13 of the best magical realism books nominated for the Booker Prizes

While magical realism is a relatively recent trend in literature, its ability to allow the reader to see the world from a fresh perspective means it is now one of the more popular. Seamlessly converging the mundane with the mystical, books in the genre are grounded in reality, but draw on traditions of oral storytelling, folklore, fables mythology and the supernatural, to allow readers a portal to another world.   

‘The way in which magic realism actually works is for the magic to be rooted in the real.’ Salman Rushie, winner of the Booker Prize 1981 for his novel Midnight’s Children, once said. ‘It’s both things. It’s not just a fairytale moment. It’s the surrealism that arises out of the real,’ he emphasised. 

The term itself was first coined by a German art critic, Franz Roh, in 1925, to describe post-expressionist paintings that captured the rational world alongside magical or dream-like elements. It wasn’t until 1955, when critic Angel Flores introduced the phrase into literature, that it became a recognised genre.  

Since then, the genre has exploded. Gabriel Garcia Marquez, nominated for the International Booker Prize for his entire body of work in 2005, set the stage with his novel One Hundred Years of Solitude, published in 1967, and many authors then followed suit. Booker Prize-nominated authors, such as Yann Martel, Shokoofeh Azar and 2022’s winner, Shehan Karunatilika, continue to combine fact with fantasy – the best of their novels can be found in this list. 

The Gospel According to the New World by Maryse Condé, translated by Richard Philcox 

Considered the Grande Dame of Caribbean literature, Maryse Condé has had an acclaimed four-decade literary career. Shortlisted for the International Booker Prize in 2023, her French language title, The Gospel According to the New World, was dictated by Condé to her husband-translator, Richard Philcox, due to her loss of vision. Set in the Caribbean, baby Pascal has been abandoned by his birth mother. Raised by foster parents, his appearance and behaviour are perceived to be special, and he is rumoured to be the child of God. The story follows Pascal into adulthood, as he travels extensively throughout communities, searching for his revered father, hoping to shed some light on his own mission in life. Set in modern times but inspired by the story of Christ, Condé’s book mirrors Biblical tales as events arise that are deemed miracles, while also drawing on Caribbean folklore. The 2023 International Booker Prize judges said the novel ‘borrows from the tradition of magic realism and draws us into a world full of colour and life’. 

The Bone Clocks by David Mitchell 

Covering five different characters’ viewpoints through intersecting stories, beginning in 1984 and ending in 2043, The Bone Clocks was longlisted for the Booker Prize 2014. The novel starts with the adventures of 15-year-old semi-psychic Holly who runs away from home. While Holly’s whole life is depicted throughout the novel, Mitchell introduces readers to other characters along the way, including unethical university student Hugo, war journalist Ed, down-and-out writer Crispin and reincarnated doctor Marinus. With the narrative spanning 59 years, the reader is transported across the world as battle rages between two immortal groups, the Horologists and the Anchorites. While the magical elements skew this book more towards fantasy – with the appearance of vampires, shapeshifters, demons, and an ancient magical battle – they are interspersed within real-world events and contemporary issues, such as the Iraq War and climate change.  

Exit West by Mohsin Hamid 

A love story set amongst an active civil war, Exit West follows conservative, quiet Saeed and independent Nadia as they fall in love. The book describes life at the heart of a refugee crisis, capturing the realistic state of events within the characters’ unnamed war-torn country, with water and food shortages, and increased levels of violence. When tragedy strikes, the couple flee through a series of magical doors – portals that take them to locations around the world as they seek shelter from not only their homeland’s war but also the ensuing emigration crisis. Travelling from continent to continent the couple face prejudice and exclusion on their long quest for peace. Exit West was shortlisted for the Booker Prize in 2017, and described by the Guardian as ‘a parable of hideous contemporary familiarity and strangeness’. The New York Review of Books said it was a ‘breathtaking, complex, sweeping view of the current global predicament, not just a crisis of refugees, but the conundrum of borders and wealth.’ 

Whale by Cheon Myeong-kwan, translated by Chi-Young Kim 

Considered a contemporary classic in South Korea, Whale was shortlisted for the International Booker Prize in 2023, nearly 20 years after it was first published in Korean. It follows the lives of three distinct characters through the changing political landscape of South Korea, from the Korean War to the modernisation of today. There’s entrepreneurial Geumbok; her mute daughter who can communicate with elephants, Chunhui; and a one-eyed woman who controls an army of bees. According to Buzz Magazine, ‘Whale’s magical realism provides an entertaining element, imbuing hidden meaning in even the simplest turns of events.’ From otherworldly creatures (including a psychic elephant) to supernatural events, the book draws on traditional oral storytelling of the region, while intertwining the surreal with harsh reality, addressing communism and gender politics along the way. 

Cursed Bunny by Bora Chung, translated by Anton Hur 

Another collection of short stories to chill you to the bone, Cursed Bunny contains 10 grotesque and graphic tales that use fantastical elements to tackle a range of modern-day themes, from the patriarchy to unchecked capitalism. ‘Embodiment’ follows a virgin who gets pregnant after taking too many birth control pills and must find a father for her baby, a metaphor for the struggles of single motherhood; while immoral greed and an incessant thirst for wealth drive the story ‘Snare’. Expect the unexpected in Bora Chung’s absurd and nightmarish stories, where disembodied heads emerge from toilet bowls, foxes bleed pure gold, and a rabbit-shaped lamp is embued with a curse to avenge the death of a friend. Translated from Korean by Anton Hur, this thought-provoking collection was shortlisted for the 2022 International Booker Prize.  

The Enlightenment of the Greengage Tree by Shokoofeh Azar 

Weaving Persian folklore and fantastical creatures into the dark reality of the Islamic Revolution, Shokoofeh Azar captures the tragedies and brutality directly following the events of 1979. Described as being ‘an embodiment of Iranian life in constant oscillation, struggle and play between four opposing poles: life and death; politics and religion,’ The Enlightenment of the Greengage Tree, which was banned in Iran, is narrated by Bahar, a 13-year-old girl – who also happens to be a ghost. Her family is forced to flee Tehran to a remote village, seeking peace far away from the violence of the city. But instead, the post-revolutionary chaos and upheaval continue to shadow them. The book was shortlisted for the 2020 International Booker Prize, a first for fiction translated from Farsi, yet despite this landmark moment, the publisher withheld the name of the US-based translator for reasons of safety and security.