Genre guide · Fiction
Magical Realism: word count & book length
How long a magical realism book should be, which trim sizes suit it and what that means in printed pages. Typical length: 70,000–100,000 words.
About magical realism
Realistic fiction in which magical elements are treated as ordinary parts of life, often to explore memory, family and culture.
Printed length in recommended trim sizes
| Trim | Pages at 11 pt | Spine (white) |
|---|---|---|
| 5.5 x 8.5 in Digest | 274–398 pages | 0.62–0.9 in |
| 6 x 9 in US Trade | 242–348 pages | 0.54–0.78 in |
Page counts for these lengths
Tips for this category
- Shelve it as literary fiction in metadata; magical realism is a descriptor, not always a store category.
About Magical Realism
Magical realism, magic realism, or marvellous realism is a style or genre of fiction and art that presents a realistic view of the world while also incorporating magical elements, often blurring the lines between speculation and reality. Magical realism is the most commonly used of the three terms and refers to literature, in particular, with magical or supernatural phenomena presented in an otherwise real-world or mundane setting, and is commonly found in novels and dramatic performances. In his article "Magical Realism in Spanish American Literature", Luis Leal explains the difference between magic literature and magical realism, stating that, "Magical realism is not magic literature either.
From the Wikipedia article “Magical realism”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Most-published magical realism works in Open Library
| Title | Author | First published | Editions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cien años de soledad | Gabriel García Márquez | 1967 | 208 |
| The People in the Trees | Hanya Yanagihara | 2013 | 12 |
| The Weird | Ann VanderMeer, Jeff VanderMeer | 2011 | 6 |
| The Sound of Building Coffins | Louis Maistros | 2009 | 4 |
| "Yellow peril" | Richard Jaccoma | 1978 | 3 |
| Tales for our times | Joe Friggieri | 2004 | 2 |
| The Snow Child | Eowyn Ivey | 2012 | 2 |
| Die Allee der verbotenen Fragen | Antonia Michaelis | 2016 | 2 |
| Gian Paolo Dulbecco - I dipinti | Gian Paolo Dulbecco | 2000 | 1 |
| Schilders van een andere werkelijkheid in de collectie van het Scheringa Museum voor Realisme | Emily Ansenk, Matthijs Erdman | 2006 | 1 |
Open Library lists 22 works under this subject.
Frequently asked questions
How long should a magical realism book be?
What trim size is best for magical realism?
Sources & data
- Subject statistics from Open Library.
- Summary from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).