Vargas Llosa: From Aunt Julia to Isabel Preysler

Brilliant in literature and a charming seducer. Such was the life of Mario Vargas Llosa, who leaves behind an immeasurable legacy in the world of culture and numerous tabloid covers following his romance with Isabel Preysler since 2015. However, his long list of conquests includes names very close to his family, such as Aunt Julia and his cousin Patricia, with whom he spent his last days.

His personal life almost rivalled his literary works in both impact and productivity. The first well-known conquest of the Hispanic-Peruvian writer was his political aunt Julia Urquidi, whom he married when he was still underage. But his great love was his second wife and cousin, Patricia Llosa.

Their kinship did not prevent them from embarking on a romantic adventure and sealing their courtship with marriage in 1965. From this relationship, they had three children: Álvaro, born in 1966, Gonzalo, in 1967, and Morgana, in 1974. However, the fame of being a charmer and eternal seducer ended this joint life.

Rumours of infidelities, arguments, and comings and goings were constant over the following decades, until in 2015, the tabloid press was surprised by the 'bombshell' news of the relationship between Isabel Preysler and Vargas Llosa. Patricia always claimed she found out about it through magazine covers.

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The Nobel laureate and his wife formalised their divorce, and the Hispanic-Peruvian writer moved to the home of the tabloid celebrity in Madrid. But this romantic adventure also came to an end, although the reason was never known. Isabel's circle always emphasised that the breakup was motivated by the Peruvian's latest bout of jealousy. "Unfounded jealousy, the loss of initial excitement, and arguments" ended eight years of love, they explained a few days after Isabel Preysler's statement where she announced the breakup: "It was not worth continuing to invest in a relationship that has no future and in which neither of us is happy."

Quite the opposite was stated by Vargas Llosa's circle, who broke their silence through the program 'Sálvame'. The Nobel laureate rekindled his relationship with his three children, who had distanced themselves from their father since he met Isabel. Vargas Llosa's version was announced as "the testimony that would dismantle Isabel Preysler's great lie." And it did not disappoint.

A decade later, Patricia, tired of her husband's alleged infidelities, approached writer Gabriel García Márquez, with whom she supposedly had an extramarital affair, according to media reports of the time.

Mario Vargas Llosa (1936-2025) was not only a renowned writer who won the Nobel Prize in 2010 but also a great seducer. His personal life became as notorious as his literary virtuosity. His first love was his political aunt Julia Urquidi, but his most enduring relationship was with his second wife—and cousin—Patricia Llosa, whom he married in 1965. After decades under the shadow of infidelity, he surprised everyone when he announced his romance with Isabel Preysler in 2015. The relationship with the 'queen of hearts' lasted eight years and thrust the Peruvian writer into the tabloid press. The end of that love, which came in 2022, was much talked about. Vargas Llosa left Isabel Preysler's home in Puerta del Hierro one morning, never to return.

The fame of the Peruvian Nobel laureate as a charmer and seducer followed him throughout his life. At 19, he angered his family by telling them he was in a relationship with his Aunt Julia—Olga's sister, Mario's political aunt. They married in 1955 and soon moved to Paris due to the family's disapproval of their relationship. Julia was ten years older than him, divorced, and lacking economic prospects...

In Paris, as the literary Vargas Llosa grew, so did the charming and seductive man. After nine years of marriage, Aunt Julia reproached him for numerous infidelities. During a family visit, Vargas Llosa became infatuated with his cousin Patricia. That infatuation led to his divorce from Julia in 1964.

Patricia was the great love of his life, although the relationship also sat well with the writer's family. Once again, kinship was involved. They married a year after formalising their courtship and.

Unfounded jealousy, label of lover...

The last years of Mario Vargas Llosa were spent with his children and his ex-wife, Patricia, with whom he reconciled after the traumatic divorce.