2022 novel by R. F. Kuang
Babel: Or the Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators' Revolution is a 2022 novel of speculative fiction by R. F. Kuang. It debuted at the first spot on The New York Times Best Seller list,[1] and won Blackwell's Books of the Year for Fiction in 2022 and the 2022 Nebula Award for Best Novel.[2][3] Thematically similar to The Poppy War, Kuang's first book series, the book criticizes British imperialism, capitalism, and the complicity of academia in perpetuating and enabling them.
Babel is set in an alternate-reality 1830s England in which Britain's global economic and colonial supremacy are fueled by the use of magical silver bars. Their power comes from capturing what is "lost in translation" between words in different languages that have similar, but not identical, meanings. Silver bars inscribed with such 'match-pairs' can increase industrial and agricultural production, improve the accuracy of bullets, heal injuries, and more. To harness this power, Oxford University created the Royal Institute of Translation, nicknamed "Babel", where scholars work to find match-pairs. The plot is focused on four new students at the institute, their growing awareness that their academic efforts maintain Britain's imperialist supremacy, their debate over how to prevent the Opium War, and the use of violence.
Plot
An orphan from Canton is taken in by Richard Lovell, a Babel professor, and takes the English name Robin Swift. Lovell has Robin tutored in Latin and Greek as well as Mandarin in order to prepare him for admission to Babel. It quickly becomes apparent that Lovell is Robin's biological father, but neither is willing to discuss this out loud. One day, Robin embarrasses Lovell by being late to one of his lessons and is brutally beaten and threatened with being returned to Canton to live in poverty. Nevertheless, Robin excels in his studies and, after seven years, is accepted into Babel.
Robin quickly befriends the other members of his first-year cohort: Ramy from Calcutta, Victoire from Haiti, and Letty, a white British admiral's daughter. There they learn that the effectiveness of translating European languages into English is diminishing and that "exotic" languages like Mandarin, Haitian Creole, and Arabic are considered the future of translation magic. In his first week, Robin encounters Griffin, his elder half-brother—another half-Chinese son of Professor Lovell—who recruits him into the Hermes Society, a clandestine organization seeking to undermine Britain's silver supremacy. Griffin explains to Robin how Babel exploits the languages of foreign nations only in order to solidify the British Empire's dominance over them. Robin goes along with Griffin's plans, abetting thefts of silver bars to aid Hermes, but remains conflicted, torn between his distaste for British colonial excess and inequality and his potential comfortable future as an imperial translator. This tension leads him to eventually break contact with Griffin and Hermes in his third year at Oxford.
Robin, Ramy, Victoire, and Letty join Lovell on a sea-trip to Canton to act as translators in the escalating conflict between the Qing Dynasty and British Empire over the Qing refusal to allow free trade or opium to enter China. Robin witnesses the contempt the British have for the Chinese and, after meeting with Lin Zexu, the official sent to stop the opium trade, and witnessing an opium den firsthand, he develops reservations about the British project there. When Lin burns the stockpile of confiscated opium, the Babel affiliates depart for England. On shipboard, Lovell again berates Robin for his supposed complicity with the Qing. However, Robin refuses to back down, and kills Lovell by using a silver bar to blow a hole in his chest. Ramy, Victoire, and Letty help Robin dispose of the body and hide their crime.
Once they return to Britain, they discover in Lovell's effects that the negotiations in China were a sham; Lovell and others were only trying to create a pretext for war, allowing Britain to seize China's stockpiles of silver. Letty walks in on Robin, Ramy, and Victoire discussing Hermes business, but she swears to stand by them after they explain their experiences of discrimination and the scale of British imperial atrocity. The group contacts Hermes, whose members opt to lobby Parliament and whip up public opposition to war with China with a pamphlet campaign. Griffin confides in Robin that he believes only violence can bring the empire down and teaches Robin to use firearms. However, Letty betrays them and, as the police raid the Hermes headquarters, shoots and kills Ramy.
Griffin breaks Victoire and Robin out of prison, but is killed during the escape. The pair decide that only force can hope to succeed, and resolve to capture Babel's college tower. They enter the college, recruiting a few of the students and faculty while expelling the rest. They start removing the resonance rods that allow the translation magic across Britain to function, throwing the country into disarray, and announce their intent to continue doing so until their demands for peace with China are met. They attract supporters among radicals and reformers, who fortify Oxford against the British army. Without access to Babel and its ledgers, other translators cannot maintain the silverwork supporting Britain's infrastructure, culminating with the destruction of Westminster Bridge, Letty arrives to plead with them to surrender, promising that the army will raid the tower at dawn. Robin, spiraling into despair since Canton, resolves to destroy the tower and its contents and render its silver useless for future enchantment. Victoire escapes into hiding, and Robin and the remaining Babel scholars destroy the tower with themselves inside, crippling the Silver Industrial Revolution and leaving the future of the British Empire uncertain.[4][5]
Characters
Robin Swift: The main character. His mother's family were formerly merchants driven to poverty by his uncle's opium addiction. Able to pass for white in certain lights, Robin feels conflicted by his desire to be accepted by Babel and his father, Professor Lovell, and his growing understanding that the system they perpetuate is indefensibly immoral.
