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Babel : Or the Necessity of Violence: an Arcane History of the Oxford Translators' Revolution by R. F. Kuang (2022, Hardcover)

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For Robin, Oxford is a utopia dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge. When Britain pursues an unjust war with China over silver and opium, Robin must decide. Babel, a thematic response to. Robin Swift, orphaned by cholera in Canton, is brought to London by the mysterious Professor Lovell.

About this product

Product Identifiers

PublisherHarperCollins

ISBN-100063021420

ISBN-139780063021426

eBay Product ID (ePID)8057249291

Product Key Features

Book TitleBabel : or the Necessity of Violence: an Arcane History of the Oxford Translators' Revolution

Number of Pages560 Pages

LanguageEnglish

TopicMagical Realism, Fantasy / Dark Fantasy, Alternative History, Fantasy / Historical, Fantasy / Epic

Publication Year2022

IllustratorYes

GenreFiction

AuthorR.F. Kuang

FormatHardcover

Dimensions

Item Height1.6 in

Item Weight24.4 Oz

Item Length9 in

Item Width6 in

Additional Product Features

Intended AudienceTrade

LCCN2022-417101

ReviewsA dark and devastating conclusion that transcends its roots in historical fact to examine brutal truths., "A brilliant and often harrowing exploration of violence, etymology, colonialism, and the intersections that run between them. Babel is as profound as it is moving." > -- Alexis Henderson, author of The Year of the Witching "R.F. Kuang has written a masterpiece. Through a meticulously researched and a wholly impressive deep dive into linguistics and the politics of language and translation, Kuang weaves a story that is part love-hate letter to academia, part scathing indictment of the colonial enterprise, and all fiery revolution." -- Rebecca Roanhorse, New York Times bestselling author of Black Sun "Babel is a masterpiece. A stunningly brilliant exploration of identity, belonging, the cost of empire and revolution--and the true power of language. Kuang has written the book the world has been waiting for." -- Peng Shepherd, bestselling author of The Cartographers "The true magic of Kuang's novel lies in its ability to be both rigorously academic and consistently welcoming to the reader, making translation on the page feel as enchanting and powerful as any effects it can achieve with the aid of silver." -- Oxford Review of Books "An astonishing mix of erudition and emotion. What Kuang has done here, I have never before seen in literature." -- Tochi Onyebuchi, author of Goliath "If you only read one book this year, read this one. Through the incredibly believable alternative HF, Kuang has distilled the truth about imperialism and colonization in our world. Kuang's depth of knowledge of history and linguistics is breathtaking. This book is a masterpiece in every sense of the word, a true privilege to read." -- Jesse Sutanto, author of Dial A for Aunties "BABEL is one of the finest standalone novels I've read. It is a victory for literature, and its quality is what every other dark academia novel should strive to be. Paying homage to the importance of languages, translations, identity, and ethnicities, BABEL is one of the most important works of the year." -- Novel Notions, "Absolutely phenomenal. One of the most brilliant, razor-sharp books I've had the pleasure of reading that isn't just an alternative fantastical history, but an interrogative one; one that grabs colonial history and the Industrial Revolution, turns it over, and shakes it out." -- S.A. Chakraborty, bestselling author of The Empire of Gold "Kuang follows her award-winning Poppy War trilogy with an engaging fantasy about the magic of language. Her richly descriptive stand-alone novel about an ever-expanding, alternate-world empire powered by magically enhanced silver talismans scrutinizes linguistics, history, politics, and the social customs of Victorian-era Great Britain." -- Booklist (starred review) "A brilliant and often harrowing exploration of violence, etymology, colonialism, and the intersections that run between them. Babel is as profound as it is moving." > -- Alexis Henderson, author of The Year of the Witching "The true magic of Kuang's novel lies in its ability to be both rigorously academic and consistently welcoming to the reader, making translation on the page feel as enchanting and powerful as any effects it can achieve with the aid of silver." -- Oxford Review of Books "R.F. Kuang has written a masterpiece. Through a meticulously researched and a wholly impressive deep dive into linguistics and the politics of language and translation, Kuang weaves a story that is part love-hate letter to academia, part scathing indictment of the colonial enterprise, and all fiery revolution." -- Rebecca Roanhorse, New York Times bestselling author of Black Sun "Babel is a masterpiece. A stunningly brilliant exploration of identity, belonging, the cost of empire and revolution--and the true power of language. Kuang has written the book the world has been waiting for." -- Peng Shepherd, bestselling author of The Cartographers "Kuang has outdone herself. Babel is brilliant, vicious, sensitive, epic, and intimate; it's both a love letter and a declaration of war. It's a perfect book." -- Alix E. Harrow, bestselling author of A Mirror Mended "An astonishing mix of erudition and emotion. What Kuang has done here, I have never before seen in literature." -- Tochi Onyebuchi, author of Goliath "If you only read one book this year, read this one. Through the incredibly believable alternative HF, Kuang has distilled the truth about imperialism and colonization in our world. Kuang's depth of knowledge of history and linguistics is breathtaking. This book is a masterpiece in every sense of the word, a true privilege to read." -- Jesse Sutanto, author of Dial A for Aunties "BABEL is one of the finest standalone novels I've read. It is a victory for literature, and its quality is what every other dark academia novel should strive to be. Paying homage to the importance of languages, translations, identity, and ethnicities, BABEL is one of the most important works of the year." -- Novel Notions, It feels nostalgic, wistful even ... The Burning God is the best-written book of the trilogy ... This place and this protagonist are singular in fantasy literature., Bringing her complex Poppy War