Within the Latin American literary current of the Magical realism, we cannot forget the Peruvian Mario Vargas Llosa, considered one of the most important Spanish-speaking novelists. Among his most representative works we find literary phenomena such as “The green House”, published in 1965, which is set in Piura, on the Peruvian coast, and the Amazon region. Also noteworthy is “Pantaleon and the visitors”, from 1973, a work that satirically explores the relationship between the Peruvian army and prostitution. In it, Captain Pantaleón Pantoja is tasked with organizing the service of 'visitadoras' for soldiers in the Peruvian jungle.
Juan Rulfo: Superstition and Death in Mexican Literature
Another author of great relevance is the Mexican Juan Rulfo. With works full of themes such as superstition, death and urban legends, Rulfo positions himself as one of the great exponents of magical realism. His masterpiece, “Pedro Paramo”, published in 1955, is a fundamental piece within the genre. Set in the fictional town of Comala, the novel explores the thin line between life and death, making the dead coexist with the living in a supernatural but naturalized way in the narrative. Through a poetic and desolate language, Rulfo creates a sombre atmosphere that reflects the most defining characteristics of magical realism.
Miguel Ángel Asturias and Ernesto Bondy Reyes: Central America in Magical Realism
The Guatemalan Miguel Angel Asturias, winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1967, integrates the indigenous tradition of his country with mythical and fantastic elements in works such as “Corn men”. In this novel, Asturias portrays the sociopolitical concerns of Guatemala through a narrative that fuses the mythical with the modern, giving voice to indigenous cultures. His work “Mr. President"It is another key piece, where he uses magical realism to denounce the horrors of Latin American dictatorships.
Ernest Bondy Reyes, from Honduras, is also an important exponent of magical realism in Central America, although he does not enjoy the same fame as Asturias. His work focuses on local myths and legends, combining them with a modern narrative that reflects the tension between tradition and modernity.
Other Big Names in Magical Realism
Throughout Latin America, many other key names emerged in this literary movement. The Venezuelan Arturo Uslar Pietri, who coined the term 'magic realism', wrote works such as “The colored spears”, which portrays the fight for independence and cultural fusion. Jose de la Cuadra, from Ecuador, also contributed significantly to the genre with his realistic narrative, introducing elements of the fantastic and the supernatural.
In Chile, Ferdinand Lamberg y José Donoso They stood out with their complex works. Donoso, in particular, with novels such as “The obscene bird of the night”, explores madness and the grotesque within the framework of magical realism. In Mexico, in addition to Juan Rulfo, the most notable works are Laura Esquivel, whose famous book “LIKE WATER FOR CHOCOLATE” mixes the love story with culinary magic, where feelings and emotions are capable of altering physical reality through food.
The Rise of Magical Realism in the Latin American Boom
The rise of magical realism was driven primarily by the Latin American boom between the 60s and 70s. This literary phenomenon allowed authors such as Gabriel García Márquez, Mario Vargas Llosa, and Julio Cortázar to achieve international recognition.One Hundred Years of SolitudeGarcía Márquez's "The Story of a Woman" is possibly the most representative work of the movement and a perfect example of how the real and the fantastic can coexist in the same narrative without creating dissonance for the reader.
In addition to Márquez and Vargas Llosa, Jorge Luis Borges From Argentina, although he is best known for his short stories, he also made important contributions to magical realism through his exploration of the metaphysical and the dreamlike in books such as “Fictions"And"The Aleph".
Main Features of Magical Realism
Magical realism is known for incorporating the extraordinary and the supernatural into everyday life. Some of its most notable features include:
- Natural relationship between the real and the fantastic: The magical or strange is perceived with the same naturalness as everyday events.
- Omniscient narrator: Often, the narrator knows and accepts both the visible and the invisible, which contributes to the reader's immersion in this wonderful world.
- Sensory descriptions: Descriptions that appeal not only to the intellect, but also to the senses, giving life to a world of tangible and extraordinary perceptions are prioritized.
- Juxtaposition of temporalities: Events do not always follow a chronological progression, and past, present, and future times are often mixed in a story.
This literary trend allowed a new way of seeing Latin American reality, highlighting its complexities and idiosyncrasies through the fusion of the real and the fantastic, and vindicating the cultural roots that for centuries were ignored by the most Europeanized currents of literature.
Magical realism remains a highly influential movement, not only in Latin America, but in global literature. Contemporary authors such as Isabel Allende have kept this style alive, as seen in works such as “The House of Spirits” where the story of the Trueba family is intertwined with wonderful and supernatural elements, living in an absolutely normal environment for the characters. Thus, magical realism continues to invite us to explore the boundaries between reality and fantasy.