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Available
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Publication
Avon (1986), Paperback, 374 pages
Description
Reality merges with fantasy in this hilarious comic novel about the world of radio soap operas and the pitfalls of forbidden passion by the bestselling author of The Storyteller. Sexy, sophisticated, older Aunt Julia, now divorced, seeks a new mate who can support her in high style. She finds instead her libidinous nephew, and their affair shocks both family and community.
User reviews
LibraryThing member kidzdoc
This semi-autobiographical novel describes the mid-1950s love affair between the teenaged Llosa and his Aunt Julia, an attractive Bolivian divorcée who has come to Lima to stay with her sister and brother-in-law (the author's uncle), while she looks for a wealthy husband. "Marito" is an
The chapters about Marito and Julia (who Llosa refers to as "Aunt Julia" throughout the book, as a constant reminder of the absurdity of the relationship) alternate with transcripts of radio serials written by Pedro Camacho, a Bolivian writer "on the very borderline between a man extremely short in stature and a dwarf," who is hired by the owners of the station where Llosa works, ab the two men become colleagues and friends. Camacho works feverishly, and spends practically all of his waking hours writing the serials and directing the broadcasts, which have become wildly popular in the capital. The stories are initially maudlin and shockingly descriptive, yet spell binding; however, at the height of their popularity, characters from prior serials re-enter in different guises, as the audience and media wonder: is this a new art form, or has Camacho gone mad?
Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter was initially written in 1977, a period in which Llosa turned away from serious themes and "discovered humor", as he wrote this novel and Captain Pantoja and the Special Service during that time. The improbable love story, interspersed with the often hilarious radio serials and Llosa's futile efforts to become a successful writer, come together to form a very enjoyable and entertaining novel, one that is nearly as good as his more serious works.
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indifferent law student, who works as the news director at a radio station, and aspires to become a fiction writer. Llosa is initially put off by his sexy and worldly aunt, who treats him as the child he no longer wishes to be. Julia encourages him to accompany her to the cinema, when she is not accompanied by one of her numerous suitors, and the two eventually fall in love. They conduct a secret affair, knowing that their families would be mortified if they found out what was going on.The chapters about Marito and Julia (who Llosa refers to as "Aunt Julia" throughout the book, as a constant reminder of the absurdity of the relationship) alternate with transcripts of radio serials written by Pedro Camacho, a Bolivian writer "on the very borderline between a man extremely short in stature and a dwarf," who is hired by the owners of the station where Llosa works, ab the two men become colleagues and friends. Camacho works feverishly, and spends practically all of his waking hours writing the serials and directing the broadcasts, which have become wildly popular in the capital. The stories are initially maudlin and shockingly descriptive, yet spell binding; however, at the height of their popularity, characters from prior serials re-enter in different guises, as the audience and media wonder: is this a new art form, or has Camacho gone mad?
Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter was initially written in 1977, a period in which Llosa turned away from serious themes and "discovered humor", as he wrote this novel and Captain Pantoja and the Special Service during that time. The improbable love story, interspersed with the often hilarious radio serials and Llosa's futile efforts to become a successful writer, come together to form a very enjoyable and entertaining novel, one that is nearly as good as his more serious works.
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LibraryThing member lauralkeet
This novel by the Peruvian author Mario Vargas Llosa describes the romantic relationship between a young 18-year-old man named Mario and his Aunt Julia, 15 years his senior. It is a roman à clef (or roman à clé, French for "novel with a key"). A roman à clef describes real-life behind a façade
This novel is also the story of Pedro Camacho, who writes for radio serials presented by the radio station where Mario is also employed. Pedro is "a miniscule figure, on the very borderline between a man extremely short in stature and a dwarf, with a huge nose and unusually bright eyes with a disturbing, downright abnormal gleam in them." (p.14) Pedro takes his craft very seriously indeed, working 20 hours a day writing scripts and producing on-air performances. Mario reflects on Pedro:
"How could he be, at one and the same time, a parody of the writer and the only person in Peru who, by virtue of the time he devoted to his craft and the works he produced, was worthy of that name? ... Why should those persons who used literature as an ornament or a pretext have any more right to be considered real writers than Pedro Camacho, who lived only to write?" (p. 195)
The novel's chapters alternate between Mario & Julia's intensifying romance, and short stories of compelling characters in Peru's towns and villages. After a few chapters it becomes clear that these short stories are actually Pedro's radio serials. The serials become hugely popular, to the benefit of the radio station, until Pedro begins to mix up characters and events. As he sees his own capabilities weaken, he is forced to take dramatic action ... just as Mario and Julia are taking bold steps in the name of love.
This was an enjoyable book and insight into a well-known, but new-to-me, author.
