Quote by Mario Vargas Llosa: “The writer must be an insatiable devourer of life, and of books.”

This quote suggests that a true writer must possess an intense curiosity for both lived experiences and vast knowledge from books. It implies that their craft requires continuous engagement with the world and a deep commitment to learning.

This advice emerged during a time of increasing literary specialization and the rise of niche genres. Vargas Llosa advocated for a broad, deeply engaged approach to writing, urging aspiring authors to draw from both vast personal experience and extensive reading, emphasizing intellectual rigor.

Peruvian novelist and Nobel laureate in Literature, awarded in 2010, whose novels The Time of the Hero and Conversation in the Cathedral established him as one of the defining voices of the Latin American Boom. He ran for the Peruvian presidency in 1990 and has been a controversial political commentator throughout his career.