Latin American literature
Latin American literature consists of the oral and written literature of Latin America in several languages, particularly in Spanish, Portuguese, and the indigenous languages of the Americas. It rose to particular prominence globally during the second half of the 20th century, largely due to the international success of the style known as magical realism. As such, the region's literature is often associated solely with this style, with the 20th century literary movement known as Latin American Boom, and with its most famous exponent, Gabriel García Márquez. Latin American literature has a rich and complex tradition of literary production that dates back many centuries.
Gabriel García Márquez, one of the most renowned Latin American writers
Sculpture of Alfonso Reyes writer of influential pieces of Mexican surrealism.
Roberto Bolaño is considered to have had the greatest United States impact of any post-Boom author
Octavio Paz helped to define modern poetry and the Mexican personality.
Magic realism or magical realism is a style or genre of fiction and art that presents a realistic view of the world while incorporating magical elements, often blurring the lines between fantasy and reality. Magic realism often refers to literature in particular, with magical or supernatural phenomena presented in an otherwise real-world or mundane setting, commonly found in novels and dramatic performances. Despite including certain magic elements, it is generally considered to be a different genre from fantasy because magical realism uses a substantial amount of realistic detail and employs magical elements to make a point about reality, while fantasy stories are often separated from reality. Magical realism is often seen as an amalgamation of real and magical elements that produces a more inclusive writing form than either literary realism or fantasy.
Alejo Carpentier
Plaque of Gabriel García Márquez, Paris
Giorgio de Chirico, Love Song, 1914, Museum of Modern Art, New York
Alexander Kanoldt, Still Life II 1922