Magical realism, also called magic realism or marvellous realism, is a style of writing and art that shows the real world while also including magical or unusual elements. This style mixes real and magical things, making it hard to tell where real life ends and imagination begins. Magical realism is the most common term used and focuses on stories, especially in books and plays, where magical or supernatural events happen in a normal, everyday setting.
In his article "Magical Realism in Spanish American Literature," Luis Leal explains that magical realism is not the same as stories that are purely about magic. He says magical realism aims to show feelings and ideas, not just create a sense of wonder. Even though magical realism includes magical parts, it is usually considered a different type of story from fantasy. This is because magical realism uses many real details and includes magic to make a point about the world, while fantasy stories often take place in completely different, imaginary worlds.
Magical realism is also closer to literary fiction than to fantasy, which is a type of genre fiction. Magical realism combines real and magical elements to create a writing style that includes both the everyday world and imaginative ideas, making it more inclusive than either traditional realistic stories or fantasy.
Description
The term "magic realism" is used to describe stories that mix real events with strange or impossible things. Matthew Strecher (1999) explains it as "when a realistic setting is invaded by something too strange to believe." The term is often misunderstood because many writers are labeled as magical realists. It was inspired by a painting style from Germany and Italy in the 1920s, which had the same name. In The Art of Fiction, British writer David Lodge describes magic realism as "when amazing or impossible events happen in a story that is otherwise realistic." This style is especially linked to Latin American fiction, such as the work of Colombian author Gabriel García Márquez, but is also found in books from other parts of the world, like those by Günter Grass, Salman Rushdie, and Milan Kundera. These authors often write about major historical events and personal struggles they believe cannot be fully shown through simple realism. Kundera’s 1979 novel The Book of Laughter and Forgetting is an example. Michiko Kakutani notes that in Latin American fiction, the blending of the unusual and everyday life reflects a reality where the strange is part of daily life. Magic realism often mixes history with fantasy, as seen in Salman Rushdie’s Midnight’s Children, where children born at the moment of India’s independence in 1947 share a special connection.
Irene Guenther (1995) explains that the term originated alongside a German art movement called "Neue Sachlichkeit," or "New Objectivity," and connects earlier magical realist art to later magical realist literature. Despite this German influence, magic realism is most closely tied to Latin American literature, with key authors including Gabriel García Márquez, Isabel Allende, Jorge Luis Borges, and others. In English literature, notable writers include Neil Gaiman, Salman Rushdie, and Alice Hoffman. In Russian literature, important figures are Mikhail Bulgakov and Andrei Sinyavsky. In Bengali literature, writers like Nabarun Bhattacharya and Syed Waliullah are known for their work. In Kannada literature, Shivaram Karanth and Devanur Mahadeva use magical realism. In Japanese literature, Haruki Murakami is a major figure. In Chinese literature, Mo Yan, a 2012 Nobel Prize winner for his "hallucinatory realism," is best known. In Polish literature, Olga Tokarczuk, a 2018 Nobel Prize winner, represents the genre.
Etymology and literary origins
In the 1800s, Romantic writers like E. T. A. Hoffmann and Nikolai Gogol helped start a trend in Romanticism that mixed fantasy with real life. This style, called "European magical realism," showed how fantasy and reality could blend together. Anatoly Lunacharsky, a philosopher, described this idea in his writings.
Philosopher Nikolai Berdyaev and poet Andrei Bely used the term "mystical realism" in a book published in 1907. They described it as a type of writing that mixes realism with spiritual ideas, focusing on the writer's personal beliefs instead of strict religious rules. They pointed to Fyodor Dostoevsky's later works, like The Brothers Karamazov (1879–1880), as examples. They said Ivan Karamazov's interactions with Smerdyakov and the devil happened in a more abstract, spiritual world. They also noted similar themes in characters from Demons (1871–1872), Crime and Punishment (1866), and The Idiot (1868–1869). Other writers linked to this style include Gogol, Alexander Pushkin, and Leo Tolstoy. Academic Ceylan Özdemir explained that "mystical realism" is not the same as "magical realism," but it shares some religious ideas.
