Babel: An Arcane History

Babel, a historical fantasy novel by R.F. Kuang, was released in August 2022. It revolves around the idea of foreigners, particularly students, working to make a place for themselves in a society that had once colonized their lands.

This is how colonialism works. It convinces us that the fallout from resistance is entirely our fault, that the immoral choice is resistance itself rather than the circumstances that demanded it.

— Babel, R.F. Kuang

Robin swift, as he is addressed by the English men, had been taken from his homeland of Canton and bought to London by Professor Lovell. All hopes and expectations of getting enrolled into the most prestigious and renowned translation institution of Oxford at that time, Babel, are placed on him. It is known for its contributions to translations and silver working: the art of manifesting the meanings lost in translation through silver bars that give magical effects.

To better understand silver working, we must recognize that no translation is entirely true. Some meaning is not understood, which limits our understanding of what words mean but strengthens us when used in silver. It had been used by the British Empire to colonize everything it encounters through research in foreign languages. Robin had joined Oxford to do just that and had seen it as a paradise for himself that would provide the best life.

After years of efforts to master Latin, Greek, and Cantonese, he sets foot in Babel along with his cohort. He had made a small family at Oxford after being deprived of that love from the professor. On the other hand, he finds himself in an internal crisis when he learns about a shady organization, The Hermes Society. Their main aim was to sabotage the silver workings of Babel. When war is pursued against China for silver, Robin must decide what he is willing to sacrifice to bring down Babel.

Kuang put a lot of thought into building the momentum and letting things fall into place. That is what makes a book stand out, and somehow the little details of how the kids grow up together bring about a feeling of happiness. Moreover, she is straightforward, and I must say brutally honest about how life can be for the non-white, those seen as slaves. The book also manages to portray how important languages are in our everyday lives, although, we put no thought into it.

I moved on to what I liked the most: the characters. Our main character is met with Ramy, Letty, and Victoire - who all seem to excel in their chosen fields. Their friendship was not shown as the usual flowers and rainbows; rather, they faced many fissures. My thoughts would be that being sent to an unknown location at a young age and being bound to the task of aiding the British Empire through translations, had them lacking the affection every child needs. Not to forget the wittiness of the characters which helps create a humorous tone, and made the book a breeze to read (they all had grown quite used to the racism they face).

How strange, to love the stuff and the language, but to hate the country.

— Ramy Rafi Mirza

Overall, Babel was an awe-inspiring book. Although the first few chapters were a bit slow and proved difficult for me to go through, once I started, I couldn't stop. It's a book I would want everyone to read, but would want them to keep in mind not to take anything personally. Reading what Kuang has to say about such a topic with an open mind would help better grasp the idea of Babel.