Abstract

Most of the literary pieces which bear the mark of magical realism can also be described as postcolonial as long as they are set in a postcolonial context and challenge the assumptions of a dominant and authoritative colonialist attitude towards history, reality or truth. The development of English magical realist writing in the latter half of the twentieth century overlaps with the birth and growth of postcolonial theory and criticism in a great deal. As the most famous magical realist writer in English, Salman Rushdie admits to having been influenced by both the surrealist European tradition and the mythic branch of magical realism as it is to be found inLatin America. This paper is trying to bring evidence for the above stated through a close reading of The Firebird’s Nest.