 |
|
|
|
Rudyard Kipling, 1865 -1936
Rudyard Kipling was born in Bombay, but educated in England at the
United Services College, Westward Ho, Bideford. In 1882 he returned to
India, where he worked for Anglo-Indian newspapers. His literary career
began with Departmental Ditties (1886), but subsequently he became
chiefly known as a writer of short stories. A prolific writer, he
achieved fame quickly. Kipling was the poet of the British Empire and
its yeoman, the common soldier, whom he glorified in many of his works,
in particular Plain Tales from the Hills (1888) and Soldiers Three
(1888), collections of short stories with roughly and affectionately
drawn soldier portraits. His Barrack Room Ballads (1892) were written
for, as much as about, the common soldier. In 1894 appeared his Jungle
Book, which became a children's classic all over the world. Kim (1901),
the story of Kimball O'Hara and his adventures in the Himalayas, is
perhaps his most felicitous work. Other works include The Second Jungle
Book (1895), The Seven Seas (1896), Captains Courageous (1897), The
Day's Work (1898), Stalky and Co. (1899), Just So Stories (1902),
Trafficks and Discoveries (1904), Puck of Pook's Hill (1906), Actions
and Reactions (1909), Debits and Credits (1926), Thy Servant a Dog
(1930), and Limits and Renewals (1932). During the First World War
Kipling wrote some propaganda books. His collected poems appeared in
1933.
Kipling was the recipient of many honorary degrees and other awards.
In 1926 he received the Gold Medal of the Royal Society of Literature,
which only Scott, Meredith, and Hardy had been awarded before him.
From Nobel Lectures, Literature 1901-1967, Elsevier Publishing Company, Amsterdam
A click on the garnesh takes you to the Kipling Society;
Press/Media
