In 1965, Vargas Llosa published his second novel, "The Green House" ("La casa verde"), about a brothel called "The Green House" and how its quasi-mythical presence affects the lives of the characters. The main plot follows Bonifacia, a girl who is about to receive the vows of the church, and her transformation into "la Selvatica", the best-known prostitute of "The Green House". The novel was immediately acclaimed, confirming Vargas Llosa as an important voice of Latin American narrative. "The Green House" won the first edition of the Rómulo Gallegos International Novel Prize in 1967, contending with works by veteran Uruguayan writer Juan Carlos Onetti and by Gabriel García Márquez. This novel alone accumulated enough awards to place the author among the leading figures of the Latin American Boom. Some critics still consider "The Green House" to be Vargas Llosa's finest and most important achievement. Indeed, Latin American literary critic Gerald Martin suggests that "The Green House" is "one of the greatest novels to have emerged from Latin America".