At our next book discussion for the Hoboke n Public Library's Science Fiction and Fantasy Book Discussion Group\, we will be discussing Babel by R.F. Kuang via Zoom.
\nFrom award-winnin g author R.F. Kuang comes Babel\, a thematic response to The Secret Histor y and a tonal retort to Jonathan Strange &\; Mr. Norrell that grapples with student revolutions\, colonial resistance\, and the use of language a nd translation as the dominating tool of the British empire.
\nRobin Swift\, orphaned by cholera in Canton\, is brought to London by the myste rious Professor Lovell. There\, he trains for years in Latin\, Ancient Gre ek\, and Chinese\, all in preparation for the day he'll enroll in Oxford U niversity's prestigious Royal Institute of Translation--also known as Babe l. Babel is the world's center for translation and\, more importantly\, ma gic. Silver working--the art of manifesting the meaning lost in translatio n 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 o beys power\, and as a Chinese boy raised in Britain\, Robin realizes servi ng Babel means betraying his motherland. As his studies progress\, Robin f inds himself caught between Babel and the shadowy Hermes Society\, an orga nization dedicated to stopping imperial expansion. When Britain pursues an unjust war with China over silver and opium\, Robin must decide ... Can p owerful institutions be changed from within\, or does revolution always re quire violence?
\nPlease email hplwriters@gmail.com to be added to o ur mailing list and with any questions about the event. A Zoom invite will be sent out to our mailing list members.
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