In 2009, Alexandra Berlina wrote that Viktor Shklovsky's 1918 essay, Art as a Device; Theory of Prose, discussed ideas similar to magical realism. He focused on Leo Tolstoy's story Kholstomer (1986), where the narrator is a horse, and how it made familiar things seem strange.
In 1932, Serge Charchoune wrote an article titled "Magical Realism" and said his work used symbols and blurred the line between reality and magic, following Edmond Jaloux's definition of the genre. Critic Gleb Struve later said that his own work and that of writers like Gaito Gazdanov, Irina Odoyevtseva, and Nina Berberova showed magical realism. Mikhail Bulgakov's novel The Master and Margarita (written in 1928 and 1940, published in 1966–1967) was called a major work of magical realism by The Cambridge Companion to European Novelists (2012). The book was seen as continuing the styles of Pushkin, Gogol, Dostoevsky, and Tolstoy, and as part of a different tradition than Latin American magical realism.
The term "magical realism" first appeared in German as "magischer Realismus." In 1925, German art critic Franz Roh used the term to describe a painting style called "New Objectivity," which was different from expressionism. Roh said magical realism showed the strange, everyday world through detailed, realistic art. He believed it was different from surrealism because magical realism focused on real objects, while surrealism focused on dreams and the subconscious.
German magical realism influenced Italian writer Massimo Bontempelli, who is considered the first to use the style in writing. In 1926, he started a magazine called 900. Novecento and inspired writers in Belgium like Johan Daisne and Hubert Lampo.
Roh's ideas also influenced writers in Latin America, where the term became "realismo mágico." Venezuelan writer Arturo Uslar-Pietri, who knew Bontempelli, wrote magical-realist stories in the 1920s and 1930s. Luis Leal said Uslar-Pietri may have been the first to use "realismo mágico" in literature in 1948. Mexican writer Elena Garro used the term to describe E. T. A. Hoffmann's work but did not consider her own writing part of the genre. Cuban writer Alejo Carpentier, who disliked Roh's style, created his own idea called "lo real maravilloso" ("marvelous realism") in 1949. This style mixes practical views of reality with acceptance of magic and superstition.
Magical realism was later used to describe the strange realism in American paintings by artists like Ivan Albright and George Tooker in the 1940s and 1950s. Unlike in literature, these paintings usually showed ordinary things in a strange, realistic way.
The term "magical realism" was first used in 1955 by critic Angel Flores in an essay about Latin American fiction. Flores said magical realism combined magic realism and marvelous realism. He named Jorge Luis Borges as the first magical realist but did not credit Carpentier or Uslar-Pietri for bringing the idea to Latin America. Borges is often seen as a predecessor to magical realists, but only Flores called him a true magical realist. After Flores's essay, interest in marvelous realism grew, especially after the Cuban Revolution in 1959, leading to a new form of magical realism in Latin American literature.
Magical realism began in Latin America. Writers often traveled to Europe, where they were influenced by art movements like Surrealism. Cuban writer Alejo Carpentier and Venezuelan writer Arturo Uslar-Pietri were inspired by Surrealism during their time in Paris in the 1920s and 1930s. A key moment was when Franz Roh's book was translated into Spanish in 1927 by Spain's Revista de Occidente, edited by José Ortega y Gasset. Soon after, magical realism was applied to European literature in Buenos Aires. Between 1940 and 1950, early examples of magical realism appeared in Latin American writing, like Jorge Luis Borges's Historia universal de la infamia (1935). Alejo Carpentier's The Kingdom of This World (1949) is often seen as a major early work of magical realism. Gabriel García Márquez's One Hundred Years of Solitude (1967) is considered the classic example of the genre. García Márquez said that Franz Kafka's The Metamorphosis inspired him to write.
