Various Afrikaans novels published since the late 1980s have been described as “magical realism”. In this dissertation the possibility is explored whether this magical realism is a uniquely Afrikaans mode or if it can be seen as merely an imitation of a South American mode. The term “magical realism”, the background and function of magical realism and the literary connotations associated with the mode are discussed. Comparisons are made between magical realism and its function in the literature of Latin America and West Africa. The Afrikaans novels are compared to texts from Latin America andWest Africa, focussing on the aim and function of magical realism in these Afrikaans novels in order to determine the likelihood of the existence of a “unique” variation of magical realism in Afrikaans. The influence of traditional Afrikaans folktales and oral narratives is explored against the backdrop of magical realism. The study also concentrates on the role of magical realistic texts in exploring the past in a postcolonial situation. The study aims to make a contribution to the approach to a growing body of texts in Afrikaans that are associated with magical realism. The study also examines the possible role played by magical realistic texts in forming identity within the context of a fast changing social and political order in South Africa. / Prof. Willie Burger