What is fabulism?

Fabulism is a literary genre that merges fantasy and fable with reality. It uses strong metaphorical elements to convey creative ideas about contemporary life while maintaining an essence of traditional fables. Through metaphors, personification of things, and the creation of new mythologies, fabulism illustrates the human experience with refreshing insight. Fabulism can be found in various forms such as short stories, novels, and poetry. Writers like Gabriel Garcia Márquez, George Saunders, and Yiyun Li are known for employing fabulist techniques in their works. Fabulism is also referred to as magical realism or surrealism, though each genre has distinguishing characteristics.