Magic Realism Texts
Primary and Secondary Resources for all your Magic Realism Needs
Primary Resources
Gregor Samsa wakes up to find himself a big, bad bug. A creepy classic of proto-Magic Realism.
We don't tend to think of Virginia Woolf as a Magic Realist, but she certainly pulls off some Magic Realist tricks in this novel about a protagonist who changes genders over the course of a few centuries.
This story will get your head spinning with its endless mazes of books.
In this itty-bitty short story, we can already see Márquez's Magic Realist style developing.
This one's about a boy living in Nazi Germany who communicates using his tin drum. Good luck, buster.
More of Borges' mind-bending literary acrobatics in this collection of short stories. It's called Labyrinths for a reason.
It's the quintessential Magic Realist novel. Set in Colombia, it's got levitating priests, flower rain showers, and a baby born with a tail.
Saleem Sinai, the narrator of Rushdie's novel, is born at the exact moment of India's independence. And did we mention that he can read minds?
Allende does Magic Realism with a feminist twist in this novel about a family living through turbulent political times in South America.
Canadian author Timothy Findley retells the story of Noah and the flood... but in this Magic Realist novel, Noah is the bad guy.
A baby ghost comes back to haunt her mother. What's up with that? You'll have to read the novel to find out.
Two friends survive a plane explosion only to find themselves transformed into a devil and an angel. This is just one of the many extraordinary things that happen in this famous Magic Realist novel.
Tita, the protagonist of Esquivel's novel, can infuse her emotions into the food she cooks. Sometimes it's tasty; sometimes it's nasty.
The amazing storyteller Eva Luna tells twenty-three fantastic stories in this collection.
Magic Realism done in Nigerian style, this baby is all about a spirit child who moves between the world of the living and the world of the spirits.
Yunior tells all about the curse that has plagued Oscar Wao's family in this Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Dominican author Junot Diaz.
This novel about a girl living in an unnamed Balkan country is full of magical stories, including one about a woman married to a tiger.
Secondary Resources
A great introduction to the Magic Realism movement, this book delves into the movement's origins in the visual arts and literature.
Here's a collection of essays that includes all the key critical texts that have attempted to define Magic Realism.
In this study, Sturgis looks at how women writers utilize Magic Realism to talk about themes related to gender.
A great overview of the history and development of Magical Realism, including a discussion of all the big authors in the movement.