Magic(al) Realism

How can mystery transform into clarity, how can magic mirrors reflect real faces, and how can myths and folklore access the highest point of reality? All these are interpreted through magical realism. This book deals with "Magical Realism", which means the blending of different elements such as fantasy, folklore, superstition and tradition to create a strange atmosphere that produces a clear vision of reality. Many critics believe that this mode is Latin American, but others say it is universal. This book is an attempt to prove that magical realism is an international phenomenon through tracing the use of its technique in two novels by different authors from different continents: Laura Esquivel's Like Water for Chocolate from Mexico (1989) and Ben Okri's The Famished Road (1990) from Nigeria.