Magic Realism, also known as magical realism, is a genre in which elements of magic and mysticism appear in what is otherwise a realistic setting within a novel. Latin American novels are famous for using this literary device, which adds a twist of fantasy to an otherwise verisimilitude setting.
Magic Realism and Latin America
Magical Realism came to prominence as a literary genre with the advent of the Latin American novel in the 1960s. Works by Juan Rulfo, Carlos Fuentos, and Gabriel Garcia Marquez all brought the genre to its forefront.
The idea of using elements of fantasy and magic in otherwise realistic settings is not solely Latin American, however. Many non-Latin American authors have used similar devices in their novels, to similar effect. Among the most famous of these authors are Toni Morrison and Salman Rushdie, both of whom utilized magical realism as a literary device in some of their most famous novels, Morrison in Song of Solomon and Rushdie in Midnight's Children.
Magic Realism is largely still a device of the Latin American novel, however, and has continued to emerge in newer Latin American authors' writings. Isabel Allende is among the most famous of the newer Latin American novelists (at least, outside of Latin America). She constantly invokes magical realism as a device in her novels.
Book Recommendations
There are so many amazing Latin American novels out there that invoke magical realism, it's hard to recommend just a select few. Here are some of my favorites:
 | The House of the Spirits (Book)
Here, in an astonishing debut by a gifted storyteller, is the magnificent saga of proud and passionate men and women and the turbulent times through which they suffer and triumph....more
Average Customer Rating: 4.5 out of 5 (See the reviews)
List Price: $7.99
Lowest Used Price: $0.01 (as of 9/7/2008@4:42 PM)
Lowest New Price: $4.05 (as of 9/7/2008@4:42 PM) |
 | Love in the Time of Cholera (Book)
In their youth, Florentino Ariza and Fermina Daza fall passionately in love. When Fermina eventually chooses to marry a wealthy, well-born doctor, Florentino is devastated, but ...more
Average Customer Rating: 4.0 out of 5 (See the reviews)
List Price: $14.95
Lowest Used Price: $0.50 (as of 9/7/2008@4:42 PM)
Lowest New Price: $0.49 (as of 9/7/2008@4:42 PM) |
 | Daughter of Fortune (Oprah's Book Club) (Book)
Oprah Book Club® Selection, February 2000: Until Isabel Allende burst onto the scene with her 1985 debut, The House of the Spirits, Latin American fiction was, for the most part, ...more
Average Customer Rating: 3.5 out of 5 (See the reviews)
List Price: $26.00
Lowest Used Price: $0.01 (as of 9/7/2008@4:42 PM)
Lowest New Price: $0.50 (as of 9/7/2008@4:42 PM) |
 | The Invention of Morel (New York Review Books Classics) (Book)
Jorge Luis Borges declared The Invention of Morel a masterpiece of plotting, comparable to The Turn of The Screw and Journey to the Center of the Earth. Set on a mysterious island...more
Average Customer Rating: 4.0 out of 5 (See the reviews)
List Price: $12.95
Lowest Used Price: $7.07 (as of 9/7/2008@4:42 PM)
Lowest New Price: $6.96 (as of 9/7/2008@4:42 PM) |