Characteristics
The characteristics of magical realism in a text can vary. Each text is unique and includes some, but not all, of the qualities described here. These qualities accurately describe what readers might find in a magical realist text.
Magical realism presents fantastical events in a realistic way. It connects traditional stories, like fables and myths, to modern life. Characters may have abilities such as floating, reading minds, or moving objects with their thoughts. These traits help show complex political issues in a way that feels strange yet real.
Magical realism is based on the idea that the extraordinary exists in the everyday world. Writers do not create new worlds but instead show the hidden magic in the real world, as seen in Gabriel García Márquez’s book One Hundred Years of Solitude. In this style, the supernatural and the ordinary world mix. For characters in magical realism, events that seem strange, like an angel falling from the sky, are treated as normal.
Authorial reticence means the author intentionally avoids explaining strange or unusual parts of the story. The narrator remains neutral, and the story moves forward as if nothing unusual has happened. Magical events are shown as everyday occurrences, so readers accept the strange as normal.
In his essay "The Baroque and the Marvelous Real," Cuban writer Alejo Carpentier describes the baroque style as filled with details that feel overwhelming and complex. He contrasts this with simpler styles, like those of artist Mondrian. Carpentier sees the baroque as layers of different elements, which reflect the mix of cultures in Latin America, as shown in his book The Kingdom of This World. He describes the Americas as a place where different cultures blend, creating a unique atmosphere. The term "marvelous real" refers to the strange and extraordinary, not the beautiful. This style is seen in books like One Hundred Years of Solitude, which aim to show the full complexity of the Americas.
Magical realism stories often include different levels of reality that mix opposites, such as city and countryside, or Western and indigenous cultures.
This style focuses on the reader’s role in the story. It explores how fiction affects reality and how reality influences fiction. It also shows how readers connect the story to their own lives. This makes it useful for discussing social or political issues. It also helps readers understand a concept called "textualization," where a character in the story becomes aware they are a reader, or where the story’s world affects the reader’s real world. This happens because magical realism allows the strange to be accepted as normal.
Magical realism often avoids explaining its magical elements, which can make the story feel confusing or mysterious. For example, in One Hundred Years of Solitude, readers must let go of expectations about clear explanations, traditional storytelling, or strict timelines. They must instead focus on seeing connections and hidden meanings in life. Writer Luis Leal describes this as trying to understand the "mystery behind things" and suggests that writers must sharpen their senses to grasp all levels of reality, especially mystery.
Magical realism often includes a quiet criticism of society, especially powerful groups. In Latin America, this style challenges the traditional ideas of what makes good literature. It is focused on people who are often ignored, such as those living in poverty or from marginalized groups. This "alternative world" in magical realism challenges other styles like realism or modernism. However, powerful groups might also use magical realism to avoid being criticized. This shift in perspective is called "decentering."
In his doctoral thesis Magical Insurrections: Cultural Resistance and the Magic Realist Novel in Latin America (University of Essex, 1996), William Spindler argues that Latin American magical realism often includes themes of cultural resistance. These themes come from the traditions of popular culture, which challenge dominant ideas. His work examines how this resistance appears in five books: Men of Maize by Miguel Angel Asturias, The Kingdom of This World by Alejo Carpentier, Deep Rivers by Jose Maria Arguedas, One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez, and Daimón by Abel Posse. Other books are also used for comparison. The thesis explores how magical realism relates to cultural resistance, language, power, and popular culture in what Spindler calls the "political economy" of magic realism.
In a review of Gabriel García Márquez’s book Chronicle of a Death Foretold, Salman Rushdie argues that magical realism allows writers to express political ideas in ways that might not be possible with other literary styles.
Major topics in criticism
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Mexican critic Luis Leal explained the challenge of defining magical realism by writing, "If you can explain it, then it's not magical realism." He describes magical realism as an attitude shown by characters in a novel toward the world or toward nature. He says that each writer expresses a reality they see in people without thinking about the term magical realism.
