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A review by micareads123
Babel by R.F. Kuang
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This book has been a favourite of mine since I first read it in 2023. Rereading it now, it feels as important as ever, if not more so. And given the current climate, this book is urgent. Everyone needs to read it.
“The whole world was on the verge of some cataclysmic shift, it seemed, and he could only cling on to what was around him as they all hurtled towards the breaking point.”
This is first and foremost a book about revolution. It’s about making significant sacrifices in the name of the greater good. It’s about calling out the oppressor and using what collective power we have to overcome oppression. It argues a case for the necessity of violence in the face of violence, and it does so with clarity and accessibility while remaining engaging.
But second to revolution, this is a book about language and translation. In a world where translators create magic by inscribing silver bars with match pairs (equivalents) to extract the meaning lost in translation, silver underpins society, and translators monopolize the silver industry.
It’s clear from the extensive inclusion of language facts and etymology, and from care taken to accurately portray the real work that goes into translation, that Kuang is a translator herself and cares deeply about the subject.
“The poet runs untrammelled across the meadow. The translator dances in shackles.”
A common critique I have seen for this book over the years is that it’s too long, too dry, too boring. But for me, being a translator, the long lectures on etymology and translation are indulgent reprieves from the heavier political side of the book.
Another common critique is that the messaging is too heavy handed, but in the face of the present moment, I would argue it’s not heavy handed enough. People are still reading this and missing the message. Everyone needs to read this and understand it.
This is a book I can see myself reading many more times over the years to come, and it’s one I think has the potential to become a modern classic. It was relevant when it was released, it’s even more relevant now, and it will remain relevant for the foreseeable future.
“The whole world was on the verge of some cataclysmic shift, it seemed, and he could only cling on to what was around him as they all hurtled towards the breaking point.”
This is first and foremost a book about revolution. It’s about making significant sacrifices in the name of the greater good. It’s about calling out the oppressor and using what collective power we have to overcome oppression. It argues a case for the necessity of violence in the face of violence, and it does so with clarity and accessibility while remaining engaging.
But second to revolution, this is a book about language and translation. In a world where translators create magic by inscribing silver bars with match pairs (equivalents) to extract the meaning lost in translation, silver underpins society, and translators monopolize the silver industry.
It’s clear from the extensive inclusion of language facts and etymology, and from care taken to accurately portray the real work that goes into translation, that Kuang is a translator herself and cares deeply about the subject.
“The poet runs untrammelled across the meadow. The translator dances in shackles.”
A common critique I have seen for this book over the years is that it’s too long, too dry, too boring. But for me, being a translator, the long lectures on etymology and translation are indulgent reprieves from the heavier political side of the book.
Another common critique is that the messaging is too heavy handed, but in the face of the present moment, I would argue it’s not heavy handed enough. People are still reading this and missing the message. Everyone needs to read this and understand it.
This is a book I can see myself reading many more times over the years to come, and it’s one I think has the potential to become a modern classic. It was relevant when it was released, it’s even more relevant now, and it will remain relevant for the foreseeable future.