The Mario Vargas Llosa Biennial is being held in Spain for the first time, and Extremadura will be the host. Its main venue is Cáceres, and Badajoz and Trujillo are extensions of this major cultural event, which begins on October 22 and ends on the 25.
Artists, Writers, and Journalists at the Vargas Llosa VI Biennial
The Regional Government of Extremadura is the driving force behind this event, which will bring together writers, editors, journalists, and artists. Participants include well-known names such as Aitana Sánchez-Gijón, Ana Belén, Ángeles Mastretta, Ayanta Barilli, Antonio Pérez Henares, Boris Izaguirre, Espido Freire, Fernando Savater, Isabel San Sebastián, Jesús Sánchez Adalid, Joaquín Sabina, Jordi Amat, Juan Luis Cebrián, Juan Manuel de Prada, Luis Alberto de Cuenca, Magüi Mira, Manuel Jabois, and Rubén Amón.
They will participate in roundtable discussions on current events, literature, and journalism; in a series specifically dedicated to historical novels; and as tribute to Mario Vargas Llosa a special event “Mario, a Fish in Water,” which opens the VI Vargas Llosa Biennial.
There will also be concerts, book signings in bookstores, graphic artists who will work on shop windows and all kinds of cultural events at all the three venues, and also, children’s workshops.
Vargas Llosa Biennial, one of the world’s most prestigious literary awards
The Biennial is the flagship event of the Vargas Llosa Foundation and one of the most prestigious literary awards in the Spanish-speaking world, with a prize of $100,000. It was established in 2014 and recognizes the best Spanish-language novel published in the last two years.
This year’s six finalists are Gustavo Faverón, from Peru, for Minimosca; Pola Oloixarac, from Argentina, for Bad Hombre; Ignacio Martínez de Pisón, from Spain, for Castillos de Fuego; Sergio Ramírez, from Nicaragua, for El Caballo Dorado; David Uclés, from Spain, for La Peninsula de las Casas Vacías; and Gioconda Belli, from Nicaragua, for Un Silencio Llena de Murmullos.
The winner will be announced on the last day of the Biennial, on October 25th at 9:30 pm, at an event held at the Gran Teatro de Cáceres. Before the opening day, the finalists will hold a discussion at the same location at 6:30 p.m.
Mario, a Fish in Water, a Tribute to the Work of the Peruvian Nobel Prize Winner
During the presentation of the VI Biennial at the Gran Teatro de Cáceres, which took place on Saturday, October 4, his son Álvaro said: “It will be the first biennial in which my father will not be materially present. But his spirit will be present.”
And present will be artists and writers reading and recreating passages from the Peruvian Nobel Prize winner’s work in the tribute “Mario, a Fish in Water.” Directed by Edu Galán, writer, screenwriter, and cultural critic, it will be held on Wednesday, October 22nd at 8:00 PM at the Gran Teatro de Cáceres. Álvaro Vargas Llosa, Ana Belén, Ángeles Mastretta, Ayanta Barilli, Boris Izaguirre, Karina Sainz Borgo, Juan Cruz, Juan Gabriel Vásquez, Magüi Mira, Manuel Jabois, Pilar Reyes, and Raúl Tola, who is the director of the “Catedra Vargas Llosa”, will all participate.
Aitana Sánchez Gijón and Joaquín Sabina will participate via recording. Mario Vargas Llosa played a role alongside the actress in the performance of Odysseus and Penelope at the Mérida International Classical Theater Festival in 2006.
Vargas Llosa Biennial in Cáceres, Badajoz, and Trujillo
Cáceres is the main venue for the Biennial, and activities are divided between three important sites: the Gran Teatro, the “Fundación Tatiana Pérez de Guzmán el Bueno¨, and the Helga de Alvear Museum.
The Gran Teatro will host the opening ceremony, awards ceremony, and major discussions on ethics, philosophy, literature, and journalism; the Tatiana Foundation will host events related to the publishing industry; and the Helga de Alvear Museum will host events such as the Poets Festival.
In Badajoz, events are scheduled at the “Palacio de Congresos”, with a concert by the Extremadura Orchestra on Thursday October 23rd, at 8:00 p.m., featuring works by Peruvian author Jimmy López as a nod to the birthplace of Mario Vargas Llosa; and the Church of Santa Catalina will host a series specially dedicated to of historical novels.
The “Palacio de los Barrantes-Cervantes” in Trujillo will host the series of events on “The Craft of Writing” and the exhibition Between the Sea and the Clay, as well as children’s drawing workshops on Mario Vargas Llosa.
You can find the full program for the VI Mario Vargas Llosa Biennial at this link.
A literary, cultural, and economic event
The Mario Vargas Llosa Biennial will serve to commemorate the universal figure of one of the most important writers of Spanish-language literature and to make Extremadura a cultural landmark in the Hispanic world. A bridge between Spain and Latin America, it is part of the “ EXTREMESTIZA” project promoted by the Regional Government of Extremadura and places Cáceres at the forefront at a time when it aspires to become European Capital of Culture in 2031.
This is a literary, cultural, and economic event that will benefit commercial sectors such as restaurants, hospitality, and local commerce.
Event: VI Mario Vargas Llosa Biennial
Date: October 22-25
Location: Cáceres, Badajoz, and Trujillo
Original article by Planveando Comunicaciones SL
Translated by Susana Windt
Published in October 2025
© Planveando Comunicaciones SL