Leal and Guenther both quote Arturo Uslar-Pietri, who described "man as a mystery surrounded by realistic facts. A poetic prediction or a poetic denial of reality. What for lack of another name could be called magical realism."
The idea of magical realism as a conflict between reality and abnormality comes from the Western reader's distance from mythology, which is a root of magical realism more easily understood by non-Western cultures. Western confusion about magical realism is because magical realist texts create a reality that is not based on natural or physical laws, as typical Western texts do. Instead, magical realist texts create a reality where the connection between events, characters, and setting cannot be explained by the physical world or by the usual ideas of the Western world.
Guatemalan author William Spindler wrote an article called "Magic Realism: A Typology," in which he suggests there are three types of magic realism, but they are not necessarily separate:
- European "metaphysical" magic realism, which has a sense of being strange or unsettling, as seen in Kafka's work;
- "Ontological" magical realism, which presents inexplicable events as if they are normal;
- "Anthropological" magical realism, which shows a Native worldview side by side with the Western rational worldview.
Spindler's classification of magic realism has been criticized.
Alejo Carpentier created the term lo real maravilloso (roughly "the marvelous real") in the prologue to his novel The Kingdom of this World (1949). However, some debate whether he is a magical realist writer or simply a precursor and source of inspiration. Maggie Bowers says he is widely seen as the originator of Latin American magical realism, both as a novelist and critic. She describes Carpentier's idea as a kind of heightened reality where the miraculous can appear naturally. She says that Carpentier wanted to show how, because of Latin America's varied history, geography, and beliefs, improbable and marvelous things are possible. She also says that Carpentier believed Latin America is a land filled with marvels, and that writing about this land automatically creates a literature of marvelous reality.
"The marvelous" can be confused with magical realism, as both include supernatural events that are not surprising to the implied author. In both, these magical events are expected and accepted as everyday occurrences. However, the world of the marvelous is one-dimensional. The implied author believes that anything can happen because the entire world is filled with supernatural beings and situations. Fairy tales are a good example of the marvelous. The key idea in defining the marvelous is that readers understand that this fictional world is different from the real world. The one-dimensional world of the marvelous is different from the two-dimensional world of magical realism because, in magical realism, the supernatural blends with the natural, familiar world (creating a combination of two layers of reality: two-dimensionality). While some use the terms magical realism and lo real maravilloso interchangeably, the main difference is in the focus.
Critic Luis Leal says that Carpentier was an important figure in the magical realist style by referring to the works of critics. He wrote that "The existence of the marvelous real is what started magical realist literature, which some critics claim is the truly American literature." It can be concluded that Carpentier's lo real maravilloso is especially different from "magical realism" because the former applies specifically to América (the American content). On that note, Lee A. Daniel categorizes critics of Carpentier into three groups: those who do not consider him a magical realist at all (Ángel Flores), those who call him "a mágicorealista writer" without mentioning his "lo real maravilloso" (Gómez Gil, Jean Franco, Carlos Fuentes), and those who use the two terms interchangeably (Fernando Alegria, Luis Leal, Emir Rodriguez Monegal).
Ángel Flores says that magical realism is an international concept but has its roots in Hispanic literature. He wrote that "Magical realism is a continuation of the romantic realist tradition of Spanish language literature and its European counterparts." There is disagreement between those who see magical realism as a Latin American invention and those who see it as a global product of a postmodern world. Guenther concludes, "Conjecture aside, it is in Latin America that [magic realism] was primarily seized by literary criticism and was, through translation and literary appropriation, transformed." Magic realism has become international: many non-Hispanic writers are categorized as such, and many believe that it truly is an international commodity.