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of fiction. The 'key," in this case, is the author himself, since Llosa also had an intimate relationship with his Aunt Julia. This approach is often used to write about controversial topics, and can provide an opportunity to tell the story as the author would have liked it to be. This novel is also the story of Pedro Camacho, who writes for radio serials presented by the radio station where Mario is also employed. Pedro is "a miniscule figure, on the very borderline between a man extremely short in stature and a dwarf, with a huge nose and unusually bright eyes with a disturbing, downright abnormal gleam in them." (p.14) Pedro takes his craft very seriously indeed, working 20 hours a day writing scripts and producing on-air performances. Mario reflects on Pedro:
"How could he be, at one and the same time, a parody of the writer and the only person in Peru who, by virtue of the time he devoted to his craft and the works he produced, was worthy of that name? ... Why should those persons who used literature as an ornament or a pretext have any more right to be considered real writers than Pedro Camacho, who lived only to write?" (p. 195)
The novel's chapters alternate between Mario & Julia's intensifying romance, and short stories of compelling characters in Peru's towns and villages. After a few chapters it becomes clear that these short stories are actually Pedro's radio serials. The serials become hugely popular, to the benefit of the radio station, until Pedro begins to mix up characters and events. As he sees his own capabilities weaken, he is forced to take dramatic action ... just as Mario and Julia are taking bold steps in the name of love.
This was an enjoyable book and insight into a well-known, but new-to-me, author.
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LibraryThing member DieFledermaus
Mario Vargas Llosa’s semi-autobiographical portrait of young Mario, a would-be writer, is terrifically funny and entertaining. It has an almost metafictional structure that at times reminded me of Calvino. Mario, the narrator, is bored with law school and works at a radio station writing news
The contrast between the two stories works well – a romance with his aunt should be scandalous and crazy (incest!) but it actually plays out as a low-key, affectionate relationship until the end, when things get a little frantic. Pedro Camacho writes dramas, but merely works at a radio station. However, this storyline incorporates all sorts of weirdness. The chapters alternate – one about Mario’s life, one a story from Pedro Camacho. His stories always end on cliffhangers, then move on to another one (I like odd structures like this - If on a Winter’s Night a Traveler is a favorite). They aren’t just trashy romances but gothic, labyrinthine tales. The narratives eventually start to bleed into one another and become confused. At work, Pedro Camacho has odd habits, some ridiculous quirks and turns the recording studio into a rigidly disciplined, fantastical production. The writing and story were so good that I never minded reading about the ordinary interaction - Mario bantering with his coworkers or strategizing with his cousin and best friend. Highly recommended.
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copy to pay the bills. His life becomes more exciting with the arrival of two new people – his Aunt Julia (his uncle’s sister-in-law – no blood relation) and Pedro Camacho, the much-in-demand writer of radio soap operas. Mario is at first a bit put off Aunt Julia but soon they start a relationship. He befriends the odd Pedro Camacho, whose quirks and crazy work schedule begin to cause havoc in the radio station. Well-written and wonderfully entertaining.The contrast between the two stories works well – a romance with his aunt should be scandalous and crazy (incest!) but it actually plays out as a low-key, affectionate relationship until the end, when things get a little frantic. Pedro Camacho writes dramas, but merely works at a radio station. However, this storyline incorporates all sorts of weirdness. The chapters alternate – one about Mario’s life, one a story from Pedro Camacho. His stories always end on cliffhangers, then move on to another one (I like odd structures like this - If on a Winter’s Night a Traveler is a favorite). They aren’t just trashy romances but gothic, labyrinthine tales. The narratives eventually start to bleed into one another and become confused. At work, Pedro Camacho has odd habits, some ridiculous quirks and turns the recording studio into a rigidly disciplined, fantastical production. The writing and story were so good that I never minded reading about the ordinary interaction - Mario bantering with his coworkers or strategizing with his cousin and best friend. Highly recommended.
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LibraryThing member gbill
A tour de force from Mario Vargas Llosa, who has become one of my favorite authors. In this story which is based on his own life and first marriage, an 18-year-old aspiring writer falls in love with his divorced 32-year-old aunt (by marriage) and begins secretly courting her, first trying to
Vargas Llosa has a beautiful way with words, and this novel has it all. It transports you to Peru in the 1950’s. The love affair is forbidden; Aunt Julia is sexy and young Marito is sweet. Pedro Camacho, the scriptwriter, is a manic genius interesting in his own right, and he creates funny and entertaining stories. Without giving away how it all plays out, I’ll just say I found the final chapter, which fast forwards to the future (or perhaps, present), excellent. In a subtle way, Vargas Llosa emphasizes the point that these moments or intervals in time in our lives are just that, intervals, and that time and life march on. We all go on the paths we’re on, some converging, some diverging; the ending amplifies the feeling of sentimental remembrance in everything that precedes it.
Quotes:
On being 50:
“…Camacho had held forth, dogmatically and eloquently, on the subject of the man in his fifties. The age at which his intellectual powers and his sensuality are at their peak, he had said, the age at which he has assimilated all his experiences. That age at which one is most desired by women and most feared by men. And he had insisted, in a highly suspect way, that old age was an ‘optative’ phenomenon, I had deduced that the Bolivian scriptwriter was fifty himself and terrified at the prospect of old age: a tiny crack of human frailty in that spirit as solid as marble.”
