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Babel, or the necessity of violence : an arcane history of the Oxford Translators' Revolution / R.F. Kuang.

Summary:
"From 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?"--Amazon.com.

Record details

  • ISBN: 9780063021426
  • ISBN: 0063021420
  • ISBN: 9780008501815
  • ISBN: 0008501815
  • Physical Description: xii, 544 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm
  • Edition: First edition.
  • Publisher: New York, NY : Harper Voyager, [2022]
Subject: Translating and interpreting > Fiction.
Magic > Fiction.
Imperialism > Moral and ethical aspects > Fiction.
Anti-imperialist movements > Fiction.
Fantasy > Fiction.
China > Foreign relations > Great Britain > Fiction.
Great Britain > Foreign relations > China > Fiction.
Genre: Alternative histories (Fiction)
Fantasy fiction.

Available copies

  • 24 of 34 copies available at SPARK Libraries.

Holds

  • 5 current holds with 34 total copies.
Show Only Available Copies
Location Call Number / Copy Notes Barcode Shelving Location Status Due Date
Albright Memorial Library FICTION KUANG (Text) 50686016215795 Adult Fiction Checked Out 04/02/2024
Alexander Hamilton Memorial Free Library SF KUA (Text) 37268003148996 AHMFL Science Fiction & Fantasy Available -
Altoona Area Public Library F KUA (Text) 33240005147353 Adult Fiction Checked Out 04/01/2024
Annie Halenbake Ross Library F Kua (Text)
Memorial: In Memoriam of Susan Welfling by Romain & Evelyn Hunt Bastian
00156806 ADULT Fiction Available -
Bangor Public Library F KUA (Text) 75011000381472 Adult Fiction Available -
Blossburg Memorial Library F KUA (Text) 30063000275794 Adult Fiction Available -
Cambria County Library FICTION Kua (Text) 85131001845651 CACM Fiction Available -
Dalton Community Library FICTION KUANG (Text) 50689090008664 Browsing Available -
Dillsburg Area Public Library Adults KUA Fiction (Text) 34001001425121 Adult Area Available -
Dover Area Community Library Adults KUA Fiction (Text) 34217000858233 Adult Area Available -

Summary: "From 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?"--Amazon.com.

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