Peruvian Poet Reacts To Compatriot's Nobel Prize

News that writer Mario Vargas Llosa was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature has been met with euphoria in his native Peru. WNPR's Diane Orson reports from Lima.

From taxi drivers to government officials, Peruvians everywhere are reacting with pride to the news that their countryman, Mario Vargas Llosa, was named the 2010 Nobel Prize winner in Literature. Standing in the Plaza San Martin, acclaimed poet Antonio Cisneros says 30 million Peruvians, always proud of their cuisine, feel like they’ve won the prize too.

"Till the last week, we were very proud of having probably the best food of the continent. Now we have the Nobel prize, too. Well we have the best food and Nobel prize."

According to the Nobel’s citation, Vargas Llosa won for his “images of the individual’s resistance, revolt and defeat”.

For NPR News, I’m Diane Orson in Lima.