Reading Groups

Conversation in the Cathedral: Vargas Llosa's Classic Portrait of Dictatorship with Daniel Castro

5 Sessions Tuesdays, 7:00 pm EDT - 8:30 pm EDT July 8 to August 5, 2025

Online via Zoom

The ‘With Books’ option includes the title required for this group at a 10% discount from our Bookstore.

Meeting Dates:
7/8, 7/15, 7/22, 7/29, 8/5
Online via Zoom

Conversation in the Cathedral takes place in 1950s Peru during the dictatorship of Manuel Odría. Reunited over beers in a bar in Lima, a privileged college student and his family’s former chauffeur talk for hours about the events that have shaped their lives, providing a portrait of a corrupt society and uncovering a complicated web of secrets along the way. Perhaps Vargas Llosa’s most ambitious and formally experimental novel, Conversation in the Cathedral is a monumental work of the Latin American Boom, analyzing the psychology of power and those who wield it, the role of a citizen, and the scars of a nation.

What to read in advance of the first meeting: Please read pages 1-121 from Conversation in the Cathedral in advance of the first meeting.

What to expect from this reading group: This will be a discussion-based group, where participants are encouraged to share their views. The instructor will moderate the conversation, offering context and framing questions.

Reading List:

Conversation in the Cathedral by Mario Vargas Llosa

Please note: All virtual classes are recorded. Please click here for information about our recording policy.

Led by

Daniel Castro

Daniel Castro

Daniel Castro is a writer based in Mexico City. His work has appeared in Harper’s, Salon, and other publications. He holds an MFA in fiction from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop and has won awards and fellowships from the Fulbright Association, Cintas Foundation, the MacDowell Colony, and the Faulkner Society. He has taught at the University of Iowa and the Sackett Street Writers’ Workshop and is a co-founder of the Berlin Writers’ Workshop.

About this series

Reading Groups

Whether you’re looking to catch up on great novels or you’re interested in exploring a new writer or literary period, our reading groups offer high-level literary discussion led by experts in the field.

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