Cbr17bingo Black
Imagine a world in which a kind of magic exists that is only accessible to those skilled in foreign language, those who are so fluent they dream in those languages. In Babel, RF Kuang immerses the reader in a world that, despite the presence of “magic,” is strangely and sadly familiar. This is a novel about imperialism and racism, but it’s also about friendship and bravery in the face of odds stacked against you. It is a long novel (over 500 pages) but I found it to be gripping, terrifying and tragic. I had a hard time putting it down and I am sure it will haunt me for some time.
The events of Babel take place in an 1830s England that is known to us from history: growing imperialism and colonialism, capitalism and labor unrest, slavery and abolition, revolutions and repression. Most of the action occurs at Oxford University, the world renowned center of scholarship and intellectual rigor, and at this Oxford, the translation institution known as Babel sits in an imposing tower at the center of the campus. At Babel, elite students from around the world study their languages of specialty as well as the classics. They engage in research that aids governments and business concerns, and graduates of Babel are guaranteed well paying prestigious work upon completion of their degrees. But there is more to it. In this world, silver is highly prized for its conductive abilities in magic. Skilled translators at Babel work with silver bars, making them magical by inscribing foreign words on them. These magic silver bars – when used by a skilled translator — can power cities, make ships sail faster, keep structures standing firm, and power amusements for the very rich who can afford them, just to name a few things. The growing British Empire has more silver than any other country, but it always craves more. The magic of the silver bars strengthens the navy and ensures that British weapons can overpower just about anything in their way. Some problems loom on the horizon though. First, the Empire is spending its silver rather quickly and has its eyes on China, which has enormous silver reserves, as a lucrative market for trade. The Chinese, however, are not interested in dealing with foreigners. Another problem is that the silver bars already in use will degrade over time and the languages used to power those bars — Latin, Greek, French and German — lose their power as they become more widely understood. The more exotic the language, the more powerful the magic. Therefore, the British government needs translators who are fluent in non-European languages like Chinese, Arabic, Urdu, etc.
It is in this environment that we are introduced to Robin Swift and ultimately his classmates at Babel. Robin was born and raised in Canton but when a cholera epidemic kills his family, he finds himself whisked away to England by Professor Lovell of Babel. Incidentally, “Robin Swift” is not the character’s real name; we never learn what that is. Robin Swift is the name he chooses for himself when Prof. Lovell tells him that he has to have a name that is acceptable in England. The relationship between Robin and Lovell is abusive and cold, but when Robin finally gets to Oxford and Babel, he finds other students like himself and has friends for the first time. Robin, Ramy, Victoria and Letty all enter Babel together and become a tight friendship circle, but we know that that friendship will be tested and that it will not last. The how and the why of that are what drives the story forward and it is very interesting. While race and sex are not supposed to matter at Babel (it is the only college at Oxford that accepts female students), the world outside its doors is far less accepting. Robin is soon exposed to elements that make him question what he is doing at Babel and will lead him and his friends down a very dangerous road.
This novel contains a lot of accurate history, as well as intrigue, betrayal and violence. While the idea of language and silver creating magic is fanciful, the commodification of people and their skills is not. Kuang links the actions of her fictional characters to what really was happening amongst the working class in England. Reading about a world where the wealthy and powerful minority ride roughshod over the rights of everyone else in their quest for more hit a nerve, as did reading about protests and rising violence. At the end of the day, this is not so much a novel about magic as one about human rights and the lengths to which people might go to suppress them or fight for them.