trilogy to a poignant conclusion, Kuang shines a searing light on the devastating price and valiant sacrifices that warfare requires of all involved., "Absolutely phenomenal. One of the most brilliant, razor-sharp books I've had the pleasure of reading that isn't just an alternative fantastical history, but an interrogative one; one that grabs colonial history and the Industrial Revolution, turns it over, and shakes it out." -- S.A. Chakraborty, bestselling author of The Empire of Gold "Kuang follows her award-winning Poppy War trilogy with an engaging fantasy about the magic of language. Her richly descriptive stand-alone novel about an ever-expanding, alternate-world empire powered by magically enhanced silver talismans scrutinizes linguistics, history, politics, and the social customs of Victorian-era Great Britain." -- Booklist (starred review) "A brilliant and often harrowing exploration of violence, etymology, colonialism, and the intersections that run between them. Babel is as profound as it is moving." > -- Alexis Henderson, author of The Year of the Witching "The true magic of Kuang's novel lies in its ability to be both rigorously academic and consistently welcoming to the reader, making translation on the page feel as enchanting and powerful as any effects it can achieve with the aid of silver." -- Oxford Review of Books "R.F. Kuang has written a masterpiece. Through a meticulously researched and a wholly impressive deep dive into linguistics and the politics of language and translation, Kuang weaves a story that is part love-hate letter to academia, part scathing indictment of the colonial enterprise, and all fiery revolution." -- Rebecca Roanhorse, New York Times bestselling author of Black Sun "Babel is a masterpiece. A stunningly brilliant exploration of identity, belonging, the cost of empire and revolution--and the true power of language. Kuang has written the book the world has been waiting for." -- Peng Shepherd, bestselling author of The Cartographers "Kuang has outdone herself. Babel is brilliant, vicious, sensitive, epic, and intimate; it's both a love letter and a declaration of war. It's a perfect book." -- Alix E. Harrow, bestselling author of A Mirror Mended "It's ambitious and powerful while displaying a deep love of language and literature...Dark academia as it should be." -- Kirkus Reviews "An astonishing mix of erudition and emotion. What Kuang has done here, I have never before seen in literature." -- Tochi Onyebuchi, author of Goliath "If you only read one book this year, read this one. Through the incredibly believable alternative HF, Kuang has distilled the truth about imperialism and colonization in our world. Kuang's depth of knowledge of history and linguistics is breathtaking. This book is a masterpiece in every sense of the word, a true privilege to read." -- Jesse Sutanto, author of Dial A for Aunties "A book that confirms Kuang as a major talent." -- SFX "BABEL is one of the finest standalone novels I've read. It is a victory for literature, and its quality is what every other dark academia novel should strive to be. Paying homage to the importance of languages, translations, identity, and ethnicities, BABEL is one of the most important works of the year." -- Novel Notions "Babel is ambitious, engaging, impactful, and executed with brutal effectiveness." -- reader@work, An incredible end to this epic trilogy. Mixing historical parallels of Chinese history, the themes of war, politics, and colonialism are balanced with terrific, flawed characters and amazing worldbuilding., Kuang's Poppy War series, the saga of a young shaman fighting to bring the old gods back to her homeland, comes to a striking close in this gritty finale., "A brilliant and often harrowing exploration of violence, etymology, colonialism, and the intersections that run between them. Babel is as profound as it is moving." > -- Alexis Henderson, author of The Year of the Witching "R.F. Kuang has written a masterpiece. Through a meticulously researched and a wholly impressive deep dive into linguistics and the politics of language and translation, Kuang weaves a story that is part love-hate letter to academia, part scathing indictment of the colonial enterprise, and all fiery revolution." -- Rebecca Roanhorse, New York Times bestselling author of Black Sun "Absolutely phenomenal. One of the most brilliant, razor-sharp books I've had the pleasure of reading that isn't just an alternative fantastical history, but an interrogative one; one that grabs colonial history and the Industrial Revolution, turns it over, and shakes it out." -- S.A. Chakraborty, bestselling author of The Empire of Gold "Babel is a masterpiece. A stunningly brilliant exploration of identity, belonging, the cost of empire and revolution--and the true power of language. Kuang has written the book the world has been waiting for." -- Peng Shepherd, bestselling author of The Cartographers "Kuang follows her award-winning Poppy War trilogy with an engaging fantasy about the magic of language. Her richly descriptive stand-alone novel about an ever-expanding, alternate-world empire powered by magically enhanced silver talismans scrutinizes linguistics, history, politics, and the social customs of Victorian-era Great Britain." -- Booklist (starred review) "The true magic of Kuang's novel lies in its ability to be both rigorously academic and consistently welcoming to the reader, making translation on the page feel as enchanting and powerful as any effects it can achieve with the aid of silver." -- Oxford Review of Books "An astonishing mix of erudition and emotion. What Kuang has done here, I have never before seen in literature." -- Tochi Onyebuchi, author of Goliath "If you only read one book this year, read this one. Through the incredibly believable alternative HF, Kuang has distilled the truth about imperialism and colonization in our world. Kuang's depth of knowledge of history and linguistics is breathtaking. This book is a masterpiece in every sense of the word, a true privilege to read." -- Jesse Sutanto, author of Dial A for Aunties "BABEL is one of the finest standalone novels I've read. It is a victory for literature, and its quality is what every other dark academia novel should strive to be. Paying homage to the importance of languages, translations, identity, and ethnicities, BABEL is one of the most important works of the year." -- Novel Notions

