Silver-working has made the British Empire unparalleled in power, and Babel's research in foreign languages serves the Empire's quest to colonize everything it encounters. Babel is the world's center of translation and, more importantly, of silver-working: the art of manifesting the meaning lost in translation through enchanted silver bars, to magical effect. There, he trains for years in Latin, Ancient Greek, and Chinese, all in preparation for the day he'll enroll in Oxford University's prestigious Royal Institute of Translation - also known as Babel. Robin Swift, orphaned by cholera in Canton, is brought to London by the mysterious Professor Lovell. Here’s the full plot summary, per the publisher:
Robin is trained for years in Latin, Ancient Greek, and Chinese, all in preparation for the day he'll enroll in Oxford University's prestigious Royal Institute of Translation - also known as Babel - a decision that changes the course of not only his life, but of an entire nation’s future. There is a LOT to unpack in this standalone story about Robin Swift, a young Chinese orphan brought to England in the 1800s by a ruthless, ambitious professor. On multiple occasions I had to remind myself that the fictional world in which I was losing myself was just that - fiction, and not a true account of history, no matter how expertly Kuang makes it feel that way. It’s a love letter to language and etymology, and the tremendous amount of research that must’ve gone into writing this is nothing short of astounding (how does R.F. With a dash of magic and dark academia, this epic story feels increasingly plausible as it grapples with student revolutions, colonial resistance, and the use of translation as a tool of empire. But now I have! And I can confirm that Babel is a dense, absolute wonder of a novel (as the lengthy title suggests). get a fucking grip? Grow up? Read a book?) (Oh, wait.) And seeing as the sprawling historical fantasy novel explores how the power of language can uphold an empire’s colonialism and racism, or be responsible for its violent and deserved demise, I knew I had to get my hands on this book as soon as humanly possible.Īnd by that I mean I bought the book in September and didn’t actually get around to reading it until this month.
I’ve spotted everything from five star-raves, to people saying it’s “mid” (the horror), to readers saying they couldn’t make it through the first half because of how “bad” it made them feel for “being white.” (To which I say. Kuang popping up and making headlines - and courting a bit of controversy - since its release in late August. If you’re active on bookstagram, keep an eye on Goodreads, scroll through booktok, or are even just a casual observer of buzzy titles in the literary world, you’ve likely seen Babel, Or the Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators’ Revolution by R.F.
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