Some have argued that connecting magical realism to postmodernism is a logical step. Belgian critic Theo D'haen discusses this in his essay, "Magical Realism and Postmodernism." While authors such as Günter Grass, Thomas Bernhard, Peter Handke, Italo Calvino, John Fowles, Angela Carter, John Banville, Michel Tournier, Willem Brakman, and Louis Ferron might be widely considered postmodernist, they can "just as easily be categorized … magic realist." A list has been compiled of characteristics that are often associated with postmodernism and that could also describe literary magic realism: "self-reflexiveness, metafiction, eclecticism, redundancy, multiplicity, discontinuity, intertextuality, parody, the dissolution of character and narrative instance, the erasure of boundaries, and the destabilization of the reader." Magical realism and postmodernism also share themes of post-colonial discourse, in which jumps in time and focus cannot be explained with scientific but rather with magical reasoning; textualization (of the reader); and metafiction.
Concerning attitude toward audience, the two have, some argue, a lot in common. Magical realist works do not aim primarily to satisfy a popular audience, but instead, a sophisticated audience that must be attuned to noticing textual "subtleties." While the postmodern writer condemns escapist literature (like fantasy, crime, ghost fiction), they are inextricably related to it concerning readership. There are two modes in postmodern literature: one, commercially successful pop fiction, and the other, philosophy, better suited to intellectuals. A singular reading of the first mode will render a distorted or reductive understanding of the text. The fictitious reader—such as Aureliano from 100 Years of Solitude—is the hostage used to express the writer's anxiety on this issue of who is reading the work and to what ends, and of how the writer is forever reliant upon the needs and desires of readers (the market). The magic realist writer must find a balance between saleability and intellectual integrity. Wendy Faris, talking about magic realism as a contemporary phenomenon that moves from modernism to postmodernism, says, "Magic realist fictions do seem more…"
Comparison with related genres
When trying to explain what something is, it can also be helpful to explain what it is not. Many literary critics try to place novels and other works into one genre, such as "romantic" or "naturalist," without considering that some works belong to more than one category. Maggie Ann Bowers' book Magic(al) Realism discusses how she explains the differences between "magic realism" and "magical realism" by comparing them to other genres like realism, surrealism, fantastic literature, science fiction, and a type of African literature called "animist realism."
Literary realism aims to show real life as it is. A realist novel does not just describe events but shows how those events are presented. This creates a framework that helps readers build a world using the details of everyday life. Understanding both realism and magical realism as types of storytelling is important for learning about these terms. Magical realism includes real, imagined, or magical elements that are treated as if they are real. It uses realism as a base to stretch what people consider real. Literary theorist Kornelije Kvas wrote that magical realism creates a world close to reality, with unusual or fantastic elements that highlight problems in society. These elements do not break the logical structure of the story, which is typical of traditional realism. Instead, they appear as part of everyday life and help people deal with challenges like conformity, evil, or oppressive systems. Magical realism also uses the objective storytelling style found in 19th-century realism.
A simple way to compare realism and magical realism is to look at how Franz Roh, in his book German Art in the 20th Century, described the differences between expressionism and post-expressionism. Realism is connected to terms like "history," "familiarity," "logic," and "narration." Magical realism, on the other hand, includes terms like "myth," "fantasy," "imagination," and "open-ended storytelling."
Surrealism is often confused with magical realism because both explore unusual or non-real aspects of life. There is a connection between Franz Roh's idea of magical realism and surrealism, as well as its influence on the work of author Alejo Carpentier. However, they are different. Surrealism focuses on the imagination and the unconscious mind, trying to express inner thoughts and hidden emotions. Magical realism, in contrast, rarely uses dreams or psychological experiences to show the extraordinary. Instead, it places magical elements into everyday reality, making them seem normal and accepted.
Fabulism usually refers to fables, parables, and myths. It is sometimes used today for stories that are related to magical realism. Fabulism mixes fantasy with real life, using myths and fables to criticize the world and offer clear moral lessons. Bruno Bettelheim, a psychologist, believed fairy tales help people understand difficult emotions by using symbols. Fabulism helps people process complex feelings like loss or love by making them more tangible.
Amber Sparks, an author, described fabulism as blending fantasy into a realistic setting. She said that fabulism often uses details from specific myths, fairy tales, and folktales, not just general magical ideas. Hannah Gilham of the Washington Square Review said that fabulism reflects the strange and unpredictable nature of life.
