magic realism

noun

Updated on: 18 Apr 2018

Definition of magic realism

1 : painting in a meticulously realistic style of imaginary or fantastic scenes or images

2 : a literary genre or style associated especially with Latin America that incorporates fantastic or mythical elements into otherwise realistic fiction — called also magical realism

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magic realist

noun

Recent Examples of magic realism from the Web

My influences come from a stew of sources: Freud, Jungian archetypes, magic realism, surrealism, Paula Rego, Shirin Neshat, Kiki Smith, Marisol Escobar, Thomas Hirschhorn, Joseph Beuys, and many others.

— andrea alonso, Los Angeles Magazine, "This L.A.-Based Artist Wants You to Consider Your Immigrant Status," 4 Apr. 2018
Based on historical events (with layers of magic realism, Achebe-style allegory, and folklore ladled on top), Couto’s ninth novel is the first in a trilogy.

— vanity fair, Vanities, "What to Read in April," 2 Apr. 2018
From there, the tale takes flight in a way that comes close to magic realism, with the characters and events falling into a gothic swoon.

— charlotte graham, New York Times, "A New Zealand Novel Full of Taciturn Men and Wooden Dolls," 26 Jan. 2018
Salman Rushdie’s 13th novel is a dramatic trans-Atlantic tale that marks his swerve from magic realism to realism.

— nina martyris, Slate Magazine, "America the Supervillain," 21 Sep. 2017
Pulley adroitly departs from the historical record to make the Peruvian story her own, turning it into a work of magic realism.

— sara wheeler, New York Times, "A 19th-Century Smuggler in the Peruvian Andes," 15 Sep. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'magic realism.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.