Magia contra poder: El realismo mágico en la producción cultural de Galicia

Abstract

This study examines the recurrent use of magical realism in the current cultural production of Galicia and the reasons for it. It focuses on works produced in the last 50 years. For many years, magical realism was exclusively considered as a literary phenomenon distinctive of Latin America. However, it is currently believed that magical realism can be found in different cultures and historical periods, and that it can be manifested through various means. Magical realism is now seen as a manner of narration with particular thematic and structural characteristics. On the one hand, it presents magical or supernatural events as part of a realistic plot in a natural and coherent way. On the other hand, it has the ability to transmit specific contextual social messages that often include postcolonial and political discourses and, more recently, an environmental discourse. Both defining aspects of magical realism are of particular importance to Galicia. Firstly, Galician cultural tradition and certain aspects of Galician identity have a noticeable tendency towards the supernatural, and magic is perceived as part of everyday life. Secondly, an analysis of Galician history reveals that the Galician context offers themes that have the potential of serving as fertile grounds for magical realism. Galicia’s history of political subordination makes it a postcolonial territory; the legacy of the civil war and Francoism has a direct impact on its political discourse and, because of the historical significance of the environment in Galician economy and culture, the environmental discourse is a topic of great importance. These reasons explain the considerable use of magical realism in Galician cultural productions. This study includes novels by Álvaro Cunqueiro, Wenceslao Fernández Flórez and Manuel Rivas, films by Chano Piñeiro, Carlos López Piñeiro and Alfredo García Pinal, and an animated film and graphic novel by Miguelanxo Prado. The analysis of these works offers proof that magical realism is a significant phenomenon in Galicia, that it represents an important tool in the construction of Galician cultural identity, and that it serves as a means of political resistance.