Latin America: 'Restraining the Media Brings About Dictatorship'

Everything written by Mario Vargas Llosa is handwritten. Entire novels, essays, and opinion articles come from such a mechanical rhythm, a muscular cadence he claims to need. He has a suspicion that he belongs to the last generation of authors who rely on a notebook and a pen. Further, he advocates book hard copies and does not think that they will disappear. The Peruvian writer spent 24 intense hours in Caracas. He landed at 3 p.m. on Saturday; at 6 p.m. he delivered a press conference. Finally, at 10 p.m. he attended as a V.I.P. member of the audience his play 'Al Pie del Támesis' ('On the Banks of the Thames'), directed by Héctor Manrique. Just before the performance, he made the theater shudder as he was given a standing ovation, greeted and unexpectedly autographed some books. Vargas Llosa waves the banner of a consummate democrat. He is not any more the revolutionary leftist he used to be when he was 'very young.' After a process depicted by him as protracted and traumatic, full of disappointment and breakdown of utopias, he jumps in defense of democracy 'with all its glitches,' as the best political system in any society. He hails the new century leftwing that opted for playing the democratic game, reinforcing democracy, and chides another one that still clings to old schemes that have turned out to be unfruitful.