As a race, they generally don't show magic talents as other species do, treating it as something for lesser species, although they have been shown to have talents as well.
In Piers Anthony's series Xanth, centaurs are frequently major/main characters of the various stories.In modern literature differing views of centaurs vary with the author. Centaurs have appeared in many places in modern fiction, and may be regarded as a fantasy trope.