As if by Magical Realism: A Refugee Crisis in Fiction
As if by Magical Realism: A Refugee Crisis in Fiction

Summary/Abstract: Mohsin Hamid is, along with Salman Rushdie, one of the most powerful „postcolonialvoices‟ in British literature to employ elements of magical realism in order to fictionallyrecreate a hectic contemporary history which seems to be moving faster than ever. Peopledesperately flee from violent civil wars, seeking refuge, and politics of inclusion flourishesin Europe in response. Against this background, drawing inspiration from various violentevents, like the Syrian Civil War, the fall of Mosul and the Yemeni Civil War, as well asfrom his personal migrant experience, Hamid publishes his fourth novel, Exit West,equally personal and political as his other novels, most notably, The ReluctantFundamentalist, dedicated to the events of 9/11. The paper aims to analyse Exit Westfrom the perspective of this relation between the personal and the political, tracing the roleof magical realism in opening the doors towards the painfully realistic construction ofotherness.

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