Book
Babel : or the necessity of violence : an arcane history of the Oxford Translators' Revolution / R.F. Kuang.
Record details
- ISBN: 9780063021426 (hardcover)
- Physical Description: xii, 544 pages : illustration, map ; 24 cm
- Edition: First edition.
- Publisher: New York, NY : Harper Voyager, [2022]
- Copyright: ©2022
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| Genre: | Fantasy fiction. Novels. |
Available copies
- 1 of 1 copy available at Tsuga Consortium.
Holds
- 1 current hold with 1 total copy.
| Location | Call Number / Copy Notes | Barcode | Shelving Location | Status | Due Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lakeshore Branch | FIC Kuang | 31681010296317 | FICTION | Available | - |
- Baker & Taylor
A Chinese boy orphaned by cholera and raised in Britain is trained to work at Oxfordâs prestigious Royal Institute of Translation, the worldâs center for translation and magic through silver-working, where he must choose between competing loyalties. 125,000 first printing. - Baker & Taylor
"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 thedominating 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?"-- - HARPERCOLL
Instant #1 New York Times Bestseller from the author of The Poppy War Â
âAbsolutely 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.â -- 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 heâll enroll in Oxford Universityâs prestigious Royal Institute of Translationâalso known as Babel.
Babel is the world's center for translation and, more importantly, magic. Silver workingâthe art of manifesting the meaning lost in translation using enchanted silver barsâhas made the British unparalleled in power, as its knowledge serves the Empireâs 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 decideâ¦
Can powerful institutions be changed from within, or does revolution always require violence?Â
