My first exposure to magical realism was reading Life of Pi by Yann Martel. Drawn into a world where tigers lived on boats with boys and trees bore fruit with teeth, I had to suspend all ‘rational’ thought and blur the lines between what is possible and what is not. It took me some time to realise the difference between fantasy and magical realism.
Harry Potter, while having elements of magical realism, presents a fully imagined magical world separate from our reality, a key characteristic of fantasy literature. In contrast, magical realism includes fantastical elements in fiction that appear realistic, focusing not on the magical aspects, but rather on their effects on the characters.
Magical realism originates from Latin America and comprises oral storytelling. The genre itself is entangled with heritage, with many of its most prized authors criticising colonialism and imperialism. By accepting fantastic elements, the narrative disregards typically Western, colonial ideals of rational modernity and values.
Some of the most popular magical realism authors include Gabriel García Márquez, Isabel Allende, Haruki Murakami, Alice Hoffman, and Salman Rushdie. García Márquez is often considered the most prominent figure in the genre, with works like One Hundred Years of Solitude significantly contributing to establishing magical realism as a literary style. Allende, known for novels like The House of the Spirits, blends reality with magical elements and often explores social and political themes.
Murakami, a Japanese author whose works often feature surreal and dreamlike elements, blends the mundane with the strange. His characters do things without reasoning or explanation, emulating a more truthful human psyche. For example, in his novel Kafka on the Shore, a supernatural shapeshifter takes on the form of Colonel Sanders.
Alice Hoffman incorporates magical realism into stories about family and everyday life, with Practical Magic being a notable example. Salman Rushdie utilises magical realism to explore complex political issues in his magnum opus Midnight’s Children.
In Red Earth and Pouring Rain by Vikram Chandra, Abhay, a US student home for the holidays in India, accidentally shoots a monkey who is the reincarnation of Sanjay Parasher, a 19th-century freedom fighter. To remain alive, the monkey has to regale Abhay’s family with stories of his past life as part of a deal with the gods. These tales reveal Sanjay and his estranged best friend Sikander, Sikander’s mother’s suicide at the funeral pyre, and Sanjay’s confrontation with a famous murderer.
In The God of Small Things by Booker-Prize-winning Arundhati Roy, twins Estha and Rahel’s lives change forever when their cousin, Sophie, arrives. Following a multi-generational family in 1969 India, the story explores caste-based discrimination and a forbidden love story, integrating elements of magical realism.
I personally feel magical realism is not just a literary genre; it is a lens through which the intricacies of the human condition are explored. It transcends geographical boundaries, inviting readers to a realm where the ordinary and banal become extraordinary.
(The writer’s views are personal)