The Nobel prize-winning Peruvian writer Mario Vargas Llosa is making his debut as an actor in the premiere of In Tales of the Plague, his adaptation of Giovanni Boccaccio’s The Decameron, as Duke Ugolino, a 14th-century nobleman. The play runs from January 28 to March 1 in Teatro Real in Madrid.

The author has appeared in public readings of his earlier work but this is his first fully-acted stage role, which he says is making for a “terrifying” experience.

“I’m nervous, very nervous. I feel terror, panic, fear,” he told reporters. “At the same time it is so stimulating and exciting. It is such a novel and rejuvenating experience.”

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