Magical realism is often linked to Latin American literature, but fabulism is not tied to any specific culture. Fabulism focuses on the full range of human experiences through the use of fairy tales and myths. This can be seen in the work of C. S. Lewis, who was called the greatest fabulist of the 20th century by his biographer, A.N. Wilson. His book Till We Have Faces is a reimagining of the myth of Cupid and Psyche, using a story to teach a moral lesson. A Washington Post review of Lewis's work said that his stories help readers understand the world through imaginative tales.
Italo Calvino is an example of a writer who uses the term "fabulist." He is best known for his book Our Ancestors, a collection of moral stories told through surreal fantasy. Like many fabulist works, his stories are often seen as lessons for children. Calvino believed that stories, like folktales, could teach important lessons. Journalist Ian Thomson wrote that Calvino emphasized the "educational potential" of fables and their role in showing moral examples.
The term "The New Fabulism" was created by New York Times critic Mel Gussow while reviewing the work of theater director Andrei Şerban. Şerban is known for reimagining old myths and fables, such as The Stag King and The Serpent Woman, into plays. Gussow said "The New Fabulism" involves turning ancient myths into moral lessons. In The Magic Behind the Curtain, Ed Menta wrote that Şerban's use of the fabulist style allowed him to combine technical theater skills with his imagination. Menta said that "The New Fabulism" helps Şerban inspire audiences with goodness and romanticism through the magic of theater. He believed that this style gives hope for modern theater by focusing on simplicity and innocence.
Fantasy and magical realism are often seen as separate, even though they share some inspirations from mythology and folklore. Amaryll Beatrice Chanady explains the differences between magical realism and fantasy literature by looking at three shared areas: the use of…
Major works and authors
Although critics and writers debate which authors or works belong to the magical realism genre, the following authors are well-known examples. In Latin America, some of the most famous magical realist writers are Jorge Luis Borges, Isabel Allende, and Nobel Laureate Gabriel García Márquez, whose novel One Hundred Years of Solitude became very popular worldwide.
García Márquez once said: "My biggest challenge was making it clear what is real and what is imaginary." Allende was the first Latin American woman writer to gain recognition outside her home country. Her most famous novel, The House of the Spirits, shares similarities with García Márquez's style. Another important writer is Laura Esquivel, whose book Like Water for Chocolate tells the story of women living on the edges of their families and society. In this novel, the main character, Tita, is prevented from marrying by her mother. Her unrequited love and isolation cause her to channel her emotions into the food she cooks. People who eat her food experience her feelings. For example, after eating a wedding cake Tita made while feeling heartbroken, the guests feel a wave of longing.
The Mexican author Juan Rulfo helped develop a storytelling style that does not follow a straight timeline. His short novel Pedro Páramo describes the town of Comala both as a lively place during the time of Pedro Páramo and as a ghost town, seen through the eyes of his son, Juan Preciado, who returns to Comala to fulfill a promise to his dead mother.
In the Portuguese-speaking world, Jorge Amado and Nobel Prize-winning writer José Saramago are well-known magical realist authors. Other writers include Murilo Rubião, playwright Dias Gomes (Saramandaia), and José J. Veiga. A novel by Erico Verrissimo, Incidente em Antares, is also included, even though the author is not widely known. Amado is the most famous modern Brazilian writer, with his work translated into 49 languages. His stories have been adapted into films, plays, and television shows, such as Dona Flor and Her Two Husbands (1976) and its American remake Kiss Me Goodbye (1982). In Africa, Angolan author Ondjaki's novel Transparent City is an example of magical realism. This book won the José Saramago Prize in 2013.
