The death of Gabriel Garcia Marquez marks the passing of yet another literary giant. His presence will be missed but his words are guaranteed to live on through his work. In addition to his most well-known novels Love In The Time of Cholera and 100 Years of Solitude, Marquez left a legacy that is synonymous with the literary genre “magical realism” by effortlessly infusing reality with fantasy.
Magical realism incorporates enchanting or other-world elements into otherwise commonplace stories. Marquez mastered this art and solidified his presence as one of the greats within the genre. However, he was not the first to utilize this technique. Magical elements have historically played a role in African and African-Diaspora literature and story telling. A quick web-search will reveal countless books, articles and academic papers on the subject. It’s late, so I’ll spare you the history and instead provide a list of my five favorite novels that feature magical realism.
Add your favorites in the comments below.
5) Mama Day by Gloria Naylor
A story, depicting the mysterious Miranda “Mama” Day and her niece Ophelia, that takes place in a fictional island off the coast of Georgia. It’s reminiscent of a Shakespearean novel and depicts the tragedy and sacrifice between lovers.
4) Kindred by Octavia Butler
This bewitching tale follows Dana Franklin as she involuntarily travels through time in an attempt to preserve her lineage and ensure her own survival. It’s a fast-paced historical novel that secures Butler’s role as the mother of modern science fiction and magical realism.
3) The Wizard of the Crow by Ngugi wa Thiong’o
The Wizard of the Crow is as entertaining as it is politically astute. The story surrounds citizens within a fictional African country ruled by an aging dictator. In this novel I’m not sure which concepts are more absurd – the magical occurrences or the real current events from which the story is based . . .
2) Beloved by Toni Morrison
Beloved is the story of an escaped slave who is haunted by her past. Not only is it an epic historical fiction novel, Morrison expertly guides the reader in and out of each character’s psychosis until the line between magic and reality is practically invisible. Don’t let the (horrible) film adaptation deter you from exploring this novel; this isn’t just about slavery just as it isn’t simply a ghost story.
1) The Famished Road by Ben Okri
What is it about the country of Nigeria that produces game-changing authors and pioneers in literature? Not only is The Famished Road laced with realistic-feeling magical elements, Okri’s writing style is purely enchanting. The first few chapters of the book are so beautifully written that the novel is spell-binding. Ben Okri writes like no author I have ever encountered. He’s brilliant, no question, but I’m now convinced there’s wizardry involved!
The Afro-Librarians 
Great resource – thank you! I recently read short stories by Henry Dumas, an African American author from Arkansas, and they were unlike anything I’ve ever read – masculine, smokey, deep and dark, and steeped in magical realism. My favorite story was “Ark of Bones,” in which an ark makes its way up the Mississippi River to retrieve Headeye, a character who carries a mojo bone and who is called to become a caretaker of the bones the ark carries – bones of his ancestors who died on the slave ships and throughout US history.
Oooh! I just found a pdf of “Ark of Bones” online. Here it is if anyone wants to read it: http://nationalhumanitiescenter.org/pds/maai3/community/text7/arkofbones.pdf
I LOVE Henry Dumas! Thanks for posting the link..you actually inspired me to write a blog post about his work!
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