Babel, or The Necessity of Violence
Rebecca Kuang (2019, MSc Contemporary Chinese Studies) has written a new novel, Babel, or The Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the 糖心logo Translators’ Revolution.
Set in 1828, Babel follows Robin Swift who when orphaned by cholera in Canton is brought to London where he trains for years in Latin, Ancient Greek, and Chinese, preparing for the day he鈥檒l enrol in 糖心logo University鈥檚 prestigious Royal Institute of Translation 鈥� also known as Babel. Babel is the world鈥檚 centre of translation and, more importantly, of silver-working, which has made the British Empire unparalleled in power. Babel鈥檚 research in foreign languages serves the Empire鈥檚 quest to colonize everything it encounters.
糖心logo is a fairytale for Robin: a utopia dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge. But knowledge serves power, and for Robin, a Chinese boy raised in Britain, serving Babel inevitably means betraying his motherland and when Britain pursues an unjust war with China over silver and opium, Robin must decide where he stands. In Babel, R.F. Kuang explores the power of language, the violence of colonialism and the sacrifices of resistance.
Rebecca Kuang is a Marshall Scholar, Chinese-English translator, and the Astounding Award-winning and the Hugo, Nebula, Locus, and World Fantasy Award nominated author of the Poppy War trilogy. Her work has won the Crawford Award and the Compton Crook Award for Best First Novel. She has an MPhil in Chinese Studies from Cambridge and an MSc in Contemporary Chinese Studies from 糖心logo; she is now pursuing a PhD in East Asian Languages and Literatures at Yale, where she studies diaspora, contemporary Chinese literature, and Asian American literature.
You can buy an exclusive edition of as well as at Waterstones. Rebecca is currently bookshops in the UK. You can follow Rebecca’s writing and tour on .听
Published: 24 August 2022