Vargas Llosa's analysis of contemporary Peruvian society begins with his first novel The Time of the Hero (1963), inspired by his traumatic and unforgettable two years at the Leoncio Prado Military Academy. This novel may be considered a bildungsroman because it is based on the author's educational experience and formative adolescent years.

The novel narrates the life of five first-year cadets at the military academy from their individual points of view. The plot centers on the resistance of the five to upper-class hazing, their stealing of a chemistry exam, the subsequent denunciation of the culprit by one of the five, and the shooting of the informer during military maneuvers.

While the novel focuses on the military establishment and the false pretensions of honor, integrity and discipline it generates, it also depicts family conditions and situations that cast a light on hypocritical values promoted in other sectors of...