Our list of some of the best Magical Realism books & series in recent years. Get inspired by one or more of the following books.
1. Where the Forest Meets the Stars (2019)
After the loss of her mother and her own battle with breast cancer, Joanna Teale returns to her graduate research on nesting birds in rural Illinois, determined to prove that her recent hardships have not broken her. She throws herself into her work from dusk to dawn, until her solitary routine is disrupted by the appearance of a mysterious child who shows up at her cabin barefoot and covered in bruises.The girl calls herself Ursa, and she claims to have been sent from the stars to witness five miracles. With concerns about the child’s home situation, Jo reluctantly agrees to let her…
2. Ordinary Enchantments: Magical Realism and the Remystification of Narrative (2004)
Ordinary Enchantments investigates magical realism as the most important trend in contemporary international fiction, defines its characteristics and narrative techniques, and proposes a new theory to explain its significance. In the most comprehensive critical treatment of this literary mode to date, Wendy B. Faris discusses a rich array of examples from magical realist novels around the world, including the work not only of Latin American writers like Gabriel Garcia Marquez, but also of authors like Salman Rushdie, Gunter Grass, Toni Morrison, and Ben Okri.Faris argues that by combining…
3. One Hundred Years of Solitude (P.S.) (Harper Perennial Modern Classics) (2006)
One Hundred Years of Solitude tells the story of the rise and fall, birth and death of the mythical town of Macondo through the history of the Buendía family. Inventive, amusing, magnetic, sad, and alive with unforgettable men and women — brimming with truth, compassion, and a lyrical magic that strikes the soul — this novel is a masterpiece in the art of fiction. #1,865 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #22 in Teen & Young Adult Classic Literature #1 in Caribbean & Latin American Literature #29 in Classic American Literature Would you like to ?If you are a seller for…
4. Spellcaster Academy: Magical Realism, Episode 1 (2019)
Magic exists, Josy sucks at it, and now her cat won’t stop talking.Seventeen-year-old Josy Barrows thinks she’s an orphan.So, when opportunity knocks in the form of an address and a plane ticket from a mystery aunt, Josy jumps at the chance to start a new life with her black cat, Nine.Fast forward.There’s no aunt, no house… just a weird junk shop in a dark alley.And a strange owner with a cryptic message who hurries Josy to the back of the shop—Into a world she never knew existed.Josy finds herself enrolled at the hidden Borealis Academy of Magical Arts…with a…
5. Magical Realism: Theory, History, Community (1995)
Magical realism is often regarded as a regional trend, restricted to the Latin American writers who popularized it as a literary form. In this critical anthology, the first of its kind, editors Lois Parkinson Zamora and Wendy B. Faris show magical realism to be an international movement with a wide-ranging history and a significant influence among the literatures of the world. In essays on texts by writers as diverse as Toni Morrison, Günter Grass, Salman Rushdie, Derek Walcott, Abe Kobo, Gabriel García Márquez, and many others, magical realism is examined as a worldwide phenomenon.Presenting…
6. Magic(al) Realism (The New Critical Idiom) (2004)
Bestselling novels by Angela Carter, Salman Rushdie, Gabriel Garcia Marquez and a multitude of others have enchanted us by blurring the lines between reality and fantasy. Their genre of writing has been variously defined as ‘magic’, ‘magical’ or ‘marvellous’ realism and is quickly becoming a core area of literary studies. This guide offers a first step for those wishing to consider this area in greater depth, by: This is an essential guide for those interested in or studying one of today’s most popular genres. #676,797 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #440 in Science Fiction History & Criticism #822 in Illustration and Graphic…
7. Magical Realist Fiction: An Anthology (1984)
This capacious anthology has selections from the authors you would expect to find, from others you may be less familiar with, and from writers you might not expect to show up in this company. The result is a treasure trove of unusual fiction, one of the most exciting anthologies to appear in the last decade. This is a poet’s companion, a student’s delight, great bedside reading: the kind of book you’d take to a desert island! #555,847 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #1480 in Fantasy Anthologies #752 in Poetry Anthologies (Books) #8019 in Short Stories…
8. The Wish Collector (2018)
