Adult Magical Realism
Magical Realism
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What is Magical Realism? Fiction, narrative style when magical elements or illogical scenarios appear in
an otherwise realistic or even “normal” setting.
What happens in Magical Realism? Begins with a grounding in reality, may contain dreamlike,
alternative realities, twisted prisms, surreal allegories, inexplicable recurrences.
Why do people like Magical Realism? Readers may value the blend of realism and mystery and feel
invited by the surprise of enchantment in magical realist fiction.
Key Titles
Isabel Allende—The House of Spirits
Rudolfo Anaya—Bless Me, Ultima
Louise Erdrich—The Round House
Laura Esquivel—Like Water for Chocolate
Gabriel Garcia Marquez—Love in the Time of
Cholera; One Hundred Years of Solitude
Haruki Murakami—Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki
and His Years of Pilgrimage
Salman Rushdie—Midnight’s Children
Key Authors
Isabel Allende
Rudolfo Anaya
Jorge Luis Borges
Louise Erdrich
Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Alice Hoffman
Haruki Murakami
Salman Rushdie
Other Authors/Titles
Sarah Addison Allen—The Girl Who Chased the Moon
Kate Atkinson—Life After Life
Aimee Bender—The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake
Paulo Coelho—Adultery; The Alchemist
Jonathan Safran Foer—Everything is Illuminated
Neil Gaiman—The Ocean at the End of the Lane
Eowyn Ivey—The Snow Child
Haruki Murakami—1Q84
Erin Morgenstern—The Night Circus
Téa Obreht—The Tiger’s Wife
Rainbow Rowell—Landline
Karen Russell—Swamplandia!
Robin Sloan—Mr. Penumbra’s 24-hour Bookstore
Daniel Wallace—The Kings and Queens of Roam
Tiphanie Yanique—Land of Love and Drowning
DVDs
Beasts of the Southern Wild (2012) PG-13
Life of Pi (2012) PG
The Lovely Bones (2009) PG-13
The Time Traveler’s Wife (2009) PG-13
Winter’s Tale (2014) PG-13
© 2011 Kent District Library. Updated October 1, 2015.
Recommended Websites
www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/magical-realism
www.librarything.com/tag/magical+realism
http://magic-realism-books.blogspot.com