On love, and this forbidden relationship:
“…we never made any sort of plans for the future. This was a subject that by tacit agreement was banished from our conversations, no doubt because both of us were equally convinced that our relationship was destined not to have a future. Nonetheless, I think that what had begun as a game little by little became serious in the course of these chaste meetings in the smoke-filled cafes of downtown Lima. It was in such places that, without our realizing it, we gradually fell in love.”
“In the space of just a few seconds I went from hating her with all my heart to missing her with all my soul.”
“’I know what it’s like, down to the very last detail, I saw it in a crystal ball,’ Aunt Julia said to me, without the least trace of bitterness. ‘In the best of cases, our love affair will last three, maybe four years or so; that is to say, till you meet up with a little chick who’ll be the mother of your children. Then you’ll throw me over and I’ll have to seduce another gentleman friend. And at that point the words THE END appear.’”
On seduction:
“Despite the fact that her turgescent horizons and gelatinous jiggling when she walked ought to have alerted him to the danger, Father Serefino Huanca Leyva committed (attraction of the abyss that has seen monolithic virtues succumb) the insane error of taking her on as an assistant, believing that, as she claimed, her aim was to save souls and kill parasites. In reality, she wanted to lead him into sin. She put her program for so doing into practice, coming to live in the adobe hovel, sleeping on a makeshift bed separated from him by a ridiculous little curtain which, moreover, was transparent. At night, by candlelight, on the pretext that they made her sleep better and kept her in good physical health, the temptress did exercises. But was Swedish gymnastics the proper term for that Thousand and One Nights harem dance that the Basque woman performed, standing in one spot waggling her hips, shaking her shoulders, wriggling her legs, and coiling her arms, a spectacle that the panting ecclesiastic witnessed through the little curtain lighted by the flickering candle as though watching a disturbing Chinese shadow play? And later, as everyone in Mendocita lay silently sleeping, Mayte Unzategui, on hearing the creaking of the bed on the other side of the curtain, had the audacity to ask, in a mellifluous voice: ‘Are you having trouble getting to sleep, Father dear?’”
On sex:
“’But it’s all false, from beginning to end. The physical something secondary? It’s what matters most for two people to be able to put up with each other, Varguitas.’”
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overcome her feeling that he’s just a boy, and then his family’s view that he’s throwing his life away over a passing fancy. The young man works at a radio station in Lima that has just hired an extremely popular soap opera scriptwriter, and Vargas Llosa cleverly makes every other chapter one of the stories that’s read over the air, a fact he conceals until chapter five.Vargas Llosa has a beautiful way with words, and this novel has it all. It transports you to Peru in the 1950’s. The love affair is forbidden; Aunt Julia is sexy and young Marito is sweet. Pedro Camacho, the scriptwriter, is a manic genius interesting in his own right, and he creates funny and entertaining stories. Without giving away how it all plays out, I’ll just say I found the final chapter, which fast forwards to the future (or perhaps, present), excellent. In a subtle way, Vargas Llosa emphasizes the point that these moments or intervals in time in our lives are just that, intervals, and that time and life march on. We all go on the paths we’re on, some converging, some diverging; the ending amplifies the feeling of sentimental remembrance in everything that precedes it.
Quotes:
On being 50:
“…Camacho had held forth, dogmatically and eloquently, on the subject of the man in his fifties. The age at which his intellectual powers and his sensuality are at their peak, he had said, the age at which he has assimilated all his experiences. That age at which one is most desired by women and most feared by men. And he had insisted, in a highly suspect way, that old age was an ‘optative’ phenomenon, I had deduced that the Bolivian scriptwriter was fifty himself and terrified at the prospect of old age: a tiny crack of human frailty in that spirit as solid as marble.”
On love, and this forbidden relationship:
“…we never made any sort of plans for the future. This was a subject that by tacit agreement was banished from our conversations, no doubt because both of us were equally convinced that our relationship was destined not to have a future. Nonetheless, I think that what had begun as a game little by little became serious in the course of these chaste meetings in the smoke-filled cafes of downtown Lima. It was in such places that, without our realizing it, we gradually fell in love.”
“In the space of just a few seconds I went from hating her with all my heart to missing her with all my soul.”
“’I know what it’s like, down to the very last detail, I saw it in a crystal ball,’ Aunt Julia said to me, without the least trace of bitterness. ‘In the best of cases, our love affair will last three, maybe four years or so; that is to say, till you meet up with a little chick who’ll be the mother of your children. Then you’ll throw me over and I’ll have to seduce another gentleman friend. And at that point the words THE END appear.’”
