’n Ondersoek na die kunstenaarskap in Die swye van Mario Salviati binne die konteks van die magiese realisme

Abstract

An investigation into the nature of the artist in The long silence of Mario Salviati within the context of magic realism

This article investigates the nature of the artist in “The long silence of Mario Salviati” (2000) within the context of magic realism. This novel by Etienne van Heerden is particularly interesting as the theme of art is directly intertwined with magic realism. The specific relationship between artistry and magic realism in “The long silence of Mario Salviati” has not been the focus of any particular study yet. Several artists in the novel will be analysed within the context of magic realism and according to magic realist characteristics to give an integrated perspective on style and theme.

This investigation largely conjoins with the viewpoints of Faris (1995), although perspectives from other theorists are also taken as a point of departure. Some important characteristics of magic realist texts which are discussed within the context of artistry in “The long silence of Mario Salviati” are inter alia the co-existence of two worlds, doubts from the reader concerning the interpretation of events as realist or magical, the questioning of conventional ideas about time, space and identity, the anti-bureaucratic viewpoint and the focus on collective rather than individual memory.