New Orleans, a city of mystery and magic, of secrets and dreams, and a history drenched in both love and the deepest of heartache. When ballet dancer Clara Campbell arrives in New Orleans, lonely and homesick, she is immediately captivated by the story of Windisle Plantation and the tragic tale that is said to have transpired beyond its gate. Legend has it that it is abandoned by all living souls, but to Clara’s great surprise, it is not a ghost she hears through the stone wall surrounding the property, but a flesh and blood man. A scarred stranger with a pain deeper and darker than the churning waters…
9. The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya (2009)
Haruhi holds the fate of the universe in her hands . . . lucky for you she doesn’t know it!Meet Haruhi – a cute, determined girl, starting high school in a city where nothing exciting happens and absolutely no one understands her.Meet Kyon - the sarcastic guy who sits behind Haruhi in homeroom and the only boy Haruhi has ever opened up to. His fate is now tied to hers.Meet the S.O.S. Brigade – an after-school club organized by Haruhi with a mission to seek out the extraordinary. Oh, and their second mission? Keeping Haruhi happy . . . because even though she doesn’t know it, Haruhi has the power to destroy…
10. The Keeper of Lost Things: A Novel (2017)
A charming, clever, and quietly moving debut novel of of endless possibilities and joyful discoveries that explores the promises we make and break, losing and finding ourselves, the objects that hold magic and meaning for our lives, and the surprising connections that bind us.Lime green plastic flower-shaped hair bobbles—Found, on the playing field, Derrywood Park, 2nd September.Bone china cup and saucer—Found, on a bench in Riveria Public Gardens, 31st October.Anthony Peardew is the keeper of lost things. Forty years ago, he carelessly lost a keepsake from his beloved fiancée, Therese….
11. The Bear and the Nightingale: A Novel (Winternight Trilogy) (2017)
Winter lasts most of the year at the edge of the Russian wilderness, and in the long nights, Vasilisa and her siblings love to gather by the fire to listen to their nurse’s fairy tales. Above all, Vasya loves the story of Frost, the blue-eyed winter demon. Wise Russians fear him, for he claims unwary souls, and they honor the spirits that protect their homes from evil. Then Vasya’s widowed father brings home a new wife from Moscow. Fiercely devout, Vasya’s stepmother forbids her family from honoring their household spirits, but Vasya fears what this may bring. And indeed, misfortune…
12. The Traveler’s Gift (2012)
What makes the difference between failure and success? Join David Ponder on his incredible journey to discover the Seven Decisions for Success that can turn any life around, no matter how hopeless a situation may seem. A New York Times, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and Publisher’s Weekly bestseller, The Traveler’s Gift is the continuation of David Ponder’s story in The Traveler’s Summit. …
Best Magical Realism Books that Should be on Your Bookshelf
We highly recommend you to buy all paper or e-books in a legal way, for example, on Amazon. But sometimes it might be a need to dig deeper beyond the shiny book cover. Before making a purchase, you can visit resources like Genesis and download some magical realism books mentioned below at your own risk. Once again, we do not host any illegal or copyrighted files, but simply give our visitors a choice and hope they will make a wise decision.
Magical Realism and Cosmopolitanism: Strategizing Belonging
Author(s): Kim Anderson Sasser
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan UK, Year: 2014, Size: 4 Mb, Download: pdf
ID: 1478585
Moments of Magical Realism in US Ethnic Literatures
Author(s): Lyn Di Iorio Sandín, Richard Perez (eds.)
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan US, Year: 2013, Size: 1 Mb, Download: pdf
ID: 1479242
Magical Realism and Deleuze: The Indiscernibility of Difference in Postcolonial Literature
Author(s): Eva Aldea
Publisher: Continuum, Year: 2011, Size: 818 Kb, Download: pdf
ID: 799305
Magical Realism and the Postcolonial Novel: Between Faith and Irreverence
Author(s): Christopher Warnes
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan, Year: 2009, Size: 1 Mb, Download: pdf
ID: 421183
A Companion to Magical Realism
Author(s): Stephen M. Hart, Stephen M. Hart, Wen-chin Ouyang
Publisher: Tamesis Books, Year: 2005, Size: 3 Mb, Download: pdf
ID: 398798
Please note that this booklist is not definite. Some books are really chart-busters according to Washington Post, others are written by unknown authors. On top of that, you can always find additional tutorials and courses on Coursera, Udemy or edX, for example. Are there any other relevant links you could recommend? Leave a comment if you have any feedback on the list.