ALEJO CARPENTIER, SURREALISMO Y FANTASÍA
ALEJO CARPENTIER, SURREALISM AND FANTASY

Summary/Abstract: The presence of fantastic elements in Alejo Carpentier’s novels is closely linked to his concept of lo real maravilloso (“the marvelous real”), according to which reality itself, particularly in the Latin American context, possesses an inherent sense of wonder. Unlike traditional fantasy, which introduces supernatural elements into reality, Carpentier presents the extraordinary as a natural part of historical and cultural experience. In his works, the fantastic emerges through the interaction of history, myth, religion, and collective belief, while Afro-Caribbean and indigenous traditions are integrated as legitimate ways of understanding the world. Novels such as The Kingdom of This World illustrate how Carpentier uses the fantastic not as an escape from reality, but as a means of revealing its deeper and more complex dimensions.

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