Ramiz Rafi "Ramy" Mirza: A Muslim Indian student from Calcutta and Robin's best friend. Ramy was taken from his family by sir Horace Wilson, and lived on his estate in Yorkshire before being sent to Babel. Ramy draws much attention in Oxford, so he takes it as an opportunity to dazzle. He is loud, brilliant, and absurdly charming.
Letitia "Letty" Price: The daughter of a British former admiral and Victoire's roommate. Her brother attended Babel before she did, but was seemingly unfit to the Classic studies. He died in an accident, and only then was Letty allowed to study in Oxford. She experiences the unfair treatment of misognyny of 1830s England and can thereby relate to her friends. But she doesn't see the blatant racism her best friend, Victoire, has to go through.
Victoire Desgraves: A Haitian student raised in France and Letty's roommate. Victoire lived in slavery in France, reading books and studying though out her time there, she soon learned about Babel. Victiore forged a letter asking for her to be a student when she was able, and left her old life behind. Victiore is remarkably resilient and moral, she is often the peace keeper in heated discussion.
Professor Richard Lovell: A professor of Chinese and committed imperialist. Cold and unyielding, he fathered both Griffin and Robin to create bilingual Chinese students for Babel.
Mrs. Piper: Lovell's kindly housekeeper.
Griffin Lovell: Robin's half-brother by their shared father. Member of the Hermes Society. Griffin believes the British Empire will only be brought down by violent means.
Anthony Ribben: An older student at Babel and the member of the Hermes Society who recruits Victoire and Ramy. Anthony Ribben was enslaved as a boy, though his owner was an abolitionist. Anthony escaped to England, where Oxford University helped establish him as legally free. Unlike Griffin, Anthony believes that social change can be brought about by non-violent means, from pamphlets and public opinion to blackmailing members of Parliament.
Reception
Reviews
Babel debuted in September 2022 at the top spot on The New York Times Best Seller list for hardcover fiction.[1][6] It was generally well received, including starred reviews from Booklist[7] and Kirkus Reviews.[8] Booklist called the novel "engaging" and "richly descriptive,"[7] while Kirkus said it was "ambitious and powerful while displaying a deep love of language and literature".[8] Kirkus further called it "an expansive, sympathetic, and nevertheless scathing critique of Western imperialism and how individuals are forced to make their peace with the system and survive or to fight back and face the consequences."[8] Amal El-Mohtar, writing for The New York Times Book Review wrote, "Babel derives its power from sustaining a contradiction, from trying to hold in your head both love and hatred for the charming thing that sustains itself by devouring you."[9]
Critics discussed Kuang's attempt to complicate the modern understanding of academia in the 1830s, including the research and footnotes she placed throughout the novel. The Guardian said, "This is a scholarly book by a superb scholar," noting that "the pages are heavy with footnotes; not the more usual whimsical ones ... but academic notes, hectoring and preachy."[10] The review remarked that the characters "are pretentious, but vulnerable too, and the balance is lovely".[10] Similarly, the Chicago Review of Books highlighted how Babel "educates and urges us to reframe—to (re)translate—the dominant narrative of what the West calls its civilization."[11] They called the novel "brilliant both in concept and execution, ... a page-turner with footnotes, a thriller with a higher purpose, a Bildungsroman where the stakes matter."[11] Library Journal echoed the sentiment, writing about how Kuang "prompts readers to question the ethics of both empire and academia."[12]
There were also qualified or negative reviews. Paste noted that Babel is "a meticulously researched period piece, a primal scream from the traditionally unheard."[13] However, they added, "its determination to make sure its (admittedly important) message is heard, means a significant chunk of this doorstopper's 500+ pages feels didactic and lecture-y, rather than fully transformative."[13] Publishers Weekly negatively reviewed the novel, saying, "Kuang underwhelms with a didactic, unsubtle take on dark academia and imperialism."[14] They explained, the "narrative is frequently interrupted by lectures on why imperialism is bad, not trusting the reader or the plot itself enough to know that this message will be clear from the events as they unfold. Kuang assumes an audience that disagrees with her, and the result keeps readers who are already aware of the evils of racism and empire at arm's length. The characters, meanwhile, often feel dubiously motivated."[14]
Awards and honors
Amazon,[15] Kirkus Reviews,[6] NPR,[16][17] and The Washington Post[18][19] named Babel: Or the Necessity of Violence one of the best fantasy books of the year. Barnes & Noble named it one of the top ten books of the year, regardless of genre.[20][21][22]
The administrators of the 2023 Hugo Awards, held at Chengdu Worldcon, ruled Babel not eligible for nomination without further explanation.[23][24] A later report based on emails shared from the awards' administrative panel revealed that the book was likely ruled ineligible in an attempt to avoid running afoul of Chinese censorship laws.[25]
