AS part of the Festival, the Chancellor of the University of Oxford, Lord Patten of Barnes CH, each year invites a figure of international eminence in the field of literature or public affairs, to lecture in the magnificent setting of Sir Christopher Wren’s Sheldonian Theatre.

The inaugural speech will be given by the great Peruvian writer, politician, journalist and essayist, Mario Vargas Llosa. Born in 1936, Vargas Llosa rose to fame in the 1960s. His novels include comedies, murder mysteries, historical novels and political thrillers, several of which, including Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter, have been adapted for film. Vargas Llosa ran for the Peruvian Presidency in 1990. He is widely considered to be one of the most influential writers of his generation.