On seduction:
“Despite the fact that her turgescent horizons and gelatinous jiggling when she walked ought to have alerted him to the danger, Father Serefino Huanca Leyva committed (attraction of the abyss that has seen monolithic virtues succumb) the insane error of taking her on as an assistant, believing that, as she claimed, her aim was to save souls and kill parasites. In reality, she wanted to lead him into sin. She put her program for so doing into practice, coming to live in the adobe hovel, sleeping on a makeshift bed separated from him by a ridiculous little curtain which, moreover, was transparent. At night, by candlelight, on the pretext that they made her sleep better and kept her in good physical health, the temptress did exercises. But was Swedish gymnastics the proper term for that Thousand and One Nights harem dance that the Basque woman performed, standing in one spot waggling her hips, shaking her shoulders, wriggling her legs, and coiling her arms, a spectacle that the panting ecclesiastic witnessed through the little curtain lighted by the flickering candle as though watching a disturbing Chinese shadow play? And later, as everyone in Mendocita lay silently sleeping, Mayte Unzategui, on hearing the creaking of the bed on the other side of the curtain, had the audacity to ask, in a mellifluous voice: ‘Are you having trouble getting to sleep, Father dear?’”
On sex:
“’But it’s all false, from beginning to end. The physical something secondary? It’s what matters most for two people to be able to put up with each other, Varguitas.’”
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LibraryThing member maryhollis
An early novel by the Peruvian Nobel Prize winner, Mario Vargas Llosa, that recalls the beginning of his career as a writer. The story alternates between the account of the love affair of 18 year old Mario and his Aunt Julia ( not a blood relative), a wildly beautiful divorcee who is twice his age,
Wildly comic, this book is sheer delight.
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and the manic episodes of a popular radio soap opera written by Pedro Camancho, an obsessive specialist of the bizarre who was hired by the radio station where Mario works.Wildly comic, this book is sheer delight.
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LibraryThing member BookConcierge
Take a love-torn teenager, a sexy older woman, an eccentric writer, and a supporting cast of misfit radio artists, romantic friends and enraged relatives and you get this semi-fictional, semi-autobiographical comic novel of life, love and literature.
In 1950ish Lima, Peru, 18-year-old Marito
I really liked this romp of a novel, though I’ll admit to some confusion with the interspersed soap opera plots (which alternate with the main Aunt Julia story). Pedro is portrayed as a pseudointellectual, wanna-be-Bohemian, whose outlandish and intricate plots capture the attention and avid following of the populace. I wish he had played more of a part in the story itself, instead of just serving as a counterpoint to reality. What I’d really like to do now, however, is get my hands on the book that “Aunt” Julia Urquidi wrote in response to her ex-husband’s novel (titled What Little Vargas Didn’t Say. THAT should be an interesting story …
In 1950ish Lima, Peru, 18-year-old Marito
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Varguitas studies law and works writing news bulletins for a local radio station’s top-of-the-hour broadcast. There he befriends the station’s new scriptwriter – Pedro Camacho – who can turn out 10 novelas (soap operas) daily. When Marito’s aunt by marriage (no blood relation) arrives from Boliva following an acrimonious divorce, he is quickly smitten. The young man’s aspirations quickly take a back seat to winning the love of Aunt Julia, and the resulting scandal alternately horrifies some family members, while it captures the romantic imagination of others. Meanwhile, Pedro’s intricate plots become more incoherent, and the scriptwriter slowly falls apart. I really liked this romp of a novel, though I’ll admit to some confusion with the interspersed soap opera plots (which alternate with the main Aunt Julia story). Pedro is portrayed as a pseudointellectual, wanna-be-Bohemian, whose outlandish and intricate plots capture the attention and avid following of the populace. I wish he had played more of a part in the story itself, instead of just serving as a counterpoint to reality. What I’d really like to do now, however, is get my hands on the book that “Aunt” Julia Urquidi wrote in response to her ex-husband’s novel (titled What Little Vargas Didn’t Say. THAT should be an interesting story …
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LibraryThing member kakadoo202
Awesome twisted storyline. Fast reading. Confusing ar first but once you let go of trying to understand all comes together. Bizarre. Unpredictable.
LibraryThing member porch_reader
Many of you have read books by [[Mario Vargas Llosa]], especially since he won the Nobel Prize for Literature, and your reviews piqued my interest. That, plus my goal to read more new-to-me authors this year, led me to [Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter].
This is a strangely mesmerizing book. Marito
This book is a bit of a whirlwind. While there is some continuity in the plot, the pieces of the serials serve more as interlude - and increasingly hard-to-follow interludes at that. But this experimental structure is part of what I really liked about this book. Also, [[Mario Vargas Llosa]] excels at creating a sense of place. The people and places of Peru jump to life. It found it hard to get into the rhythm of this book, but the exquisite writing and the humor kept me engaged to the end.
