Lecture on "Magic Realism in Latin American Literature"

Lecture summary:  Fiction lovers and literary critics around the world have been captivated by the haunting power of magic realist literature that has come out of Latin America since 1960s. While it has made publishing history by catapulting literature-in-translation into the bestseller lists, it has also made us question the artificial distinctions between high literature and popular culture. Spanish-language writers like Gabriel García Márquez, Isabel Allende, Alejo Carpentier, Julio Cortázar & Jorge Luís Borges have become key reference points of contemporary world literature. This lecture will try to understand the distinctive features of magic realism where the fiesta of poetic metaphors, lyrical allegory and symbols are not a carnival of subjectivity but a rational analysis of a reality deformed by European culture and suffocated by American imperialism.