Having wept at the ending (no spoilers, but the epilogue offers a glimpse of hope and a likely sequel), I anticipate this important book sparking discussion, both about the novel qua novel and as a contribution to debates over how to remove and repair systemic global inequality and oppression. Like Claudia Rankine’s Citizen, Saidiya Hartman’s Venus in Two Acts, or The 1619 Project by Nikole Hannah-Jones, Babel is a necessary, timely rebuttal to current misreadings of history, and, like them, does so with innovative use of narrative forms and by redefining the nature of historical evidence. Babel, brilliant both in concept and execution, is a page-turner with footnotes, a thriller with a higher purpose, a Bildungsroman where the stakes matter. educates and urges us to reframe-to (re)translate-the dominant narrative of what the West calls its civilization. The book makes the reader think of their own values and morality and it was just an excellent piece of literature. It is a must read for anyone who enjoys dark academia. I took a day to reflect to try to do this review justice but still I do not think I could put into words how much I enjoyed this book. I still have not stopped thinking about this book. I felt completely immersed in the story and the take home message is one that is powerful. Kuang has a beautiful way of eliciting outrage and empathy for her characters. Kuang books that I have read, and I was so nervous to read the book because of the hype surrounding it but it did not disappoint. Foreigners ripped away from their home countries and forced to translate priceless works and legal documents to benefit England.įavorite quote 'An act of translation is always an act of betrayal.' Robin made friends, is excelling academically, and is making his guardian proud what more could he ever ask for? Secret societies begin to come into play however, the blindfold that Robin has kept firmly on his face is slowly being removed, and Robin is starting to see the harsh reality of what the Babel students really are. While also working towards how to be well versed in using silver working, using match pairs of different words to create something new based on the words being used (a form of magical alchemy used by the university that helps power England). His main campus is through the Babel tower, where his job is learning how to translate different literary works to benefit the Crown.

Robin works hard to study and ends up making it in to Oxford and is swept away by the magic of Oxford. Robin is tasked with the learning different languages under Professor Lovell's care so that Robin can attend Oxford University. Robin Swift was taken from his home in Canton to live with his father and mentor Professor Lovell. This was an extremely powerful story about a young man discovering the harsh truth of colonialism.

Babel arcane history