This is a strangely mesmerizing book. Marito
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is a law student who revises news items for use by a local radio station in Lima, Peru. When his recently divorced Aunt Julia returns to Lima, the two begin an affair (throughout which, he continues to refer to her as Aunt Julia). At the same time, Pedro Camacho is hired by the radio station to write serials. He is a master who quickly wins a large following. Chapters from his various serials are interspersed with the story of Marito and Aunt Julia, providing an interesting look at the many sides of Peru. But slowly Camacho begins to confuse his listeners (and me) by moving characters from one serial to another. As Marito and Aunt Julia deal with their family's disapproval, Marito also tries to figure out what's going on with Camacho. This book is a bit of a whirlwind. While there is some continuity in the plot, the pieces of the serials serve more as interlude - and increasingly hard-to-follow interludes at that. But this experimental structure is part of what I really liked about this book. Also, [[Mario Vargas Llosa]] excels at creating a sense of place. The people and places of Peru jump to life. It found it hard to get into the rhythm of this book, but the exquisite writing and the humor kept me engaged to the end.
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LibraryThing member Smiler69
Marito is a young law student living in Lima, Peru, who makes a living at one of the local radio stations by plagiarizing news items from the newspapers for the hourly newscasts. When the owners of the station hire the famous Bolivian radio personality Pedro Camacho, Marito is fascinated by the
One of the best parts of the novel is the alternation between Marito's narration and episodes from Camacho's serials, which go from being over the top soap opera fare to complete insane so to speak "postmodern" happenings, but the heroes of his scripts are always described as being "in the prime of his life—his fifties" and of "broad forehead, aquiline nose, penetrating gaze, the very soul of rectitude and goodness." This was a highly original novel, and the first half in my opinion belonged to Camacho completely, both the character himself and his zany creations, and as these became more and more convoluted as he slowly but surely lost his mind, young Marito and aunt Julia's love affair took on the allure of a soap opera script on steroids, which all told, made for plenty of hilarious moments, so I couldn't help but be disappointed with an ending that seemed to belong to another book altogether and fell completely flat. Still much recommended—it's not likely to be like anything else you've read before. Thanks to Donna for recommending this one.
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dwarf-like scriptwriter and actor, who can work at a manic pace and produce scripts for six different radio serials per day with apparently no effort, though it becomes apparent from the content of the serials as the months go by that Camacho is going through a serious meltdown. Marito has aspirations of moving into a Parisian hovel and becoming a literary sensation one day, and while he labours over short stories that he's never quite satisfied with, he can't help but ask himself whether Camacho is not the better writer of the two; he might produce nothing but drivel, but the fact is he spends his days and nights doing nothing but writing, which surely must weight in the balance? His fascination with Camacho is only equaled by his obsession for his 'aunt' Julia (she's actually his uncle's ex-wife). Julia, like Camacho, and also hails from Bolivia, but after a failed marriage, she has moved to Lima to try to find herself another husband, a role that Marito hopes to take on himself, even though he's thirteen years her junior and a relationship between the two is bound to create a scandal with the family. One of the best parts of the novel is the alternation between Marito's narration and episodes from Camacho's serials, which go from being over the top soap opera fare to complete insane so to speak "postmodern" happenings, but the heroes of his scripts are always described as being "in the prime of his life—his fifties" and of "broad forehead, aquiline nose, penetrating gaze, the very soul of rectitude and goodness." This was a highly original novel, and the first half in my opinion belonged to Camacho completely, both the character himself and his zany creations, and as these became more and more convoluted as he slowly but surely lost his mind, young Marito and aunt Julia's love affair took on the allure of a soap opera script on steroids, which all told, made for plenty of hilarious moments, so I couldn't help but be disappointed with an ending that seemed to belong to another book altogether and fell completely flat. Still much recommended—it's not likely to be like anything else you've read before. Thanks to Donna for recommending this one.
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LibraryThing member xieouyang
This is one of the most enjoyable novels of Vargas LLosa I've read so far. The novel carries two intertwined stories. One is the narrator Mario (also called Marito, Varguitas), a young 18-year old student who falls in love with his aunt (Tia Julia of course) and marries her to the consternation of
As the love of Mario with tia Julia develops, also his friendship with the escribidor Camacho evolves. But the latter friendship is mostly on Mario's part since Camacho is reticent to become a friend- he is mostly dedicated to his trade of writing soap operas. And he is a fine soap opera writer, at one point he is writing soap opears 10 hours a day, working simultaneously on several of them as they are being played day to day. Naturally, the escribidor can't continue like that and hismind begins to unravel. It's hilarious the way that initially he begins to mix characters and names from one soap opera to another, which confuses his very loyal audience. Eventually, he begins to end each of the soap operas by having a disaster kill all the characters simultaneously. In one, they are all aboard or boarding a ship that suddenly sinks- killing them all. In another they are all gathered in a church for a religious ceremony when there is an earthquake which kills them all. A third one happens in a soccer stadium where the fans stampeded, and you kow the end.
In the novel there is a second "escribidor"- Mario the narrator himself. He wants to become a writer and does at first write brief news items for the radio station. But after his marriage to tia Julia they move to Paris and he is able to dedicate himself to his writing, and actually making a living out of it. More so than any other of Vargas Llosa's novels, this one appears to be heavily autobiographical.
