R. F. Kuang, author of the acclaimed Poppy War trilogy and a PhD student at Yale, dives deep into her novel, Babel. She discusses her protagonist Robin Swift’s internal struggle with language, identity, and the violence of imperialism. The magical system based on silver intricately mirrors historical colonial power dynamics. Kuang emphasizes the importance of diverse voices, character authenticity, and the revision process, while revealing how friendship inspired her characters. Listen in for insights on crafting complex narratives enriched by footnotes and scholarly depth.
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Language and Power in Babel
Babel explores the complex relationship between language, translation, and colonial power structures.
The magical system of silver-working symbolizes meaning lost in translation and its role in imperial expansion.
question_answer ANECDOTE
Latin Shapes Language Learning
R.F. Kuang used her experience with Latin grammar to ease learning Romance languages.
Though she forgot vocabulary, the structural knowledge remained and helped with Japanese.
volunteer_activism ADVICE
Value of Sensitivity Readers
Use sensitivity readers to ensure authenticity in multilingual and multicultural writing.
Collaborate with diverse people to accurately represent varied languages and experiences.
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The novel is set in a world where magic once thrived in England but has since disappeared. It follows the lives of two magicians, Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, who bring magic back to England. Jonathan Strange is a young, adventurous, and impulsive magician, while Mr. Norrell is a cantankerous bookworm who wants magic to be better regulated. Their differing approaches to magic lead to a series of conflicts and adventures, including involvement in the Napoleonic wars and interactions with fairies. The story explores themes of magic, history, and the complexities of human relationships.
Babel: Or the Necessity of Violence
An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators' Revolution
R. F. Kuang
In 'Babel', R.F. Kuang delves into the world of 19th-century Oxford, where the Royal Institute of Translation, known as Babel, harnesses the power of translation through a magical art called silver-working. This art manifests the meaning lost in translation into enchanted silver bars, which are used to support the British Empire's colonial expansion. The story follows Robin Swift, an orphaned Chinese boy brought to London by Professor Lovell, as he navigates his studies at Babel and grapples with the moral implications of serving the Empire versus his loyalty to his motherland. As Britain engages in an unjust war with China, Robin must decide whether to support the institution or join the shadowy Hermes Society in its efforts to sabotage the Empire's silver-working and colonial ambitions.
Poppy War
R. F. Kuang
The Bartimaeus Trilogy
Jonathan Stroud
The Bartimaeus Trilogy consists of three books: The Amulet of Samarkand, The Golem's Eye, and Ptolemy's Gate. The series is set in an alternate London where magicians rule and control others through the summoning and enslavement of spirits like djinn, imps, and afreets. The story follows Nathaniel, a young magician, and Bartimaeus, a witty and clever djinni, as they navigate a world of magical espionage, rebellion, and power struggles. The trilogy also introduces Kitty Jones, a brave and strong-willed rebel, and explores themes of corruption, freedom, and what it means to be human. Each book in the series builds on the complex relationships and power dynamics between magicians and their enslaved spirits, culminating in a final confrontation that threatens the very fabric of their magical society.
In R. F. Kuang’s Babel, or The Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators' Revolution (Harper Voyager in 2022), we meet Robin Swift. Orphaned by Cholera in Canton in 1828, he is brought to London by a mysterious Professor Lovell, who trains him in Latin, Ancient Greek, and Chinese, to prepare him for enrollment in Oxford University’s Royal Institute of Translation—also known as Babel. Yet as Robin soon finds out, the glamour and glory of Babel is not all it seems, and thriving at the center of knowledge and power demands complicity in the violence and militarism of empire….
Tune in to this NBN episode to hear Rebecca discuss what motivated her to write Babel, the inspiration behind Babel’s magical system of silver-working and the histories of anti-colonial struggle she wanted to illuminate in her writing, how real-life friendship inspired the friendships of Babel, the importance of sensitivity readers to imagining more diverse and complex characters, the joy of learning languages and the importance of collaboration to writing such a multilingual book, how her writing process has changed and grown since working on The Poppy War trilogy, the intersections and divergences between fiction and academic writing, and her current draft-in-progress on magician PhD students in Hell.
R. F. Kuang is author of The Poppy War trilogy and a PhD student in East Asian Languages and Literatures at Yale University.
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