I’m sure you’ve been told that Cervantes’ Don Quixote is the best thing written in the Spanish language, be that as it may, the literature of Latin America, with its diverse influences and literary innovations such as magical realism or, el realismo mágico, makes an interesting change to the western canon. Many of the writers in the following list were a part of the ‘Latin American Boom’, a movement which took place during the 60s and 70s and saw a prolific surge of literary creation. Much of the work of this movement questions the previous literary style in Latin America, and Magical Realism provided a means to do this. Although the term was first used in Europe by the German art critic Franz Roh to refer to visual arts, literary magical realism is a Latin American phenomenon. This form blends fantastical elements with real life and it was adopted for various means: to convey political criticism, mystery, cynicism or sarcasm and criticism of contemporary society, most notably the elite.
In this way, magical realism became an outlet for social oppression, a space where fantasy and reality could be combined. Naomi Lindstrom’s definition of Magical Realism has been widely accepted: "A narrative technique that blurs the distinction between fantasy and reality. It is characterized by an equal acceptance of the ordinary and the extraordinary. Magic realism fuses lyrical and, at times, fantastic writing with an examination of the character of human existence and an implicit criticism of society, particularly the elite” The following writers have all made important contributions to the Latin American literary genre. Just in case the longer novels seem quite daunting, I’ve included some short stories which are no less worthy of your time. Disfruta!
1. Mario Vargas Llosa, Perú. Novelist, essayist Los Cachorros (short-story) La Ciudad y los Perros “It’s easy to know what you want to say, but not to say it”
2. Gabriel García Márquez, Colombia. Novelist, short-story writer, journalist, screenwriter La increíble y triste historia de la candida Erendira y de su abuela desalmada (short story, and its brilliant) Cien años de soledad (probably the most famous novel influenced by magical realism, quite complicated to read in Spanish) “There´s no medicine that cures what happiness doesn´t”
3. Isabel Allende, Chile. Novelist La casa de los espíritus (probably her most famous book, influenced by magical realism) Ines del alma mía (a great semi-historical novel about the founding of Santiago, Chile) “We only have what we give”
4. Pablo Neruda, Chile. Poet, political activist Veinte poemas de amor y una canción desesperada (his most famous collection of poems) “Laughter is the language of the soul”
5. Ernesto Sábato, Argentina. Novelist, essayist, painter, physicist El Túnel (short-story set in Buenos Aires) “I think that life's essence consists in being loyal to what one believes to be one´s destiny”
6. Juan Rulfo, Mexico. Novelist, screenwriter, photographer Pedro Páramo (magical realist short-story) “Nothing can last forever. There isn't any memory, no matter how intense, that doesn't fade out at last”
7. Julio Cortázar, Argentina. Novelist, Essayist, Short-story writer Rayuela (known as Hopscotch in English, this novel is considered Cortázar’s masterpiece. A difficult read for non-native spanish speakers) “Happy was she who could believe without seeing, who was at one with the duration and continuity of life”
8. Alejandro Carpentier, Cuba. Novelist, essayist, musicologist El Acoso (short-story) El reino de este mundo ‘But man's greatness consists in the very fact of wanting to be better than he is’
9. Mario Benedetti, Uruguay. Poet, writer, essayist El mundo que respiro (collection of poems) “Generosity is the only legitimate selfishness”
10. Carlos Fuentes, Mexico. La Muerte de Artemio Cruz (a novel about the mexican revolution) “I need, therefore I imagine”
11. Jorge Luis Borges, Argentina. El sur El fin (Borges is a hard author to read in any language but these two stories are very short as well as very interesting!) “Reality is not always probable, or likely.”