SOURCE: “Socialist and Magic Realism: Veiling or Unveiling,” in Journal of Baltic Studies, Vol. 10, No. 3, Fall, 1979, pp. 218-27.

In the following essay, Birutė explains similarities and differences among magic realist works of Latin-American and European socialist writers.

The choice of my topic—juxtaposition of two seemingly quite disparate literary trends—has been prompted by several factors: (1) a growing awareness of Latin-American narrative and its significance in Soviet literary criticism;¹ (2) some evident echoes of the new techniques in the latest works of younger authors in Lithuania;² (3) almost paradoxical similarity in the original intention of both socialist and magic realism: protest against dictatorship and exploitation of the lower strata in capitalist systems, concern for a total vision of society. The modes of carrying out such programs could not be more divergent, however. One could therefore ask which is more effective: total subordination to guide-lines prescribed by the party, with strong...