It is not known how long Mario Vargas Llosa will be hospitalised due to Covid-19, his son said on Friday. “He was admitted to a clinic in Madrid for coronavirus complications,” Alvaro Vargas Llosa tweeted.

“A few days ago, because of problems caused by the coronavirus, he was taken to a clinic in Madrid.”

“Thanks to treatment, his condition is developing favourably.”

Thank you for all the love you’re giving him and his family, and we ask the media not to get too close to him. This tweet was signed by the writer’s three children, Alvaro, Gonzalo, and Morgana.

Born in Peru in 1936, Vargas Llosa took Spanish citizenship in 1993.

“The Quiet Gaze (of Perez Galdos)” was written by him at the beginning of April. It is an essay about the Spanish writer, Benito Perez Galdos, and how he looked at things (1843-1920).

Next week, he had been scheduled to attend the presentation of a biography of Miguel de Cervantes by Santiago Munoz-Machado, but the event was postponed.

Vargas Llosa is the last surviving member of a legendary generation of Latin American literary giants. His writing explores universal themes and is frequently set in locations other than his native Peru.

Vargas Llosa is a leading light of the “boom” generation that included greats like Gabriel Garcia Marquez and Julio Cortazar.