Latin American Narrative: Magic Realism and Beyond
The regionalist novel, the novel and short story, emerged from Hispanic folkloric realism, revolutionizing its structures and language with thematic trends of the earth’s novel, the indigenous novel, and the apolitical novel. The beginnings of magic realism occurred between 1945 and 1960, marking a significant shift in Latin American narrative. These changes were due to a new conception of life resulting from social changes in Hispanoamerica.
These changes included the abandonment of interest in the classic, the introduction of magic realism, and the adaptation of new narrative techniques. The story that marks this change was well-received and continued to evolve in the 40s and 50s.
The Boom Years
The literary boom was linked to a phenomenon that enabled this novel to become known externally, thanks to the support of Spanish publishers. The coincidence of a succession of novels within a short space of time also contributed. The success of Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s One Hundred Years of Solitude stands out. Themes such as the existential crisis of the individual and the dictator are prominent. The story of the Hispanic tyrant, a thematic element in Latin American history, also emerged.
Later Novels
From the seventies onwards, novels continued, albeit in a complex manner, and writers continued to turn to realism. Some major works include Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s Love in the Time of Cholera and Guillermo Cabrera Infante’s Three Sad Tigers.
The Hispanic American Short Story
The Hispanic American short story has been widely cultivated since the 40s and 50s, with Jorge Luis Borges and Juan Rulfo being notable figures. The short stories of the narrators of the past Hispanic American boom went unnoticed because of the importance of Nobel laureates like Gabriel Garcia Marquez.
One of the main innovators of the genre is Julio Cortazar, who integrates reality into his tales. Augusto Monterroso presents complex narratives. Other narrators include Isabel Allende, among others.
Magical Realism
Magical realism is a complex representation of the world that supports both the rational and the fantastic, dreamlike elements on the same level. It arises as the only possibility to deal with a reality very different from the survival of European magic and the marvelous strength of nature. It requires the eye of a novelist who is studying that reality and choosing the extraordinary. Thus, magic realism emerged, meaning the suppression of realism by adding another dimension: magic, or trying to give a wonderful transcendent magnitude to everyday narratives. In Garcia Marquez’s work, substantification and exaggeration prevail, dominating in One Hundred Years of Solitude.
Chronicle of a Death Foretold: The Writer, Events, and Actors
These elements are bulky in the novel. The presence in the family environment and some personal friends is significant. Reality breaks through the fiction, with references to the bride and the figure of her mother. Cristo Bedoya, a close friend of the victim (Nasar), makes the only real attempt to prevent the death. However, the author’s brothers (Luis Enrique, the mariner) and the parish priest, Carmen Amador, fail to prevent it.
The initial event dates from two youths who married in the town of Sucre. The husband discovers his wife is not a virgin, and mocked, the husband takes his wife to her mother and returns her daughter. A few hours later, the wife’s brother kills a girl.