independent and witty character. She was also driven by common sense and selflessness. She was captivating and earnest in sharing Marito’s dreams. Pedro Camacho completes the trifecta. He was the personification of the creative, both breathing in and eating writing. He was a caricature at first but his bizarre thought process makes him come alive. But he is not all high and mighty. His loneliness humanizes him.

Indeed, first love, may it be romantic or not, can have a profound impact on us. The wisdom it provides shapes us into better individuals. The Nobel Laureate in Literature captures this in his semiautobiographical novel Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter. With its dual narrative, the novel is a richly textured romance story, a story about the intricacies of writing, and a love letter to the Lima of the author’s youth. The story is about finding and cultivating the inspirations that push the creative mind, manifested through Camacho’s endless creative process and Julia’s selflessness. Meanwhile, Marito was coming of age. He is learning more about himself. He falls in love, in different ways, with both characters. Narrating a decade into the future, Marito pays homage and acknowledges their impact on shaping his career. Overall, in Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter, Mario Vargas Llosa celebrates the power and complexities of first love, creative thinking, and writing.

He was dressed in a black suit that was quite obviously old and threadbare, and a shirt and bow tie with visible stains, but at the same time he gave the impression of being extremely neat, fastidious, and proper with regard to his standard of dress, like those gentlemen in old photographs who appear to be imprisoned in their stiff frock coats and tight-fitting silk hats. He might have been anywhere between thirty and fifty, with oily black shoulder-length hair. His bearing, his movements, his expression appeared to be the absolute contrary of the natural and spontaneous, immediately mindful of an articulated doll, of puppet strings.

Mario Vargas Llosa, Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter
Book Specs

Author: Mario Vargas Llosa
Translator (from Spanish): Helen R. Lane
Publisher: Picador
Publishing Date: October 2007 (March 1977
Number of Pages: 374
Genre: Romance, Literary

Synopsis

Mario Vargas Llosa’s masterful, multilayered novel is set in the Lima, Peru, of the author’s youth, where a young student named Marito is toiling away in the news department of a local radio station. His young life is disrupted by two arrivals.

The first is his aunt Julia, recently divorced and thirteen years older, with whom he begins a secret affair. The second is a manic radio scriptwriter named Pedro Camacho, whose racy, vituperative soap operas are holding the city’s listeners in thrall. Pedro chooses young Marito to be his confidant as he slowly goes insane.

Interweaving the story of Marito’s life with the ever-more-fevered tales of Pedro Camacho, Vargas Llosa’s novel is hilarious, mischievous, and masterful, a classic named one of the books of the year by The New York Times Book Review.

About the Author

To learn more about the Nobel Prize in Literature-winning writer, click here.

Do you think it’s possible to produce offspring and stories at the same time? That one can invent, imagine, if one lives under the threat of syphilis? Women and art are mutually exclusive, my friend. In every vagina an artist is buried. What pleasure is there in reproducing? Isn’t that what dogs, spiders, cats do? We must be original my friend.

Mario Vargas Llosa, Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter