Mario Vargas Llosa is considered one of the foremost writers in Latin American literature. Although his novels receive the most critical attention, his short works are also praised for their realism and their use of innovative techniques. Many top literary critics and writers, including Salman Rushdie, admire Vargas Llosa. Critics like Rushdie (in New Republic) and Regina Janes (in Reference Guide to World Literature) note that Vargas Llosa's career reflects the author's growing confidence in his ability to write complex fiction. His early works, these critics note, are more straightforward, yet are equally compelling. "The Challenge" typifies this observation because it is a simple story of an arranged fight between two men, supported by their social groups, yet the story is written in such a way as to encourage the reader to look more deeply into the characters' motivations.

In the context of Latin American literature...