Who says magical realism is dead? In Latin America, where that form of imaginative literature was born, the absurd is the stuff of everyday headlines. Events that defy belief are just another aspect of the daily routine of life in the region. Or, to put it another way, you can’t make this stuff up.
Venezuela
What if they held a presidential inauguration and everybody showed up — except the president? That’s more or less what took place in Caracas earlier this month, as excited crowds of adoring followers jammed the streets to celebrate the start of a new six-year term for President Hugo Chávez, the man who wasn’t there.
Venezuela’s Constitution mandates that the president take the oath of office within a set period after the election. But since Mr. Chávez lies gravely ill in Havana after yet another round of cancer surgery, he couldn’t make it to the January 10 inauguration.