In Praise of the Stepmother: A Novel

Overview: MARIO VARGAS LLOSA (b. 1936) is a Peruvian-Spanish writer, politician, journalist, and essayist. He was the recipient of the 2010 Nobel Prize in Literature "for his cartography of structures of power and his trenchant images of the individual's resistance, revolt, and defeat."

With meticulous observation and the seductive skill of a great storyteller, Vargas Llosa lures the reader into the shadow of perversion that, little by little, darkens the extraordinary happiness and harmony of his characters. The mysterious nature of happiness and above all, the corrupting power of innocence are the themes that underlie these pages, and the author has perfectly met the demands of the erotic novel, never dimming for an instant the fine poetic polish of his writing.

Publishers Weekly

Don Rigoberto and his second wife arouse each other by telling highly eroticized classic myths based on the six well-known paintings reproduced here in color; meanwhile, Rigoberto's seemingly cherubic young son, Alfonso, cunningly seduces his stepmother. ``This lapidary novella by the celebrated Peruvian writer reflects an artistry of almost infinite sophistication,'' said PW. (Oct.)

*Elogio de la madrastra* es una novela erótica del escritor peruano Mario Vargas Llosa, ganador del Premio Nobel de Literatura en 2010. Publicada en 1988, se centra en una pareja sexualmente abierta cuyas fantasías los llevan al límite de la moralidad. Está dedicada al director de cine español Luis García Berlanga. ---------- *In Praise of the Stepmother* is an erotic novel by Peruvian writer Mario Vargas Llosa, winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2010. Published in 1988, it is about a sexually open couple whose fantasies lead them to the edge of morality. The book is dedicated to Spanish film director Luis García Berlanga. The English translation published in 1990 was done by Helen Lane. An erotic tale of a sensual middle-aged stepmother, her attentive husband, and his pre-pubescent son explores the mysterious nature of happiness and the corrupting power of innocence