The Magical and the Mundane in Graham Swift’s Here We Are

This article places Graham Swift’s latest novel Here We Are (2020) in the context of his previous writing and argues that much of his fiction is underpinned by the characters’ desire to transcend the limitations of their ordinary lives and to seek solace or a temporary escape within the realm of illusion. The analysis aims to demonstrate that the opposition between the two realms is the central preoccupation in Here We Are. The wish to surmount the mundane is fulfilled quite literally through the protagonist’s dedication to the practice of magic. The meaning of magic as a craft is briefly discussed, especially its quasi-religious connotations. It is also suggested that magic may be a tentative, personal answer to the problem of the “disenchantment” of the world, as diagnosed by Max Weber a hundred years ago. In Swift’s novel, far from being only a set of professional skills, magic creates an illusory realm, alternative to and more appealing than daily life.