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Kipling was born in Bombay, India. His father was John Lockwood Kipling, a teacher at the local Jeejeebhoy School of Art, and his mother was Alice Macdonald. His mother's sister was married to the artist [Edward Burne-Jones]?, and young Kipling and his sister spent much time with the Joneses in England from the ages of six to twelve, while his parents remained in India. |
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Kipling was born in Bombay, India. His father was John Lockwood Kipling, a teacher at the local Jeejeebhoy School of Art, and his mother was Alice Macdonald. His mother's sister was married to the artist [Edward Burne-Jones]?, and young Kipling and his sister spent much time with the Joneses in England from the ages of six to twelve, while his parents remained in India. |
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In 1881, after a spell at boarding school, Kipling returned to India himself, to Lahore? (in modern-day Pakistan) where his parents now lived. He found work as a newspaper editor for a local edition and took tentative steps into the world of poetry; in 1883, he made his first professional sales. |
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After a spell at boarding school, Kipling returned to India himself, to Lahore? (in modern-day Pakistan) where his parents now were, in 1881. He began working for as a newspaper editor for a local edition and continued tentative steps into the world of poetry; his first professional sales were in 1883. |
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By the mid-1880s he was travelling the subcontinent as a correspondent for the Allahabad Pioneer. His fiction sales began to bloom, and in 1888 he published six books of short stories. One short story from this time "'The Man Who Would Be a King", later became a famous film of a slightly different name, starring Sean Connery and [Michael Caine]?. Caine has said that, of all his movies, this is his favorite. |
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By the mid-1880s he was travelling around the subcontinent as a correspondent for the Allahabad Pioneer. His fiction sales also began to bloom, and he published six short books of short stories in 1888. One short story dating this time is "'The Man Who Would Be a King", later made famous as a slightly differently named movie featuring Sean Connery and [Michael Caine]?. |
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The next year Kipling began a long journey back to England, going through Burma, China, Japan, and California before crossing the United States and the Atlantic Ocean and settling in London. From then on his fame grew rapidly, and he became the literary voice most closely associated with the imperialist tempo of the time in the United Kingdom, the rest of the Western world and Japan). |
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The next year Kipling began a long journey back to England, going through Burma, China, Japan, and California before crossing the United States and the Atlantic Ocean and settling in London. From then on his fame grew rapidly, and he positioned himself as the literary voice most closely associated with the imperialist tempo of the time in the United Kingdom (and, indeed, the rest of the Western world and Japan). His first novel, The Light that Failed, was published in 1890. The most famous of his poems of this time is probably "The Ballad of East and West" (which begins "Oh, East is East, and West is West, and never the twain shall meet") |
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In 1890, he published his first novel, The Light that Failed. The most famous of his poems of this time is "The Ballad of East and West" (which begins "Oh, East is East, and West is West, and never the twain shall meet") |
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In 1892 he married Caroline Balastier; her brother, an American writer, had been Kipling's friend but died of [typhoid fever]? the previous year. While on honeymoon Kipling's bank failed and cashing in their travel tickets only let the couple return as far as Vermont (where most of the Balastier family lived). Rudyard and his new bride would live in the United States for the next four years. During this time he turned his hand to writing for children, and he published the work for which he is most remembered today -- [The Jungle Book]? -- and its sequel in 1894 and 1895. |
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In 1892 he married Caroline Balastier; her brother, an American writer, had been Kipling's friend but died of [typhoid fever]? the previous year. While on honeymoon, Kipling's bank failed and cashing in their travel tickets only let the couple return as far as Vermont (where most of the Balastier family lived). For the next four years, Rudyard and his new bride would live in the United States. During this time he turned his hand to writing for children, and published the work for which he is best remembered -- [The Jungle Book]? -- and its sequel in 1894 and 1895. |
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After a quarrel with his in-laws, he and his wife returned to England, and in 1897 he published [Captains Courageous]?. The next year he would begin travelling to southern Africa for winter vacations most every year. There he would meet and befriend another icon of British imperialism, [Cecil Rhodes]?, and begin collecting material for another of his children's classics, [Just So Stories]? for Little Children. That work was published in 1902, and another of his enduring works, the Indian spy novel Kim?, first saw the light of day the previous year. His poetry of the time included "The White Man's Burden". In the non-fiction realm he also became involved in the debate over the British response to the rise in German naval power, publishing a series of articles collectively entitled A Fleet in Being. |
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After a quarrel with his in-laws, he and his wife returned to England, and in 1897 he published [Captains Courageous]?. The next year he began travelling to southern Africa for winter vacations most every year. There he befriended another icon of British imperialism, [Cecil Rhodes]?, and began collecting material for another of his children's classics, [Just So Stories]? for Little Children. He published this in 1902, and another of his enduring works just prior in 1901, the Indian spy novel Kim?. His poetry of the time included "The White Man's Burden". In the non-fiction realm he also became involved in the debate over the British response to the rise in German naval power, publishing a series of articles collectively entitled A Fleet in Being. During the first decade of the 20th century, Kipling was at the height of his popularity. In 1907 he won the Nobel Prize for Literature; bookending this achievement was the publication of two connected poetry and story collections, 1906's Puck of Pook Hill and 1910's Rewards and Fairies. The latter contained what is arguably Kipling's single most famous poem "If--?", an exhortation to seize the day: |
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During the first decade of the 20th century, Kipling was at the height of his popularity. In 1907 he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature; bookending this achievement was the publication of two connected poetry and story collections, 1906's Puck of Pook Hill and 1910's Rewards and Fairies. The latter contained what is arguably Kipling's single most famous poem "If--?", an exhortation to seize the day: |
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Kipling kept writing until the early 1930s, but at a slower pace and to much less success. In early 1936, he died of a brain hemhorrage, and continued falling into critical eclipse. Today it's difficult to place Kipling in the pantheon of great writers. As the European colonial empires collapsed in the mid-20th century and communism seduced some of the western intelligentsia, Kipling's works were far out of step with the times; many who condemn him are really criticizing the imperialist ideal and not Kipling. His main literary legacy in the period just after his death was on American science fiction, as John W. Campbell considered him an ideal model; many SF writers still consciously follow his example. Today, Kipling is most highly regarded for his children's books, while in his own lifetime he was primarily considered a poet (and was even offered the post of British [Poet Laureate]? -- he turned it down). There are signs of rehabilitation in Kipling's reputation both as a writer of mature prose and of poetry, as public tastes change once again. Where he will come to be regarded in the end remains to be seen. |
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Kipling kept writing until the early 1930s, but at a slower pace and to much less success than before. He died of a brain hemhorrage in early 1936, and continued falling into critical eclipse afterwards. Today it is difficult to decide if Kipling has a rightful place in the pantheon of great writers.As the European colonial empires collapsed in the mid-20th century and communism seduced some of the western intelligentsia, Kipling's works were far out of step with the times; many who condemn him are really criticizing the imperialist ideal and not Kipling. His main literary legacy in the period immediately following his death was on American science fiction, as John W. Campbell considered him an ideal to be followed; many SF writers still consciously follow his example. Today, Kipling is most highly regarded for his children's books, while in his own lifetime he was primarily considered a poet (and was even offered the post of British [Poet Laureate]? -- he turned it down). There are signs of rehabilitation in Kipling's reputation both as a writer of mature prose and of poetry, as public tastes change once again. Where the pendulum of regard will come to rest remains to be seen. |
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