What is Magical Realism
A chiefly literary style or genre originating in Latin America that combines fantastic or dreamlike elements with realism.
Alejo Carpentier(19041980)
was a
Cuban writer, musicologist, and diplomat who is considered the
founder of magical realism. His novels include The Kingdom
of This World (1942) and The Lost Steps (1953).
Bellow is my favorite definition taken from the Magical Realism Page.
Giles Boutel (boutel1g@wcc.govt.nz):
My own definition would be somewhere along the lines of:
The reality of magical realism must be recognizably ours with the addition of the magical element.
So no dragons, no orcs, and no talking animals. This immediately separates it from much fantasy.
The magic of magical realism must be natural, inexplicable, and uncontrollable.
For more information, search Google for Alejo Carpentier and use Google translation to read the pages.