In Praise Of Fiction And Reading

The remarks of Mario Vargas Llosa at the Nobel lecture celebrating his award of the prize for literature in 2010 have been published. The speech praises the value of fiction. Alan Cheuse, who teaches writing at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia, has a review — and contrasts Llosa's thoughts with those of novelist Phillip Roth, who's been quoted recently as having lost his interest in fiction.