The Rise of Latin American Narrative: From Realism to Magical Realism

The Hispanic American Narrative

Until the twentieth century, Latin American narrative barely existed. Its **irruption in the '50s and '60s** in the contemporary literary scene was a radical change in the conception of the genre. The extraordinary rise of the Latin American novel is marked by two key moments: the emergence of innovative magical realism and the consolidation of these innovations by the authors of the *Boom*.

The Hispanic American Realist Novel in the Early 20th Century

The novel of the first half of the twentieth century is characterized by following the realism of the previous century. This is **social realism**, which is centered on specifically American themes: geography, the peasantry, and the problems pertaining to its inhabitants. Thematically, we can identify three groups:

• The Regionalist Novel (or Novel of the Earth)

  Focusing on American geography and its wild nature. The human being is subject to the power of telluric forces (Nature). Highlights three authors:

  • José Eustasio Rivera (*La Vorágine*)
  • Rómulo Gallegos (*Doña Bárbara*)
  • Ricardo Güiraldes (*Don Segundo Sombra*)

• The Social Novel (Protest Literature)

  These works protest against social inequalities. They are abundant in denouncing the situation of the Indigenous population (known as the **Indigenist Novel**). Key authors include Ciro Alegría (*El mundo es ancho y ajeno*) and Jorge Icaza (*Huasipungo*).

• The Novel of the Mexican Revolution

  This genre provides a narrative analysis of the events occurring during the agrarian revolt in Mexico in the early decades of the twentieth century.

Renewal of Latin American Narrative: Magical Realism

From the 1940s, a period began in Latin American novels that conditioned subsequent creation. The break with traditional realism is manifest, marked by the appearance of mythical, magical, and fantastic elements in novels that, nevertheless, continue to maintain a credible plot. This expression, linking contradictory terms, has been termed **Magical Realism**.

The marvelous can be found at every step in the American reality, which is so different from the comprehensive European reality. Magic and fantasy are central to the life of the American continent, which is revealed, therefore, to some extent, as the lost paradise of the West. One of the aims of these new novels is to discover that magical America.

Aesthetically, these novels tend toward very elegant prose and highly developed structures. Furthermore, they introduce innovative elements in narrative technique, influenced by European novelists and the need to implement new ways to convey the magical and irrational themes.

The most significant authors of this stage of renewal are:

• Alejo Carpentier
• Miguel Ángel Asturias
• Jorge Luis Borges
• Juan Rulfo