What to read, watch, and listen to if you lovedBabel
R. F. Kuang · Book · 2022
If you loved Babel, start with Babylon (Damien Chazelle, 2022) — a film on the same thread. Below: 3 films, 4 series and 2 podcasts, each matched to Babel across media.
What hooked you in Babel was the way the weight of colonial history inevitably crushes the personal ambitions of those caught within it.
Films on the same thread
Babylon
Damien Chazelle · Film · 2022
Explores: excess, decadence, rise and fall.
If you appreciated the meticulous historical atmosphere of Babel, you will find a similar obsession with a transformative era in this portrait of Hollywood’s volatile shift toward sound.
RRR
S. S. Rajamouli · Film · 2022
Explores: Brotherhood, Anti-Colonialism, Nationalism.
Like the student resistance at the heart of Babel, this film captures the visceral, high-stakes fight against colonial occupation with the same intensity and focus on legendary revolutionaries.
Black Panther
Ryan Coogler · Film · 2018
Shares a thread with Babel: Cultural Identity.
Babel explores how language and technology serve power, and this film mirrors that struggle by examining how a nation’s technological supremacy shapes its identity against external colonial pressures.
Series on the same thread
Babylon Berlin
Tom Tykwer · Series · 2017
Explores: Weimar Republic, Interwar Period, Political Intrigue.
Much like the shifting political landscape of Babel, this series captures the moral decay and mounting social tension of a city on the brink of a historic collapse.
House of the Dragon
George R. R. Martin · Series · 2022
Explores: Succession, Power Struggles, Dynastic Conflict.
If you were drawn to the dynastic power struggles in Babel, you will recognize the same slow, inevitable disintegration of an empire when internal traditions begin to fail.
The Underground Railroad
Barry Jenkins · Series · 2021
Shares 2 threads with Babel: Alternate History, Historical Fantasy.
Babel interrogates the brutal reality of historical institutions, a theme that resonates deeply in this story of one woman’s desperate, harrowing bid for freedom from systemic oppression.
Andor
Tony Gilroy · Series · 2022
Explores: Rebellion, Underdog Story, Dystopian Society.
The transformation from an academic student to a revolutionary in Babel is mirrored here as a character navigates the moral ambiguity of fighting an all-encompassing, tyrannical empire.
Podcasts on the same thread
Revolutions
Mike Duncan · Podcast · 2025
Explores: societal collapse, power dynamics, cyclical history.
Babel uses fictional history to analyze the mechanics of revolution, and this podcast provides the analytical depth for those who want to understand the cyclical nature of power.
The Realignment
The Realignment · Podcast · 2026
Explores: institutional change, populism, technological disruption.
If you valued the intellectual exploration of power in Babel, you will appreciate how this analysis dissects the shifting geopolitical and institutional frameworks shaping our modern world today.
Keep exploring
Common questions
Is Babel a standalone novel?
Babel is a standalone novel published in 2022 by R. F. Kuang. It functions as a thematic response to The Secret History and a tonal retort to Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell while exploring colonial resistance and the power of language within the British empire.
What is the historical setting of Babel?
Babel is set in 1828. The narrative centers on Robin Swift and explores themes of student revolutions and the use of translation as a tool of the British empire during this specific period of history.
Does Babel focus on the act of translation?
Yes, Babel centers on the concept that translation is an act of betrayal. The book examines how language and the act of translating are utilized as dominating tools by the British empire throughout the narrative.
How does Babel relate to The Secret History?
Babel serves as a thematic response to The Secret History. While it shares intellectual themes, it distinguishes itself by focusing on colonial resistance and the political implications of language and translation in 19th-century Britain.