
Babel
Or the Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators’ Revolution
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Gesprochen von:
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Chris Lew Kum Hoi
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Billie Fulford-Brown
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Von:
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R. F. Kuang
Über diesen Titel
THE #2 SUNDAY TIMES AND #1 NYT BESTSELLER
‘One for Philip Pullman fans’
THE TIMES
‘This one is an automatic buy’
GLAMOUR
‘Ambitious, sweeping and epic’
EVENING STANDARD
‘Razor-sharp’
DAILY MAIL
‘An ingenious fantasy about empire’
GUARDIAN
Traduttore, traditore: An act of translation is always an act of betrayal.
Oxford, 1836.
The city of dreaming spires.
It is the centre of all knowledge and progress in the world.
And at its centre is Babel, the Royal Institute of Translation. The tower from which all the power of the Empire flows.
Orphaned in Canton and brought to England by a mysterious guardian, Babel seemed like paradise to Robin Swift.
Until it became a prison…
But can a student stand against an empire?
An incendiary new novel from award-winning author R.F. Kuang about the power of language, the violence of colonialism, and the sacrifices of resistance.
'A masterpiece that resonates with power and knowledge. BABEL is a stark picture of the cruelty of empire, a distillation of dark academia, and a riveting blend of fantasy and historical fiction – a monumental achievement’
Samantha Shannon, author of THE PRIORY OF THE ORANGE TREE
Delve into the heart of an alternative UK, where Babel reigns as a top entry among gaslamp fantasy books. It's a great, bestselling read, peppered with the essence of urban exploration and thrilling action, an adventure that will leave you breathless and wanting more. For fans of Rebecca Yarros (Iron Flame), Leigh Bardungo (Six of Crows), Brandon Sanderson (The Way of Kings) and Olivie Blake (The Atlas Six) and Samantha Shannon (The Priory of the Orange Tree).
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.
©2022 R.F. Kuang (P)2022 HarperCollins Publishers LimitedKritikerstimmen
"Kuang has crafted a masterpiece that resonates with power and knowledge. Babel is a stark picture of the cruelty of empire, a distillation of dark academia, and a riveting blend of fantasy and historical fiction – a monumental achievement, from the footnotes to the final page." (Samantha Shannon, author of Priory of The Orange Tree)
"Ambitious, sweeping and epic." (Evening Standard)
"An ingenious fantasy about empire’." (Guardian)
However as the story develops it descends to a very dark nasty view of the world. The characters and plot are twisted to fit an angry scream at the injustice of the forceful colonisation by the British Empire, and the East India Company, in the early 19th century. There is indeed much to be angry about when looking at this period of history. This history is by now well known, and worth repeating.
But this is not a history book it is a novel, however, as it progresses it forgets to let the characters and the plot lead the reader to discover the injustice, unfairness, racism, of this period for themself. The writer knows what we should think and we have no choice but to agree.
In the end I was sad and quite depressed to be told that the only way to to deal with injustice is "...by violence, by suffering, by martyrs, by blood..." We end with death, violence and suicide of a handful of very clever, mostly young, folk who have decided what is right for the rest of the world, without any proper discussion nor any clear idea that the majority of people in the world they claim to represent have been consulted. This tiny group of well educated young folk know what is best for the rest of us, as long as we are not "white and english", which is: violent revolution.
This sounds terribly familiar. To be fair the full title „Babel, or the Necessity of Violence“ does advertise the message up front. There is little subtlety here.
The epilogue is almost as bleak. What a depressing read. I only read to the end as this book has so many positive reviews from serious critics and writers. I was hoping there might be some glimmer of hope at the end. There was none. We are doomed.
A dark and nasty view of the world
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Stsrted great and ended in disappointment
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Wolf im Schafspelz
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Ein wilder Ritt
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A real disappointment
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