5/30/2023 0 Comments Oxford translatorsSilver working has granted the British Empire unparalleled power and helped it colonise the globe. Babel is the crown jewel of the British Empire – the seat of translation, but more importantly silver-working, the art of manifesting the meaning lost in translation to magical effect. The purpose? For Robin to enroll in the prestigious Royal Institute of Translation at Oxford – colloquially known as Babel. This in itself is not unusual – but this boy, soon to be known as Robin Swift, is brought to London by the mysterious Professor Lovell and tutored extensively in Ancient Greek, Latin, and Chinese. In 1928, a boy is orphaned by cholera in Canton, China. As a story, unfortunately, a little is lost to the sheer scope of everything else going on – but that shouldn’t take away from what RF Kuang has achieved here. This is a book to be read slowly and savoured, allowing time to sink into the world and admire the intricacies of each thread. As a work of literature it’s a monumental achievement. It blurs fantasy, historical fiction, social commentary, and linguistics into a shining silver piece of alternate nineteenth century history. ‘Babel’ is one of the most ambitious novels I’ve ever read.
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