A literary lion turned cultural icon signs on to help Atlas promote liberty and humanity.

He is known as one of the greatest living writers and most effective champions of limited government and classical liberalism.  He has devoted much of his life to fighting authoritarianism in Latin America, a lonely corner among Latino artists and intelligentsia.  While he was an early admirer of the Cuban revolution, he would turn his back on his Marxist schooling and become a staunch critic of dictatorships and a solid defender of free-markets.   He became the leader of Movimiento Libertad and ran for president of Peru in 1990 on a platform of privatization, economic austerity, free trade and property rights.  Now, Mario Vargas Llosa, the famous Peruvian novelist, intellectual, and political activist has joined Atlas as a Templeton Leadership Fellow and will serve as a “public ambassador” to enhance the profile of those think thanks that have won Atlas’s Templeton Freedom Awards.  Atlas and Vargas Llosa will work closely to identify the best opportunities for the novelist to visit key international organizations in the Atlas network and promote their work, boost their brand and energize their efforts.

Atlas President Alex Chafuen said of Vargas Llosa:

“I can think of no other public intellectual with similar world stature as Mario Vargas Llosa who has devoted so much time helping think tank leaders grow their audiences and appeal of their freedom message.  He has captivated audiences with his masterful pen, and has ignited the flame of liberty in countless hearts and souls.”

Interview with Mario Vargas Llosa

Source: Atlas Economic Research Foundation