I wrote a previous post about Gabriel Garcia Marquez, one of my biggest influences as a writer, claiming him to be the father of magical realism (in literature). Well, wasn't I surprised to be completely wrong. The actual father of magical realism in none other than Miguel Angel Asturias.
His books seem difficult to find in France, which is odd since he actually wrote one of his most famous novels El Presidente while in Paris. I only managed to find The Mulatta and Mister Fly, but it was PHENOMENAL.
I do not use this word lightly. The way it was written changed my life.
The writing is provacative, clever, and masculine in a way that Hemmingway is said to be and isn't. This is a story about a man whose fly is always down who is a pervert. Even his wife thinks that he is a pervert.
The main benefit of reading this (I'm on to Ben Okri next) is it proves that magical realism doesn't have to be about supernatural things. It can also be about odd every day things, that take up a life of their own.
I've added Asturias to my mandatory reading list. You should too.
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