Nobel laureate Mario Vargas Llosa stresses the "essential role of culture for a civilised life"
The Vargas Llosa Chair together with the International Freedom Foundation have held the third edition of their now emblematic Annual Conference "A meeting for culture in freedom".
With the aim of promoting the Word in Spanish and endorsing its commitment to the promotion of freedom in the Spanish-speaking world, it has been an event of great projection for culture that has already become a key meeting point for Ibero-American society, politics and culture.
The Jaral de la Mira (San Lorenzo de El Escorial) hosted the Nobel Prize for Literature winner Mario Vargas Llosa, who was accompanied by prominent representatives from the world of culture, literature, the arts, education and the public and private sectors, such as writers, artists, academics, journalists, businessmen and politicians.
The welcome was given by the host, Mario Vargas Llosa, who stressed the "essential role of culture, art and all artistic expressions in a civilised life, contributing to the progress of humanity".
The Nobel Prize winner also appealed for freedom, recalling that "there are many places in the world that do not have it because of authoritarian and populist regimes". In addition, and referring to Spain, he remarked that "Spain must rid itself of threats to freedom from fanatics who seek to undermine the political transition that has brought so much success to the country".
Mario Vargas Llosas also wanted to remember Carlos Alberto Montaner, who died recently and "one of the great friends of the cause of freedom", for being one of the "few people in the field of our language who has defended the culture of freedom on both sides of the Atlantic".
The meeting also included an aperitif in the purest Spanish style, an Ibero-American lunch by the two Michelin-starred chef, Mario Sandoval, as well as various activities such as music, an auction, and a closed-door bullfighting session with the renowned Spanish bullfighter Diego Urdiales.
The attendees were also able to listen to the words of the writer Javier Cercas and Pilar Reyes, editorial director of Alfaguara, which will publish the next book by the Nobel Prize winner.
Among the personalities who attended the event were Javier Cercas, Félix de Azua, Felipe Calderón, Esperanza Aguirre, Cayetano Rivera, Begoña Villacís, Santiago Muñoz Machado, Álvaro Vargas Llosa, David Lacalle, Carlos Hernán, Valdomero Falcones and Federico Jiménez Losantos.
The Vargas Llosa Chair
The Vargas Llosa Chair was created in 2011 with the aim of materialising in an institution the work that Mario Vargas Llosa has carried out for decades. Its objectives are, therefore, to encourage the study of contemporary literature, promote interest in reading and writing, support new Ibero-American literary creation, analyse the ideas of our time and develop models of technological innovation for education, research and scientific and cultural dissemination, as well as disseminating the work of Mario Vargas Llosa (2010 Nobel Prize for Literature). To achieve this, it carries out academic, creative and dissemination activities, such as prizes for novels, historical stories, journalism, literary competitions and festivals, grants, seminars, conferences, courses, colloquiums and support for new writers.
The different initiatives of the Chair also aim to recognise the work and literature of established writers, as well as being a way of promoting new talents. Some of the most outstanding prizes organised by the Chair are the Mario Vargas Llosa Novel Biennial, the Vargas Llosa Novel Prize, the "Emilia Pardo Bazán" Historical Short Story Prize, the Young Journalism Prize and the "El Desafío" Short Story Competition. In addition, it organises events of the relevance of the Literary Festival of America and Europe "Escribidores", among others.
The Chair also collaborates with companies and cultural and educational institutions in Spain, Mexico, Peru, Colombia, the United States, France and Sweden, and brings together universities that have awarded "honoris causa" or other relevant distinctions to the writer.
The International Freedom Foundation
The International Freedom Foundation (FIL), chaired by Mario Vargas Llosa, was founded in October 2002 with the main objective of defending those principles whose establishment constitutes the basis of democracy, freedom and prosperity. It was set up on the initiative of a group of intellectuals and think tank leaders from both sides of the Atlantic (United States, Latin America and Europe). The Vargas Llosa Chair is attached to the International Freedom Foundation, although it is an individual project of the latter.
