DEFINED
Rusty Morrison and Ken Keegan have defined and promoted fabulist fiction through their titles with Omnidawn Publishing. In an interview with Mary Mackey (February 2015), they discuss and explain succinctly their use of the term fabulist fiction. According to Keegan, the genre includes work that does not fit into the literary or genre fiction categories. "This third type has cultural meaning and artistic value, which means it does not fit well into the escapist formula genres, yet it also has non-realistic elements and settings which exclude it from the category of literary fiction." To be sure, (and this is addressed in the interview), well-known writers find publishers for their non-realistic fiction.
Keegan traces the term "fabulist" to Bradford Morrow's 2002 issue number 39 of Conjunctions, guest edited by Peter Straub, which was devoted to "new wave fabulist writers."
For intriguing comparison and explanation of Irrealism, you might also check out Cafe Irreal, here: http://cafeirreal.alicewhittenburg.com/index.htm.
Dream and Irreal: http://cafeirreal.alicewhittenburg.com/tirr_dre.htm
EXAMPLES:
The Tall Tall Tale of Tommy Twice, by Nathan Leslie (Atticus 2012) combines non-realistic elements that turn up in fabulist fiction with realistic detail and a riveting storyline. The very title of the novel invites us to compare the story to a tall tale, so we are not surprised to find exaggeration and folkloric elements in it. For most of the book, the episodes are clearly delineated (indeed, in an increasing fast pace and an always engaging way). Qualities of Metafiction, including Meta-reference, are seamlessly fused with the main storyline. That story involves a search by protagonist Tommy, who is parent-less, for family, and for a place where he can belong.
The Sorcerer's Apprentice, by Evald Flisar, originally published in Slovenian in 1986, traces the protagonist on his journey to find enlightenment in the Himalayan Mountains. Like so many works of satire and picaresque, this one has serious moments. One does relate the protagonists meanderings and musings to postmodern dilemmas: How do we escape materialism, over-work? How may one find happiness or inner peace amidst the clutter of daily life and the egoistic pursuits so prevalent in society? The novel’s setting is plausible. Yet, the mysterious and magical coincidences and happenings suggest something otherworldly. This novel contains the non-realistic qualities of fabulist fiction and folkloric overtones found in magic realism. Intertextuality (connections to Kafka, Cervantes, Tibetan Book of the Dead) abound in this work, also.
Flisar, Evald. The Sorcerer's Apprentice. Norman, OK: Texture Press, 2008. Print.
Leslie, Nathan. The Tall Tale of Tommy Twice. Washington DC: Atticus Books, 2012. Print.
Mackey, Mary. “Fabulist Fiction, A New Literary Genre Explained.” Feb 2015. Online.
http://marymackey.com/fabulist-fiction-a-new-literary-genre-explained/
Written by Valerie Fox