In English-speaking countries, important authors include Salman Rushdie, whose novel Midnight's Children mixes history and fantasy; Toni Morrison (who has questioned if her work fits this label); Gloria Naylor; American Latino writers like Ana Castillo, Rudolfo Anaya, Daniel Olivas, Rudy Ruiz, and Helena Maria Viramontes; Guatemalan writer Miguel Ángel Asturias; Native American authors Louise Erdrich and Sherman Alexie; British writer Louis de Bernières; and English feminist writer Angela Carter. Rushdie is the most well-known, as his style combines European surrealism and Latin American myths. Morrison's novel Beloved tells the story of a mother who deals with the memory of her child, who died as a slave, and the challenges of raising children in a harsh society. The Welsh writer Glyn Jones's novel The Island of Apples (1965) is often overlooked, possibly because it was written before the term "magic realism" was widely used, or because of attention given to the influence of his friend Dylan Thomas. However, the book's blend of reality and myth, told by a young narrator in a dreamlike version of the early 20th century, clearly fits the genre. Jonathan Safran Foer uses magical realism in Everything Is Illuminated to explore the history of a Jewish community and the Holocaust. The South African-Italian writer Patricia Schonstein uses magical realism in A Time of Angels and A Quilt of Dreams to examine the Holocaust, the Rhodesian War, and apartheid.
Dino Buzzati's novels and short stories are often cited as examples of magical realism in Italian literature.
In Norway, writers Erik Fosnes Hansen, Jan Kjærstad, and young novelist Rune Salvesen are recognized as leading magical realist authors, a style that some consider unusual for Norwegian writers.
In Kannada literature, Shivaram Karanth's Mookajjiya Kanasugalu and Devanur Mahadeva's Kusuma Baale are notable works that use magical realism. Both books are widely read and have been adapted into films and TV series. Mookajjiya Kanasugalu follows the journey of a character who can see the history of objects. Kusuma Baale combines magical realism with surrealism to tell the stories of people from oppressed castes in rural Karnataka.
During the fall of the Soviet Union, magical realism became popular in Eastern Europe. Key authors included Viktor Pelevin, Ludmila Petrushevskaya, Tatyana Tolstaya, and Ludmila Ulitskaya. Other important works from this time were The Soul of the Patriot (1989) by Yevgeni Anatolyevich Popov, Russian Beauty (1990) by Viktor Yerofeyev, and The Manhole (1991) by Vladimir Makanin. Dmitri Lipskerov's 1997 novel Forty Years in Chanchzhoe showed influences from Latin American magical realism, especially One Hundred Years of Solitude.
Dimitris Lyacos's Poena Damni trilogy, originally written in Greek, is also considered magical realism because it blends real and unreal events in the same story.
Visual art
The painterly style began changing as early as the first decade of the 20th century. However, in 1925, two important art movements, Magischer Realismus (Magical Realism) and Neue Sachlichkeit (New Objectivity), were officially recognized as major trends. This year marked the publication of Franz Roh’s book, Nach-Expressionismus, Magischer Realismus: Probleme der neuesten europäischen Malerei (Post-Expressionism, Magical Realism: Problems of the Newest European Painting), and the opening of an important exhibition titled Neue Sachlichkeit (New Objectivity) at the Kunsthalle Mannheim in Germany, curated by Gustav Hartlaub. Guenther often refers to the New Objectivity rather than Magical Realism, as New Objectivity is based on real artists and practical ideas, while Magical Realism is more theoretical or related to critics’ opinions. Later, under Massimo Bontempelli’s influence, the term “Magical Realism” was widely accepted by German and Italian artists.
New Objectivity rejected the previous Impressionist and Expressionist styles. Hartlaub’s exhibition included only artists who stayed true to real life or returned to showing real life to reveal the truth of their time. The style had two main groups: conservative, (neo-)classicist painters and left-wing, politically motivated Verists. Hartlaub’s quote, though focused on Germany, could apply to other European countries.
Both movements were seen across Europe during the 1920s and 1930s, from the Netherlands to Austria, France to Russia, with Germany and Italy as major centers. Italian artist Giorgio de Chirico, who created works in the late 1910s under the style arte metafisica (Metaphysical Art), is considered a precursor to New Objectivity and influenced many artists.
