What does fantasy have to conquer hearts wherever it goes? The combination of magic and realism applied to stories and values as universal as those that are usually treated (the hero’s journey, good against evil, love, companionship …) make the fantasy genre an inexhaustible source of emotions. Whether through the pages of books or comics, the images of movies and series or the immersive experience offered by board games and video games, it is not necessary to insist much so that more than one agrees to embark on a journey with departure and return.
This type of narrative has defined its style and main elements over time and through rehearsal-repetition until it has structures and characters that are always, at best, familiar. From the mythical tales of the ancient world such as the Odyssey to the legends of all civilizations (Arthurian cycle, the Edda …) , the fantastic tales have preserved their background but have changed their form, adopting different tones and creating complex worlds for each main character and each plot. This means that there is an immense variety of authors that are worth reading, and to facilitate this task we have chosen three of the most relevant writers of the 20th century , to bring their stories and their own lives closer together.
JRR Tolkien, Master of Middle-earth
John Ronald Reuel Tolkien created one of the most complete worlds in fantasy literature, from its very origin to the genealogies of great families and of all races. Born in Bloemfontein but having spent most of his life in England, his knowledge of ancient languages and medieval legends (as well as his own personal experiences) enabled him to shape Middle-earth and the epic stories told in The Lord of the Rings or The hobbit . Tolkien left so many notes and texts about the universe he shaped that, after his death, his son Christopher Tolkien published them as independent books.
To Tolkien we owe the modern conception of the race of elves, hobitts or orcs , as well as having defined the vision of fantastic literature from the first half of the 20th century to the present.
Terry Pratchett, Discworld Sage
Terry Pratchett is probably one of the first names you think of when talking about fantastic writers. Away from the classic tone and epicity of Tolkien, Pratchett chose to design his world around the idea of satire : a ridiculous and twisted vision in which both the world and its characters and even their own values are a parody of themselves. . Precocious writer (he published his first story when he was only 13 years old, the true charm of his texts is that this humorous and hyper-colored element hides a critical and complex background that one only comes to understand when he decides to open his mind and embark on reading without expect nothing concrete, but prepared for what the author throws at him.
In 1983, the publication of The Color of Magic would open the Discworld series where we would learn about the different social groups and concerns of its inhabitants in 41 novels that share a flat and circular world as a setting that sits on four elephants located on the shell of a giant tortoise . Crazy? Can. Sparkly? Sure it is, it’s Terry Pratchett.
Úrsula K. Le Guin, Terramar explorer
Perhaps Úrsula K. Le Guin is the most versatile author we are dealing with here, or at least the one who is known for more than just her fantastic saga: science fiction, children’s and youth stories, essay series, poetry or books by photography and writers manuals . If we focus on her contribution to fantastic literature, the central theme that concerns us, the Cycle of Earthsea is the saga that made her one of the great teachers of the genre. Using techniques and classic elements of the genre, Le Guin gave a twist to the medieval fantasy narrative by providing details that were novel for the time , such as breaking the Caucasian ethnicity of the main character, or raising conflicts based on cultural clashes whose solution is closer to dialogue and understanding than in the use of the sword and violence.
A committed feminist and environmentalist, Úrsula Le Guin’s novels are as beautiful and engaging as her message is powerful and clear.
