Posted on Sep 1, 2022
New fantasy novel 'Babel' explores translation as a tool of imperialism
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On a balmy summer evening this August, fantasy fans are lined up outside the Brattle Theatre in Cambridge, Mass., to hear Rebecca F. Kuang speak about her new book, "Babel: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators' Revolution."
Kuang, who is best known for the gut-wrenching "Poppy War" fantasy trilogy, explores translation as a tool of imperialism in “Babel.”
In line for the book launch, Leah Drago, a long time reader of Kuang’s work, brimmed with excitement.
“Every book that I've read by [Kuang] I haven't wanted to put down, even though they're soul crushing and heartbreaking,” Drago says. “I thank her for crushing my soul as many times as she has.”
Kuang, who is best known for the gut-wrenching "Poppy War" fantasy trilogy, explores translation as a tool of imperialism in “Babel.”
In line for the book launch, Leah Drago, a long time reader of Kuang’s work, brimmed with excitement.
“Every book that I've read by [Kuang] I haven't wanted to put down, even though they're soul crushing and heartbreaking,” Drago says. “I thank her for crushing my soul as many times as she has.”
New fantasy novel 'Babel' explores translation as a tool of imperialism
Posted from wbur.org
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Cambridge
Posted >1 y ago
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
..."Slavery was not abolished because slave owners one day woke up and had a great moral awakening and thought, ‘Oh, maybe we should stop doing this,’” Kuang says. “Slavery was abolished because the bottom line was changed, because slave revolts were working, because Haiti became free, because at some point it became too unprofitable to keep owning slaves.
“So when you think about how change happens, the oppressor never comes to the table unless he is forced to. And the way you force the oppressor to come to the table is through violence.”
Ultimately, Kuang hopes “Babel” will make readers eager to engage with the difficult questions she explores in the book.
"I never mean to solve problems with my books. I advance arguments and I pose some possible solutions that I think are interesting,” she says. ”And if ‘Babel’ makes people more interested in the history of British colonialism, that will make me very happy.”
..."Slavery was not abolished because slave owners one day woke up and had a great moral awakening and thought, ‘Oh, maybe we should stop doing this,’” Kuang says. “Slavery was abolished because the bottom line was changed, because slave revolts were working, because Haiti became free, because at some point it became too unprofitable to keep owning slaves.
“So when you think about how change happens, the oppressor never comes to the table unless he is forced to. And the way you force the oppressor to come to the table is through violence.”
Ultimately, Kuang hopes “Babel” will make readers eager to engage with the difficult questions she explores in the book.
"I never mean to solve problems with my books. I advance arguments and I pose some possible solutions that I think are interesting,” she says. ”And if ‘Babel’ makes people more interested in the history of British colonialism, that will make me very happy.”
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