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his family, and despite all their efforts to derail the marriage. The other is of Pedro Camacho, the escribidor, a Bolivian writer of radio soap operas who works in the same radio station as Mario.As the love of Mario with tia Julia develops, also his friendship with the escribidor Camacho evolves. But the latter friendship is mostly on Mario's part since Camacho is reticent to become a friend- he is mostly dedicated to his trade of writing soap operas. And he is a fine soap opera writer, at one point he is writing soap opears 10 hours a day, working simultaneously on several of them as they are being played day to day. Naturally, the escribidor can't continue like that and hismind begins to unravel. It's hilarious the way that initially he begins to mix characters and names from one soap opera to another, which confuses his very loyal audience. Eventually, he begins to end each of the soap operas by having a disaster kill all the characters simultaneously. In one, they are all aboard or boarding a ship that suddenly sinks- killing them all. In another they are all gathered in a church for a religious ceremony when there is an earthquake which kills them all. A third one happens in a soccer stadium where the fans stampeded, and you kow the end.
In the novel there is a second "escribidor"- Mario the narrator himself. He wants to become a writer and does at first write brief news items for the radio station. But after his marriage to tia Julia they move to Paris and he is able to dedicate himself to his writing, and actually making a living out of it. More so than any other of Vargas Llosa's novels, this one appears to be heavily autobiographical.
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LibraryThing member hemlokgang
It is no surprise that Llosa is a Nobel Laureate! This is a story about a budding author who writes news stories and short stories and is influenced by a scriptwriter who goes mad writing stories. Did I tell you that it is autobiographical? Llosa really did marry his aunt's sister-in-law and then
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go on to marry his first cousin. The characters in this story are absolutely marvelous as well. Just when I began to lose the thread that tied all of this together, I referred to the marvelous epigraph which made my head spin even further. Are you intrigued yet? A great read! Show Less
LibraryThing member Miguelnunonave
Though not usually fond of latin-american literature myself, I must say this was a very entertaining read. Well written with alternate storylines and quirky characters.
LibraryThing member LisaMaria_C
I found myself underwhelmed by Borges and Marquez; their brand of "magical realism" turned out not to be my cuppa. I found myself much, much happier with Mario Vargas Llosa's Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter. The book's chapters alternate between young "Marito's" first person account of his love
The second part? Well, a friend who adores this novel warned that I might find some parts "offensive." And boy there are parts in that third person portion that right from the start seem racist and misogynistic. But by the time the more egregious parts came up, it was obvious those parts weren't the "real" story but the inventions of the mad scriptwriter, Pedro Camacho, who works at the same radio station where Marito holds a job. And so much there really is fun because each episode only grows more bizarre with the telling, and as Marito lets you in on the consequences after these stories are aired... One running joke concerns Argentinians, who Camacho absolutely despises. And eventually there is a sort of punchline to that (and other threads) at the end.
On the whole I found this a light-hearted, good-natured novel, even if a bit bittersweet in the end. I loved the ride, and definitely will be seeking out more by this Nobel-Prize-winning author.
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affair with his much older in-law Aunt Julia, and the third-person tales of "the scriptwriter" of a popular radio soap opera. I found both parts equally engaging. Given that "Marito" is a diminutive for Mario, and the character also has the nickname "Varguitas" (as in Vargas), that he's an aspiring writer in Lima, Peru and that the book is dedicated "to Julia Urquidillanes, to whom this novel and I owe so much" the autobiographical connection is obvious. Given Marito's age if his and Vargas Llosa's date of birth can be taken to be the same, the events in this novel take place around 1954. Fortunately, Marito is an endearing character, and that part is brought off beautifully. The second part? Well, a friend who adores this novel warned that I might find some parts "offensive." And boy there are parts in that third person portion that right from the start seem racist and misogynistic. But by the time the more egregious parts came up, it was obvious those parts weren't the "real" story but the inventions of the mad scriptwriter, Pedro Camacho, who works at the same radio station where Marito holds a job. And so much there really is fun because each episode only grows more bizarre with the telling, and as Marito lets you in on the consequences after these stories are aired... One running joke concerns Argentinians, who Camacho absolutely despises. And eventually there is a sort of punchline to that (and other threads) at the end.
On the whole I found this a light-hearted, good-natured novel, even if a bit bittersweet in the end. I loved the ride, and definitely will be seeking out more by this Nobel-Prize-winning author.
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LibraryThing member cameling
Set back in the day before television was introduced to Peru, we follow the life of student, Marito, as he works at Panamerica, writing up news scripts for the radio station and studies for his law exams. His life is disrupted by the arrival of his Aunt Julia with whom he embarks on a secret
Alternating between chapters in Marito's life are Pedro's increasingly hilarious and bizarre soap opera segments. As Marito and Aunt Julia's love affair gradually progresses into something neither had expected, so does Marito's relationship with Pedro, building from mere colleagues to confidantes. Pedro's radio soap operas hold the listeners glued to their radios at various times during the day.
It took me a little while before I realized that certain chapters I'd thought to be part of Marito's story were soap opera stories, complete with the requisite cliffhangers.
