4.3
Fantasy & SciFi
From award-winning author R. F. Kuang comes Babel, a thematic response to The Secret History and a tonal retort to Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell that grapples with student revolutions, colonial resistance, and the use of language and translation as the dominating tool of the British empire.
Traduttore, traditore: An act of translation is always an act of betrayal.
1828. Robin Swift, orphaned by cholera in Canton, is brought to London by the mysterious Professor Lovell. There, he trains for years in Latin, Ancient Greek, and Chinese, all in preparation for the day he’ll enroll in Oxford University’s prestigious Royal Institute of Translation—also known as Babel.
Babel is the world's center for translation and, more importantly, magic. Silver working—the art of manifesting the meaning lost in translation using enchanted silver bars—has made the British unparalleled in power, as its knowledge serves the Empire’s quest for colonization.
For Robin, Oxford is a utopia dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge. But knowledge obeys power, and as a Chinese boy raised in Britain, Robin realizes serving Babel means betraying his motherland. As his studies progress, Robin finds himself caught between Babel and the shadowy Hermes Society, an organization dedicated to stopping imperial expansion. When Britain pursues an unjust war with China over silver and opium, Robin must decide…
Can powerful institutions be changed from within, or does revolution always require violence?
Supplemental enhancement PDF accompanies the audiobook.
© 2022 HarperAudio (Lydbok): 9780063021457
Utgivelsesdato
Lydbok: 23. august 2022
4.3
Fantasy & SciFi
From award-winning author R. F. Kuang comes Babel, a thematic response to The Secret History and a tonal retort to Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell that grapples with student revolutions, colonial resistance, and the use of language and translation as the dominating tool of the British empire.
Traduttore, traditore: An act of translation is always an act of betrayal.
1828. Robin Swift, orphaned by cholera in Canton, is brought to London by the mysterious Professor Lovell. There, he trains for years in Latin, Ancient Greek, and Chinese, all in preparation for the day he’ll enroll in Oxford University’s prestigious Royal Institute of Translation—also known as Babel.
Babel is the world's center for translation and, more importantly, magic. Silver working—the art of manifesting the meaning lost in translation using enchanted silver bars—has made the British unparalleled in power, as its knowledge serves the Empire’s quest for colonization.
For Robin, Oxford is a utopia dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge. But knowledge obeys power, and as a Chinese boy raised in Britain, Robin realizes serving Babel means betraying his motherland. As his studies progress, Robin finds himself caught between Babel and the shadowy Hermes Society, an organization dedicated to stopping imperial expansion. When Britain pursues an unjust war with China over silver and opium, Robin must decide…
Can powerful institutions be changed from within, or does revolution always require violence?
Supplemental enhancement PDF accompanies the audiobook.
© 2022 HarperAudio (Lydbok): 9780063021457
Utgivelsesdato
Lydbok: 23. august 2022
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Eli
22. sep. 2022
Uten tvil den aller beste «dark academia» romanen jeg har lest/hørt. Alle burde lese den. Alle. Uansett om du liker fantasy eller ikke.
Mia
13. mai 2023
I'm truly glad I listened to this in audiobook format instead of trying to read it myself. I feel like I am barely smart enough for this masterpiece, but that is truly what it is. A masterpiece. It tackles important subjects in a very engaging way, and I was truly moved by the characters, their story, their progression and development. I feel like this is a story I will carry with me for a long time. I know it is not for everyone. It's heavy, dark and with complexity and detail that can be difficult to understand or follow - but give it a chance. Let yourself get lost in this alternative world so close to our own, with a history similar to yet interestingly different from ours. It amongst others tackles issues of race and exploitation, of inequality, misogyny and the brutality of slavery and colonisation. It also has this incredible take on how we all tend to look away from the things that are uncomfortable, and that it's easier to pretend than to see the issues around us and act...
Ragne
14. mars 2023
Jeg er litt ambivalent til denne. Det er mye bra. Som lingvist er det veldig interessant å lese om oversettelsesteori og etymologi. Det gis et realistisk bilde av hvordan verden kunne vært med den teknologien/magien, hvordan personer og kulturer ville vært utnyttet.Deimot var det interpersonelle ikke realistisk. Måten de snakker på og oppfører seg med hverandre passer ikke tiden, heller ikke språket. Det er heller ikke noen utvikling av forhold, det er bare fra 0 til 100 på en måte. Det sees særlig godt når han møter broren. Det er ikke realistisk at den første samtalen skal gå sånn.Det kunne vært en glimrende bok, konseptet er veldig kult. Men karakterene blir for lite realistisk på grunn av måten de snakker og oppfører seg på. Den delen virker som er skrevet for ungdom, mens boken i seg selv er for voksne. Det gjorde at jeg ikke klarte å leve meg inn i historien, eller helt tro på den.Jeg fikk derimot lyst til å lære mer om oversettelsesteori.
Per Gunnar
7. des. 2022
En kommende klassiker.
Lise
11. okt. 2022
Fantastisk!
Per
27. des. 2022
Kom halvveis, boka kom aldri i gang. Helt grei men uengasjerende og kjedelig.
Andrea
22. jan. 2024
Wow!
Arna
4. des. 2022
Wow!!
Freja
14. nov. 2023
Helt fantastisk!
Guro
21. jan. 2023
Truly one of my favorite authors. I can’t enjoy simple books anymore because she writes so well and about so important themes. Read this only if you are willing to accept that you can never read a book without a well thought out plot, history, relevant struggles and amazing writing style.
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