Magical realism is a narrative mode in which extraordinary elements are conveyed within the ordinariness of everyday life, blurring the boundaries between reality and imagination. Originating in Latin American literature, this mode has gradually become universal, taking on distinctive forms in various cultural contexts. Its capacity to express social, historical, and cultural ruptures through freedom of form and multilayered narration has significantly enhanced its literary impact. In Turkish literature, magical realism began to gain visibility in the 1980s and evolved into a powerful narrative form in post-2000 novels, enriched by local cultural elements and postmodern techniques.
This study aims to examine the magical realist elements in Fuat Sevimay’s novel Kapalıçarşı and to reveal the tendencies toward this narrative mode in Turkish fiction after 2000. The novel constructs a multilayered narrative universe in which historical continuity intertwines with individual stories, embedding mythological motifs, fairy-tale structures, and fantastical events hallmarks of magical realism. Yet this magical dimension serves not only as an aesthetic choice but also as a vehicle for critical discourse. Through its ironic tone, historical references, and cultural hybridity, the narrative reflects individual and social transformation from a multifaceted perspective. By identifying the magical realist components in Kapalıçarşı and analyzing the critical, ideological, and historical functions of its magical mode, the study explores how the “magical” becomes an instrument for rewriting and questioning social memory.