About “Babel”
This 2022 novel by R. F. Kuang follows Robin Swift, orphaned by cholera in Canton and brought to London by Professor Lovell, where he trains in Latin, Ancient Greek, and Chinese to enroll at Oxford's Royal Institute of Translation, known as Babel. There, silver-working magic that manifests meaning lost in translation fuels British imperial power, and Robin, torn between Babel and the resistance group the Hermes Society, must decide whether powerful institutions can be changed from within or whether revolution requires violence, as Britain pursues war with China over silver and opium.
Book details
- Published
- 2023
- Latest edition
- 2023 · ISBN 9780008501853
View more editions (8)
| Cover | Edition | Year | ISBN | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Babel : Or the Necessity of Violence | 2023 | 9780008501853 | Buy on Amazon |
| Babel : Or the Necessity of Violence | 2023 | 9780008660567 | Buy on Amazon | |
| Babel : Or the Necessity of Violence | 2023 | 9780008669867 | Buy on Amazon | |
| Babel : Or the Necessity of Violence | 2022 | 9780008501815 | Buy on Amazon | |
 | Babel | 2022 | 9780063021440 | Buy on Amazon |
 | Babel : Or the Necessity of Violence | 2022 | 9780008501839 | Buy on Amazon |
| Babel : Or the Necessity of Violence | 2022 | 9798885783644 | Buy on Amazon | |
| Babel : Or the Necessity of Violence | 2022 | 9780008501822 | Buy on Amazon |
More by R. F. Kuang
- Yellowface · 2025