Later, in the 1940s and 1950s, American painters were called Magical Realists. A connection between these artists and the 1920s Neue Sachlichkeit was highlighted in a 1940s exhibition at the New York Museum of Modern Art titled American Realists and Magic Realists. French artist Pierre Roy, who worked in the United States, helped spread Franz Roh’s ideas about Magical Realism.
In 1925, Franz Roh used the term “Magical Realism” to describe a style of art that shows everyday subjects with extreme realism, revealing an “interior” mystery rather than adding magical elements. Roh explained that Magical Realism focuses on the exterior of objects, allowing their hidden “spirit” or magic to emerge. This idea can be linked to 15th-century painter Jan van Eyck, who used detailed realism to let viewers imagine hidden parts of a scene, such as a distant river or hills.
Key features of Magical Realism, according to Roh, include:
– Focusing on ordinary subjects instead of fantastical ones.
– Combining forward movement with a sense of distance, unlike Expressionism’s exaggerated shortening of subjects.
– Including small details in large paintings, such as in landscapes.
Roh’s ideas inspired artists throughout the 20th century. In 1991, critic Vivien Raynor noted that artist John Stuart Ingle’s work showed that Magical Realism remained relevant. Ingle’s goal was to paint reality as it was, not to add magical elements. He said, “I want to paint what is given. The magic comes from how intensely I explore that reality.”
While Ingle’s work reflects Roh’s original ideas, the term “Magical Realism” in the mid-20th century often described art with clear fantastical or surreal elements, similar to its use in literature.
Artists like Bettina Shaw-Lawrence, Paul Cadmus, Ivan Albright, and Andrew Wyeth, including his famous painting Christina’s World, are also called “Magic Realists.” Their work differs from Roh’s definition, as it mixes everyday reality with hints of fantasy or wonder. For example, Cadmus used stylized distortions to create surreal effects.
Recent “Magical Realism” has moved further from everyday reality, showing outright magical scenes. Artists like Marcela Donoso and Gregory Gillespie are associated with this style. In the early 21st century, artists such as Peter Doig, Richard T. Scott, and Will Teather have also been linked to the term.
Film and television
Magical realism is not a specific type of movie genre. However, traits seen in magical realism books can also appear in films that include fantasy elements. These traits are often shown in a calm, straightforward way and are not explained.
Many films use magical realism by showing a mix of real and magical events or different ways of making movies. This technique helps explore what is real. Fredric Jameson, in On Magic Realism in Film, suggests that magical realism in movies is a style that depends on historical events where differences are naturally present. The film Like Water for Chocolate (1992) starts and ends with a first-person story to set up the magical realism style. Telling a story from a child’s perspective, showing gaps in history, and using bright colors to highlight magical moments are tools used in magical realism films.
Several films by Woody Allen, such as Midnight in Paris (2011), include magical realism. Most movies made by Terry Gilliam are strongly influenced by magical realism. Animated films by Satoshi Kon and Hayao Miyazaki often use magical realism. Some films by Emir Kusturica also include magical realism, with Time of the Gypsies (1988) being a key example.
Other films and television shows that include magical realism elements are:
Video games and new media
In his essay "Half-Real," Jesper Juul, a professor at MIT and an expert in games, explains that video games have qualities similar to magic realism. Early video games, like the 1986 text adventure Trinity, included themes from science fiction, fantasy, and magic realism. Later games, such as Kentucky Route Zero (2013) and Memoranda (2017), also used these elements. The Metal Gear series is often noted for blending realistic military stories with supernatural ideas.
In electronic literature, Michael Joyce’s work "afternoon, a story" uses unclear storytelling and a narrator whose reliability is uncertain, features common in high modernism. The story also includes suspense and romance. Its meaning can change greatly depending on the path readers take through its sections during each reading.
Relevant literature
Gintsburg, Sarali, and Kenneth Usongo, editors. Magical Realism in Africa: Literary and Dramatic Explorations. Taylor & Francis, 2024.