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Criticism: What We Talk About When We Talk About Magical Realism
“What We Talk About When We Talk About Magical Realism” (Fernando
Sdrigotti, Los Angeles Review of Books)
This article exemplifies the struggles authors within Latinx literature endure being in the loophole of magic realism. Many Latin American written works are shelved under the category of magical realism without resistance from producers, critics or well-informed readers.
“if it comes from Latin America, it has to be magical realism, in someway, even if it looks like something completely different” Needless to say this results and terrible reductions. “It has wrecked havoc”, as George Volpi put it, without much exaggeration, for it has “erased, with a single [stroke], all of Latin America‘s previous explorations […] and it became a choke-chain for those writers who didn’t show any interest in magic”
“The conditions of life are so difficult that they [Latin American writers] are unable to devote the time and travail required for all memorable achievements, within the result that their output is heterogeneous, often careless.”
Angel Flores
The term magical realism cemented in criticism with the confusion surrounding the essay, “Magical Realism in Spanish American Fiction”, by Puerto Rican critic, Angél Flores. In his essay, Flores intentions were to establish what could be called the differential quality of Latin American fiction. His objective might have been sincere, however, his peace reflected poor taste, containing patronizing and insulting statements. Florez paints a cold picture of Latin American literature. He concluded his essay with the piercing line in the field of fiction, “Latin America is unable to boast of any titans.” Flores ironically finds the trend in Latin American fiction that could fill this vacuum of titans: magical realism.
