Babel
von R.F. Kuang
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 BrassFrom 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?
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Babel
von R.F. Kuang
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 BrassFrom 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?
Aktuelle Rezensionen(21)
Rezension von bloo‘s bad girlThis is a modern classic. I keep thinking about this book from time and time again. As a communist It’s not my first time learning about colonialism and capitalism but it still was life changing and so good to have it like this as a book. Heart-wrenching and life changing for me.
Rezension von KathiSehr schöner Schreibstil und interessante Welt und Geschichte, jedoch hat es mich nicht gecatcht. Buch hat sich sehr gezogen für mich. Trotzdem schön es mal gelesen zu haben.
Rezension von ChiaraIch bin bisschen sprachlos nach dem Buch wow! Dark Academia at it’s best. Ich bin echt fasziniert wie es R F Kuang durch das Erzählen einer (teilweisen) Fantasygeschichte schafft die Grundsätze des Kolonialismus und des Vorherrschen des Westens (hier England) auseinanderzunehmen und so eindringlich und emotional zu erzählen. Mir hat es einfach gefallen von einer Autorin zu lesen, die wirklich in die Tiefen der Intersektionalität von Rassismus, Klassismus und Sexismus greift und keine Aspekte ungeachtet lässt. Gleichzeitig aber eine unglaublich spannende und emotionale Geschichte über eine sehr tiefgreifende und rührende Freundschaft erzählt. Auch toll fand ich die Persönlichkeitsentwicklungen der Charaktere - zwar waren sie natürlich nicht unbedingt ins Positive - dennoch fand ich das einfach sehr interessant zu sehen. Das einzige was mich krass genervt hat, war die Tendenz der Autorin zum Übererklären. Fast auf jeder Seite waren zeilenlange Fußnoten, welche wirklich nicht nötig waren, sodass ich sie irgendwann nicht mehr gelesen habe lol Ich freu mich auf alle Fälle die anderen Bücher von R F Kuang zu lesen :)
Rezension von isabell<blockquote> "Sprachen bestehen nicht nur aus Wörtern. Sie formen unsere Weltanschauung. Sie sind der Schlüssel zu ganzen Zivilisationen. Und für dieses Wissen geht man über Leichen." </blockquote> Wenn mich jemand fragen würde, worum es in diesem Buch geht, würde es mir schwer fallen, das in weniger als 15 Minuten zu erklären. Aber es hat mich komplett eingenommen und zählt schon jetzt zu meinen Buch-Highlights 2024. Ein Dark Academia Roman, der so viel mehr ist als das. Und ich werde wohl eine Weile brauchen, um dieses Ende zu verarbeiten.
Rezension von LarisaMae‘s guide to picking the perfect book at a store: 1. Look for a title that speaks to you or that you‘ve heard before 2. Take in the bookcover 3. Open the first page and read the very first sentence 4. Buy it and empty your bank account Apart from the beautiful, beautiful bookcover that already had me drooling in the bookstore, I had already heard great things about this novel on social media. And the first sentence was *chefkiss* (don‘t want to spoil the book, but now I have your interest, huh?), so I thought „Okay, P.F. Kuang, I‘ll be a nice fish and bite“. But that book had me HOOKED. At first it was the dark academia vibe that pulled me in. I saw myself in the struggles of the students of Babel (as I myself am currently preparing for exams with no time for my life haha *silently crying*) and the language they studied started to interest me too. Just like them, I started falling in love with words and their origins. It came to a point where my parents would say something casual like „That‘s confusing“ and I would ponder over the question if the word „confusion“ had its origins in the antique philosopher Konfuzius because he was one of the first popular life-questioners or if it came from the latin word „confundo“…? I never even learned Latin!!! This book made me wish I had. But the turn it took after like the first third - holy moly mother of books! The slow turn from a student devoted to Babel and the British Empire to a silent rebel that started to see the corruption of the nation, of the hand that fed him…The doubts, the inner conflict, the loss - I…I did not know where this book was headed when I started it, but I was positively surprised. R.F. Kuang‘s language is as delicate and mesmerizing as the nectar of the gods and opened a whole-ass theatre in my head while reading. Her topics - even though the story plays in the mid 19th century - are still discussed today, with racism, sexism, dependance and social inequalities still hovering over our society just as they did during the British Empire. Her characters are beautifully built and the character developement was ON POINT. P.F. Kuang, you have my heart, my soul, my tears and my biggest respect. Marry me! So, if you are reading this and wondering if you should buy it: YESSS!!! Buy it, devour it, love it!!!!! I just finished it snd want to reread it again <33 5/5 definitely