Dewey Edition23

Dewey Decimal813.6

SynopsisInstant #1 New York Times Bestseller from the author of The Poppy War "Absolutely phenomenal. One of the most brilliant, razor-sharp books I've had the pleasure of reading that isn't just an alternative fantastical history, but an interrogative one; one that grabs colonial history and the Industrial Revolution, turns it over, and shakes it out." -- Shannon Chakraborty, bestselling author of The City of Brass From award-winning author R. F. Kuang comes Babel, a thematic response to The Secret History and a tonal retort to Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell that grapples with student revolutions, colonial resistance, and the use of language and translation as the dominating tool of the British empire. Traduttore, traditore: An act of translation is always an act of betrayal. 1828. Robin Swift, orphaned by cholera in Canton, is brought to London by the mysterious Professor Lovell. 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. Babel is the world's center for translation and, more importantly, magic. Silver working--the art of manifesting the meaning lost in translation using enchanted silver bars--has made the British unparalleled in power, as its knowledge serves the Empire's quest for colonization. For Robin, Oxford is a utopia dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge. But knowledge obeys power, and as a Chinese boy raised in Britain, Robin realizes serving Babel means betraying his motherland. As his studies progress, Robin finds himself caught between Babel and the shadowy Hermes Society, an organization dedicated to stopping imperial expansion. When Britain pursues an unjust war with China over silver and opium, Robin must decide... Can powerful institutions be changed from within, or does revolution always require violence?, Instant #1 New York Times Bestseller from the author of The Poppy War "Absolutely phenomenal. One of the most brilliant, razor-sharp books I've had the pleasure of reading that isn't just an alternative fantastical history, but an interrogative one; one that grabs colonial history and the Industrial Revolution, turns it over, and shakes it out." -- Shannon Chakraborty, bestselling author of The City of Brass From award-winning author R. F. Kuang comes Babel , a thematic response to The Secret History and a tonal retort to Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell that grapples with student revolutions, colonial resistance, and the use of language and translation as the dominating tool of the British empire. Traduttore, traditore : An act of translation is always an act of betrayal. 1828. Robin Swift, orphaned by cholera in Canton, is brought to London by the mysterious Professor Lovell. 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. Babel is the world's center for translation and, more importantly, magic. Silver working--the art of manifesting the meaning lost in translation using enchanted silver bars--has made the British unparalleled in power, as its knowledge serves the Empire's quest for colonization. For Robin, Oxford is a utopia dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge. But knowledge obeys power, and as a Chinese boy raised in Britain, Robin realizes serving Babel means betraying his motherland. As his studies progress, Robin finds himself caught between Babel and the shadowy Hermes Society, an organization dedicated to stopping imperial expansion. When Britain pursues an unjust war with China over silver and opium, Robin must decide... Can powerful institutions be changed from within, or does revolution always require violence?

LC Classification NumberPS3611.U17B33 2022b