20th Century Latin American Novels: Modernism and Magic Realism

20th Century Latin American Novels

Modernism in Latin American novels of the twentieth century evolved from the beginning of the century, with various currents that approached the American experience. Notable works include Don Segundo Sombra by Ricardo Güiraldes and Doña Bárbara by Rómulo Gallegos.

The Social Novel

The social novel depicts social conflict within Latin American countries, particularly highlighting the Mexican Revolution.

The Indianist Social Novel

The Indianist social novel focuses on the problems of indigenous peoples and mestizos, who constituted the majority of the population in some areas and suffered oppression and exploitation. An example is Huasipungo by Jorge Icaza, characterized by its realistic and naturalistic style. Ciro Alegría, in El mundo es ancho y ajeno, incorporates indigenous beliefs as something magical, a theme that became prominent in the 1960s with magic realism.

The 1940s: American Identity and Narrative Aesthetics

The 1940s focused on features that characterize the American identity and the aesthetics of European and American narratives. This period saw the emergence of various trends, including the metaphysical stories of Jorge Luis Borges and José Lezama Lima, as well as the existential stories of Juan Carlos Onetti and Ernesto Sabato.

Pedro Páramo by Juan Rulfo

A highlight of the Mexican novel is Pedro Páramo by Juan Rulfo, considered one of the best Latin American novels. The Indianist novel merges with mythical, legendary, and natural elements, along with social reality, giving rise to what is known as American magic realism.

Narrative Metaphysics

Jorge Luis Borges

Jorge Luis Borges presents paradoxes with intellectual games, exploring the destiny of man, death, and classical philosophical problems.

José Lezama Lima

José Lezama Lima's Paradiso employs a baroque language and delves into metaphysical and existential concerns.

Existential Narrative

Juan Carlos Onetti

Juan Carlos Onetti presents a pessimistic conception of existence, where characters are lonely and lack communication. His novels utilize contemporary techniques.

Ernesto Sabato

Ernesto Sabato, transitioning from atomic physicist to literature, addresses social injustice from a moral standpoint.

Magic Realism

Miguel Ángel Asturias

Miguel Ángel Asturias proposed social criticism and avant-garde literary forms in his work, creating a wonderful blend of reality and fantasy.

The Novel of the 1960s

Latin American narrative gained widespread recognition, marking a period of renewal that had already begun. New voices, such as Carlos Fuentes, Gabriel García Márquez, and Mario Vargas Llosa, resided in exile in Europe. Their proximity to the European world, around the 1970s, significantly impacted the global Spanish narrative. They championed the same cultural and narrative innovations that characterized the dwellings of the twentieth century.