Magical Realism
It’s important for writers not only to write consistently, but also to read, and read a lot, especially in their genre of choice. I grew up reading many different genres, but none have fascinated me as much as Magical Realism which has inspired my writing greatly.
Magical Realism (Magic Realism, Fabulism) is a genre encompassed not only in literature but art ( painting, film, theater, etc.) that incorporates fantastic or mythical elements (magic, supernatural) into otherwise realistic, mundane, real-world settings, which inspired me to write a summary of a few favorite in the poem below.
I roam betwixt real and fantastical
a parallel world of natural and supernatural
Venturing high-tea and edible goodies with the vampire next door
Til blood thirsty eyes detect pulsation
Then I escape for a stroll with a riddling cat
And pause for a giggle beneath a tree living Baron
Annoyed, he shoos me toward a speeding horse
Whisking lovers from a house redolent of chocolate
And a lovesick Spaniard offering a lick
A savor of her enchanted, tear-engendering batter
Achingly sated, I escape into a night raining flowers
Seizing posies from a two-mooned heaven
In the distance, a girl with glass feet sparkles
Along a road paved with roses
It all seems impossible, fantastical, and magical
I hasten inside the mistress of spices who know what I seek
A portion of realism, a potion of truth, a brew to reality
Where magic exists for the curious only
In paintings and rows of spine-covered pages
Some of my favorites books in the Magical Realism genre are:
Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel
Chocolat by Joanne Harris
One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Beloved by Toni Morrison
The House of The Spirits by Isabel Allende
The Mistress of Spices by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
Winter’s Tale by Mark Helprin
Along with a few, I’m reading this summer:
The Girl With Glass Feet by Ali Shaw
The Girl Who Chased The Moon by Sarah Addison Allen
The Taste of Apple Seeds by Katharina Hagena
Understanding your genre is critical to your writing success. So go out and read a book or two, or three that inspires your writing.
Happy reading!!!
Copyright 2017 by E. Denise Billups
Art: Courtesy of Sophie Wilkins
