#this title was supposed to read like a academic paper you find on jostr so by god pls ignore marketability and keep the title

[jeanmoreaux]

ok, now well I really have to ask: what's Babel? could you please tell me about it? thank you :)

Babel: Or the Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators’ Revolution is r.f. kuang's (author of the poppy war series) latest novel (i linked the synopsis). i finished it an hour ago and i still haven't recovered. it's truly one of the best books i have ever read.

it's a blend of magical realism and historical fiction that plays in georgian/victorian england with a magic system that's based on what goes lost in translation. the story focuses mostly on robin swift, a student at Oxford University's prestigious Royal Institute of Translation known as Babel, and his small cohort of three other people. it's a seething critique of academia and colonialism, and it examines different societal, cultural and interpersonal dynamics that arise from these oppressive systems. it's also a giant love letter to language, so you have to be at least somewhat interested in languages and linguistics to fully enjoy babel, i think. i think it's genuinely a brilliant read, and i'd recommend it to everyone intrigued by the general premise of the novel.