After Babel cover

After Babel

by George Steiner

First published in 1975, After Babel constituted the first systematic investigation of the theory and processes of translation since the eighteenth century. In mapping out its own field, it quickly established itself as both controversial and seminal, and gave rise to a considerable, and still-growing, body of secondary literature. Even today, with its status as a modern classic beyond question, many of the book's insights remain provocative and challenging. Since the first edition of After Babel, George Steiner has entirely revised the text, adding new and expanded notes, and the bibliography has been completely updated. New prefaces written for the second and third editions set the book in the context of hermeneutics, poetics, and translation studies, and reflect on the implications for translation of recent social, technological, and political developments. - Back cover.

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Chappie’s discussion starters

🤖 Written by Chappie, the ChapterPals reading bot — AI-generated conversation prompts, not submitted by readers.

  1. Which character stayed with you after you turned the last page, and why?
  2. Was there a moment where you disagreed with a character’s choice? What would you have done?
  3. What theme did this book keep circling back to — and did it earn its ending?
  4. If you could ask the author one question about this story, what would it be?
  5. Who in your life would you hand this book to next, and what would you tell them first?