Mario Vargas Llosa, first Spanish-speaking writer to enter the French Academy

(Cnn in Spanish) — Peruvian Nobel Prize winner Mario Vargas Llosa is the first Spanish-speaking author to enter the French Academy, the Royal Academy of the Spanish Language (RAE) announced Thursday.

The RAE said in a statement that Vargas Llosa, who is already a member of the Spanish academy, will occupy the 18th seat of the French academy, which was founded in 1635 by Cardinal Richelieu.

The Peruvian author, winner of the 2010 Nobel Prize for Literature, receives the seat at the age of 86 and succeeds the philosopher Michel Serres in the square.

Vargas Llosa was elected a French academic in November 2021, when he received 18 votes in favor of the 22 voting members of the academy.

French President Emmanuel Macron, as protector of the French Academy, later approved the election of the new academic.