I think this is one of the author's more entertaining book.
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affair, and Pedro Camacho, a popular Bolivian radio soap opera scriptwriter. Alternating between chapters in Marito's life are Pedro's increasingly hilarious and bizarre soap opera segments. As Marito and Aunt Julia's love affair gradually progresses into something neither had expected, so does Marito's relationship with Pedro, building from mere colleagues to confidantes. Pedro's radio soap operas hold the listeners glued to their radios at various times during the day.
It took me a little while before I realized that certain chapters I'd thought to be part of Marito's story were soap opera stories, complete with the requisite cliffhangers.
I think this is one of the author's more entertaining book.
Show Less
LibraryThing member cameling
Set back in the day before television was introduced to Peru, we follow the life of student, Marito, as he works at Panamerica, writing up news scripts for the radio station and studies for his law exams. His life is disrupted by the arrival of his Aunt Julia with whom he embarks on a secret
Alternating between chapters in Marito's life are Pedro's increasingly hilarious and bizarre soap opera segments. As Marito and Aunt Julia's love affair gradually progresses into something neither had expected, so does Marito's relationship with Pedro, building from mere colleagues to confidantes. Pedro's radio soap operas hold the listeners glued to their radios at various times during the day.
It took me a little while before I realized that certain chapters I'd thought to be part of Marito's story were soap opera stories, complete with the requisite cliffhangers.
I think this is one of the author's more entertaining book.
Show More
affair, and Pedro Camacho, a popular Bolivian radio soap opera scriptwriter. Alternating between chapters in Marito's life are Pedro's increasingly hilarious and bizarre soap opera segments. As Marito and Aunt Julia's love affair gradually progresses into something neither had expected, so does Marito's relationship with Pedro, building from mere colleagues to confidantes. Pedro's radio soap operas hold the listeners glued to their radios at various times during the day.
It took me a little while before I realized that certain chapters I'd thought to be part of Marito's story were soap opera stories, complete with the requisite cliffhangers.
I think this is one of the author's more entertaining book.
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LibraryThing member izzynomad
Quite funny and quirky, Pedro Camacho's "serials" really offer a glimpse inside the author's mind, with all its eccentricities and oddities. The language is brilliant.
LibraryThing member thorold
I enjoyed reading this book: it's very entertaining and full of intriguingly off-beat characters and tantalisingly unresolved storylines. But I wouldn't go so far as to call it one of my all-time favourite books, as many people do. Possibly because there is such a strong autobiographical element in
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the book, the narrator seems to find it hard to get inside the head of his eighteen-year-old self, and we don't get very much feeling for who Varguito is, or what makes him fall in love with his aunt. Show Less
LibraryThing member jasonlf
Brilliant, amusing, absorbing. The chapters alternate between the narrative and a series of interlaced stories.
The narrative is in the first person by "Mario", an eighteen year-old who writes news scripts for the radio while going to law school and experimenting as a real writer. It centers around
The series of interlaced stories are like Balzac on acid. Each is ostensibly an independent, extremely melodramatic rendition of a radio serial--all ending with a cliffhanger and reflecting Camacho's strange worldview (e.g., a hatred of Argentine's and a deep belief that men reach the "prime" of their lives in their fifties). The stories get stranger and stranger and characters start migrating between them, sometimes changing names or professions, or coming back to life after they've been killed, and by the end just about all of them die in a bizarre series of cataclysms.
And, of course, the trajectory of Camacho is mirrored in the evolution of the serials themselves.
The narrative is in the first person by "Mario", an eighteen year-old who writes news scripts for the radio while going to law school and experimenting as a real writer. It centers around
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his relationship with his Aunt Julia and a writer of melodramatic radio serials, Pedro Camacho. In many ways it has the feel of a normal coming of age memoir/novel, albeit a perceptive, funny and well written one. But the greatest interest is Camacho--an intense "artist" who works 14+ hours a day, seven days a week, simultaneously writing and acting in a large number of radio serials.The series of interlaced stories are like Balzac on acid. Each is ostensibly an independent, extremely melodramatic rendition of a radio serial--all ending with a cliffhanger and reflecting Camacho's strange worldview (e.g., a hatred of Argentine's and a deep belief that men reach the "prime" of their lives in their fifties). The stories get stranger and stranger and characters start migrating between them, sometimes changing names or professions, or coming back to life after they've been killed, and by the end just about all of them die in a bizarre series of cataclysms.
And, of course, the trajectory of Camacho is mirrored in the evolution of the serials themselves.
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LibraryThing member isabelx
18-year-old Mario is working at a Lima radio station putting together news broadcasts, while pursuing his law studies and trying to become a writer. This book is the story of his love affair with Julia (his aunt by marriage) and his friendship with Pedro Camacho who is hired to write soap operas
This is one of my favourite books, but it should only be read by people who are 'the very soul of rectitude and goodness'.
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for the sister radio station next door.This is one of my favourite books, but it should only be read by people who are 'the very soul of rectitude and goodness'.
