What if translation could topple the British Empire? Chinese-American author R.F. Kuang confronts this provocative question in her bestselling novel, Babel: Or the Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators’ Revolution (2022), penned at 26 years old. Through a dazzling blend of historical fantasy and sharp political commentary, Kuang reimagines colonial power structures, placing language and those who wield it at the heart of the revolution. After breaking out with the epic Poppy War trilogy (2018–2020), Kuang stormed the mainstream with Babel, charming readers with its dark academia aesthetic and a deliberately erudite, and often polarizing, writing style.

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Translated into multiple languages, Babel earned the well-deserved 2022 Nebula Award, along with the 2023 British Book Award and Locus Award. It would have also taken home the 2023 Hugo Award, if not for a disqualification for political reasons. With a dystopian take on the infamous Opium Wars, the novel raises the issue of colonialism, exploring how language and translation can be tools of oppression and resistance.

• The Premises: Lost in Translation
• The Characters: Silver Bonds in Babel
• The Plot: Rewriting History One Word at a Time
• The Themes: “Translation is Defying a Curse Laid by God”
• Beyond Babel: plans for adaptations and sequels

The Premises: Lost in Translation

English did not just borrow words from other languages; it was stuffed to the brim with foreign influences, a Frankenstein vernacular. And Robin found it incredible, how this country, whose citizens prided themselves so much on being better than the rest of the world, could not make it through an afternoon tea without borrowed goods.

Babel, R.F. Kuang

Imagine being born in Guangzhou, China, in the early 19th century and losing your entire family to cholera. Then, a mysterious English professor, Lovell, appears, cures you with a silver bar, and makes himself your legal guardian. In exchange? A strict education and the promise of one day studying at the prestigious University of Oxford to become a professional translator. Sounds like a fever dream, doesn’t it? This sums up the premise of R.F. Kuang’s Babel, and while Robin Swift’s story seems thrilling at first, it quickly takes a dark turn.

The dreamy Tower of Babel — metaphorical as it is — houses skilled translators drawn from colonized nations, whose linguistic talents are harnessed to support the British Empire. The most coveted role is engraving silver bars with matched pairs of words, translated from a colonial language into English. That is where the magic comes in: it lies in the gap, in what is inevitably lost in translation. This magical system powers faster trains, deadlier weapons, and a mightier navy. Through a narrative lens, Kuang explores the linguistics of power and how language shapes, enforces, and resists empire.

The Characters: Silver Bonds in Babel

Fans of the found-family trope will find their bread and butter in Robin’s close-knit group of friends. Together with Remy, Letty, and Victoire, Robin learns to navigate the shadowy world of academia. There is little room for romance in Babel, as revolution takes center stage. However, avid readers cannot help but fantasize about their favorite couples.

Stripped of his family and everything he knew, Robin would have felt much more lonely had it not been for books. The roots of his chosen English name, which harkens back to the theme of stolen identity, lie in literature. “Robin” comes from a children’s book of nursery rhymes, while “Swift” refers to Jonathan Swift, author of Gulliver’s Travels (1726).

You have such a great fear of freedom, brother. It’s shackling you. You’ve identified so hard with the colonizer, you think any threat to them is a threat to you. When are you going to realize you can’t be one of them?

Babel, R.F. Kuang

Rebecca Kuang does a fantastic job of depicting Robin’s realization of his identity as a colonial subject and his painful role as a traitor to his homeland. His group of friends plays a crucial role in reclaiming his sense of self. From being at the mercy of the empire to bearing the weight of China’s future, the protagonist is not alone in his quest for vengeance.

The Plot: Rewriting History One Word at a Time

Through cryptic notes, Robin joins the Hermes Society, a secret organization that steals from Babel to promote linguistic diversity while resisting imperial control. Griffin, the organization’s leader, becomes a key figure in Robin’s personal growth. He leads him toward revolution and challenges everything Robin has learned about the empire and his place in it. This shadowy atmosphere will undoubtedly resonate with readers of dark academia milestones as Donna Tartt’s The Secret History (1992) or Mona Awad’s Bunny (2019). All three works share the backdrop of elite intellectual circles, where moral ambiguities and dark secrets are revealed.

Following a treacherous path, Babel‘s brilliant translators unite to thwart Britain’s war plans against China, aimed at seizing vast silver supplies and turning the Chinese people into opium addicts. While Robin believed translation could unite cultures, this only proved him wrong: silverwork was used as a tool of subjugation and oppression.

Babel mirrors modern Chinese history, but Kuang alters its course. Is not the purpose of fantastic literature to rewrite reality and explore what might have been? The First Opium War (1839-1842) irreversibly damaged China, leading to widespread addiction, economic ruin, and the loss of sovereignty. This time, however, the oppressed take the lead, defying the official narrative and crafting their version of history. They turn silverwork against the empire, using its power to fight back and overthrow colonial rule. But this is only a glimpse of Babel‘s far more complex story.

The Themes: “Translation is Defying a Curse Laid by God”

The filter of historical fantasy allows the author to explore the themes of colonialism, linguistic and cultural appropriation, and resistance, offering a critical reflection on the power of translation in shaping personal and collective identity. Therefore, the magical translation system seamlessly integrates with the critique throughout the novel. Languages shape how we perceive the world, ourselves, and others, and in Babel, the characters’ understanding of language profoundly influences their identities and choices.

Kuang is unafraid to tell uncomfortable truths, as she tackles relevant and pressing issues today. In her novel, Kuang indirectly urges readers to reflect on the colonial roots of academia, the need to move beyond Eurocentric thinking, and the threat that the dominance of the English language poses to multilingualism. Babel ultimately sparks a meaningful conversation on privilege and oppression, highlighting the need to confront and dismantle systems of power.

That’s just what translation is, I think. That’s all speaking is. Listening to the other and trying to see past your own biases to glimpse what they’re trying to say. Showing yourself to the world, and hoping someone else understands.

Babel, R.F. Kuang

Beyond Babel: plans for adaptations and sequels

With its incredible world-building and thought-provoking story, it is no surprise that the Wiip studios have optioned the rights to adapt R.F. Kuang’s Babel for film or television. Although there is currently no update on the adaptation, readers can look forward to her next novel, Katabasis, which is due out in summer 2025. With its intriguing premise of a descent into the underworld, the book is bound to be a bestseller.