The death of Mario Vargas Llosa on April 13, 2025 left a void in the literary world, But he also uncovered a network of emotional tensions that few dared to mention out loud. Among the most painful exclusions, Tamara Falcó, daughter of Isabel Preysler, who for eight years shared close and personal moments with the Peruvian Nobel. Despite the conflicts that arose after the break between his mother and the writer, Tamara tried to take a last step of reconciliation.
Aware of the delicate state of health of the author of THE WAR OF THE END OF THE WORLD, Tamara sent him a touching message days before his death. A brief, intimate, but significant farewell. However, the answer never arrived. It is unknown if Vargas Llosa was already too weakened to answer or if his closest surroundings, headed by his children Álvaro, Gonzalo and Morgana, filtered any attempt at external approach.
Tamara Falcó, vetoed as her mother: the emotional fence of the Vargas Llosa family
According to nearby sources, The children of the Nobel exerted iron control in the last days of their father, preventing any contact with figures from the writer’s sentimental past. YoSabel Preysler, the woman with whom Vargas Llosa shared almost a decade of her life, was completely excluded from the intimate circle. And Tamara, seen by the writer as a daughter for many years, was dragged by that same wave of rejection. Despite the veto, Tamara did not hold a grudge. According to relatives, his intention when writing him was not to heal his own wounds, but simply accompanying the man who, at some point, welcomed her with affection and admiration. But the coldness of the descendants of the Nobel was blunt: nothing or anyone close to the Preysler would be welcome in his last days.
-The never fulfilled desire of Vargas Llosa: close the cycle with Isabel Preysler
Months before death, Vargas Llosa would have expressed his desire to speak, for the last time, with Isabel Preysler. Not to revive an extinct love story, but to emotionally close a stage that marked it deeply. But that desire was also truncated by their own children, who – according to journalists like Sergio Pérez – saw with suspicion to the Madrid’s socialite, to the point that they referred to her as “that lady.” Silence was the definitive verdict. There were no calls, messages, or visits. Absolutely nothing. Vargas Llosa died without being able to meet with the woman who, despite having brought her storms, also filled significant years of her life. A symbolically truncated farewell.
The relationship between Vargas Llosa and Preysler, although he concluded in 2022, continued to project his influence on the writer’s life. The rupture was not as elegant as it was sold publicly. Jealousy, reproaches and multiple disagreements opacacted the last months of their union. Even so, the Nobel never stopped showing signs of respect for his ex -partner, especially in subtle statements such as the one pronounced in April 2023, when he hinted that a friendship bond was still possible.
However, that gesture of reconciliation never happened. The writer’s funeral was reserved, intimate and meticulously planned, without the assistance of any person outside the immediate family. Isabel Preysler’s exclusion was total, while the absence of Tamara Falcó was painfully symbolic. Peru, the country that declared a national duel, did not witness an appropriate public farewell for the conversation author in the cathedral. In his home in Barranco, the goodbye was private, silent and full of absences.