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LibraryThing member John
This is a wonderful novel by an author with imagination and fully in control of his characters and plots and their complex interweavings. Mario, the protagonist through whose eyes we see most of the story, works as a news editor for a radio station while also trying to establish himself as a writer
This is rather like life that is not the linear progression that we, and especially others, tend to see of each life (kind of like our lives being patterned by a script writer), when it is in fact largely the result happenstance that at any given moment, depending on circumstances, could take us in quite different directions and develop different persona (like a script writer losing control). The Bolivian writer’s mixing of story-lines is a fine representation of the guiding principle of happenstance and so art mirrors life.
There is a hilarious episode with Mario and Julia, and two of Mario’s friends as sidekicks and supporters, visiting every village, no matter how tiny, to try to find a mayor willing to overlook the fact that Mario is underage to marry and does not have parental consent.
Llosa also celebrates the sheer complexity of life and people and relationships, and the infinitely complex web of relationships that hold us all and sometimes nurture, sometimes exasperate us, and in extremis, even harm us. Well worth reading.
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in his own right. Aunt Julia, some 15 years his senior, is an audacious divorcee and against all odds, her better judgment and condemnation from all sides of the families, they fall in love and want to marry. At the same time a famous Bolivian writer of radio serials comes to work at Mario’s radio station and he makes the station immensely popular, and profitable, with his radio stories; plots of eight or ten radio stories are interspersed throughout the novel. But while the lives of Mario and Aunt Julia follow, more or less, a straight line development, the Bolivian writer begins to lose control of his stories, his characters, his plots; he changes the names of characters, gives them the same name but different lives in different stories, changes histories and roles, even kills-off characters only to have them reappear in another story.This is rather like life that is not the linear progression that we, and especially others, tend to see of each life (kind of like our lives being patterned by a script writer), when it is in fact largely the result happenstance that at any given moment, depending on circumstances, could take us in quite different directions and develop different persona (like a script writer losing control). The Bolivian writer’s mixing of story-lines is a fine representation of the guiding principle of happenstance and so art mirrors life.
There is a hilarious episode with Mario and Julia, and two of Mario’s friends as sidekicks and supporters, visiting every village, no matter how tiny, to try to find a mayor willing to overlook the fact that Mario is underage to marry and does not have parental consent.
Llosa also celebrates the sheer complexity of life and people and relationships, and the infinitely complex web of relationships that hold us all and sometimes nurture, sometimes exasperate us, and in extremis, even harm us. Well worth reading.
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LibraryThing member Myhi
Brilliant and extremely funny.
MVL shows himself for the first as a very deep and sensitive artist - with a special sense of humour (so sarcastic as well).
Just like all the other stories - autobiogaphical. The Aunt Julia existed in his past, the first real scandal he's been through (as a
The art of turning a woman into a Godess - it all started here.
MVL shows himself for the first as a very deep and sensitive artist - with a special sense of humour (so sarcastic as well).
Just like all the other stories - autobiogaphical. The Aunt Julia existed in his past, the first real scandal he's been through (as a
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teenager). The art of turning a woman into a Godess - it all started here.
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LibraryThing member ECBesa
My favorite novel by llosa, funny and sexy.
LibraryThing member SirRoger
Very enjoyable. The story unfolds alternately with examples of the 'Scriptwriter's' work. The plot is suspenseful and fun, if a bit hastily brought together at the end.
LibraryThing member nicole_a_davis
I was really into this book at first, but it went on and on and I had a hard time staying focused. The plot wasn't so complex that it needed to be so long, and I began to lose interest in the characters. Every other chapter is a short story, presumably written by the 'scriptwriter' in the title,
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although they aren't radio scripts they are just stories. I kind of wondered if they were supposed to be short stories written by the main character, borrowing the plots of the scriptwriter? I was hoping there would be more overlapping themes or ideas between the short stories and the main plot (besides the scriptwriters slow slide into delusion), but maybe I missed something? I'm also not big fan of short stories, so after awhile i got annoyed at having to read them and just wanted to finish the book already. It was fun to see a slice of life in Lima, having traveled there recently. Show Less
LibraryThing member krizia_lazaro
It was a funny and "sweet" novel but its not a page turner. It was so easy to fall in love the characters especially Aunt Julia and Pedro Camacho. Aunt Julia was adorable, optimistic and very lovable. I wouldn't be surprised that Marito fell in love with her. She's like someone who wants to be
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everybody's friend. I cannot say the same for Pedro Camacho. He is very talented and very hard-working but a bit crazy even before he really got crazy. I actually felt sad for him. I think Pedro Camacho deserves better. He's just like one of the characters in his serials. I would love to read more Mario Vargas Llosa stories. He's a really great storyteller. Show Less
Awards
Language
Original language
Spanish
Original publication date
1977
Physical description
374 p.; 6.9 inches
ISBN
0380637278 / 9780380637270
Local notes
La tía Julia y el escribidor