Babel, Or the Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators’ Revolution by R.F. KuangMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
"Language was just difference. A thousand different ways of seeing, of moving through the world. No; a thousand worlds within one."
It's not a spoiler if it's in the title. Expect violence, dear readers. (But if you've read the POPPY WAR trilogy by the same author, then you'd know what to expect already.) Kuang speaks of violence in a righteous war, as a last resort, fought from a commitment to a greater cause.
And what cause is higher than freedom?
BABEL, a stand-alone novel set in a setting where everyone except home-schooled kids relate to, is truly an R.F. Kuang book. Her trademark style of scholarly accessibility, with a healthy dash of footnotes (some of which contain entire backstories that can be future plots of separate books!), and a cast focusing on POC's, is a very addicting blend. I can understand why this book was sold out everywhere for months, forcing this reader and her book club mates to (gasp) pre-order from a local seller!
It brings to mind Robert Jackson Bennett's FOUNDRYSIDE trilogy, because of the similarity in the way "magic" is wrought: through writing words on inanimate objects. In BABEL's case, we have silver bars as the key to Empire, and the translators of Oxford transcribing different word pairs to alter reality as they see fit, bringing about an imbalance of wealth in the world for Queen and country.
I've always had a healthy respect for the written word, but reading this book brings a new awareness about translating! "The poet runs untrammelled across the meadow. The translator dances in shackles," Kuang writes. As a bilingual Filipino (most of my countrymen have three or four languages!), the book made me reflect on how differently I translate the physical phenomena of the outer world, depending on the language I am using in my head. Truly, our languages determine our realities and how we make meaning of what happens every day.
If more academics were like R.F. Kuang, capable of writing exciting fantasy novels while somehow featuring their real-life research, there would be more people applying to grad school! As it is, I'm curious to see how enrollment increases in Linguistics departments globally, thanks to this incredible book.
Well worth shelling out cash for and buying brand new! I love how young R.F. Kuang is (she's only twenty-six!!!), because it means we can look forward to so many more excellent reads from her!
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