Latin American literature is best known for its magical realism, its beautiful poems and tales. I recently read a collection named “América Latina cuenta”, a series of Latin American short stories called “Leer es fiesta” (Reading is fun). Since everything is fiesta in Latin America, I thought why reading (and writing) wouldn’t be, so I thought of discovering how true it is.

The result? I discovered amazing writers, Nobel and Cervantes Prize winners, exiled authors who saw their only escape and shelter in literature, authors who are able to make magic in only two or three pages. Here are my top 7 authors whose short stories impressed me greatly.

1. Augusto Monterroso (Guatemala)

Honduran writer who adopted Guatemalan nationality and lived exiled in Mexico most of his life, Monterroso is considered to be one of the greatest storytellers in Latin America. His style is mostly ironical and his language is very simple and easy to read. He is part of Latin American Boom generation, even though his work is mostly limited to short stories. He was strongly inspired by the Latin American folktales and rich cultural heritage, so the main characters in his tales are usually Zorro (the fox), the chameleon, the turtle and other animals with human qualities. Besides his tales that some critics qualify as “children’s literature”, he wrote satirical and surrealist fiction. One of those stories that remind us of Kafka is a story called “La cena” (The supper) whose main character is Kafka himself and whose atmosphere is absolutely Kafkaesque.

2. Horacio Quiroga (Uruguay)

Set in the South American rainforests, Quiroga’s tales take us to the most mystical jungles in Uruguay and Argentina and make us live the most magical jungle adventures. He makes detailed descriptions of nature and wildlife and uses typical folklore elements. In “La Tortuga gigante” (the Giant Tortoise), Horacio Quiroga narrates the story of a giant tortoise who helps an ill and exhausted man recover and takes him to Buenos Aires. A mix of historical and cultural heritage and fiction, his work is a real literary treasure. He was heavily influenced by Edgar Allan Poe and he was a great inspiration for authors such as Marquez and Cortázar.

3. José María Arguedas (Perú)

José María Arguedas was a Peruvian author and anthropologist. Raised in an indigenous family in Peru, he wrote in both Spanish and Quechua (indigenous language). His short stories and poems are a great opportunity to discover the indigenous Peruvian culture, which is completely different from the Spanish speaking part of Peru. In his story “El sueño del pongo”, he reveals how Indigenous people were treated during the colonial era. The main character (pongo = an indigenous servant), abused by his landlord, escapes from his suffering by dreaming of a society where he is free and where the landlord receives a deserved punishment. His stories make us reflect on the human condition and the injustice against indigenous people.

4. Gabriel García Márquez (Colombia)

A Nobel Prize winner, Márquez is certainly one of the greatest authors of all time. He is the father of magical realism, a genre that depicts reality with fantastical elements. Magical realism shows the reality of society during difficult times, such as dictatorship in some Latin American countries. Love and family are important themes in Garcia’s works. Most known for his novels “One Hundred Years of Solitude”, “Love in the Time of Cholera” and “Of Love and Other Demons”, he is one of the best-selling fiction authors of all time. Other works worth discovering are his short stories which are definitely small and underrated masterpieces.

5. Julio Cortázar (Argentina)

One of the founders of the Latin American Boom, novelist and short story writer, Cortázar’s writing style is unique and innovative. His stories are set between the real and the unreal, mixing magical realism with surrealism. He spent most of his life in France where he won the Prix Médicis, a French prestigious literary award. Most known for his novel Hopscotch, he won the hearts of millions of readers worldwide. The line between fantasy and reality in his works is blurred, for example in “Fin del mundo del fin” (End of the world of the end) and “Continuidad de los Parques” (The continuity of parks) where two realities are depicted: a reader who reads a novel about a reader who reads a novel about… Warning! If it’s your first time reading Julio Cortázar, a headache might occur… But if you’re into fiction, it’s absolutely beautiful.

6. Octavio Paz (México)

Octavio Paz was a Mexican diplomat, Cervantes and Nobel Prize winner, writer and poet. He was born into a famous political family in Mexico which strongly influenced his works. He lived and worked in New Delhi, India as Ambassador of Mexico, where he published several books and poems. His most famous poem is “Piedra del sol” (Sunstone), surrealist poem influenced by existentialism and Buddhism. His short story “Encuentro” (Encounter) is a must-read for all surrealism fans where the author narrates the encounter with himself.

7. Virgilio Piñera (Cuba)

Cuban novelist, playwright, poet and short story writer, Piñera’s works include essays on literature which influenced an entire generation of writers. Like most of the Latin American authors, he lived exiled in Buenos Aires, Argentina and returned to Cuba shortly before the Cuban revolution. Another characteristic common for most of the Latin American writers is his surrealistic narration and his satirical writing.

Reading all these amazing authors, I realized why surrealism is an inevitable part of Latin American literature – it is another way to escape from a bitter reality and a way better solution than a simple exile. It is an artistic form to cope with life which resulted into a precious literary gem.