Joseph Rudyard Kipling (December 30, 1865 – January 18, 1936)
was an English author and poet, born in India, and best known today
for his children's books, including The Jungle Book (1894), The
Second Jungle Book (1895), Just So Stories (1902), and Puck of
Pook's Hill (1906); his novel, Kim (1901); his poems, including
Mandalay (1890), Gunga Din (1890), and "If—" (1910); and his many
short stories, including "The Man Who Would Be King" (1888) and the
collections Life's Handicap (1891), The Day's Work (1898), and
Plain Tales from the Hills (1888). He is regarded as a major
"innovator in the art of the short story"; his children's books are
enduring classics of children's literature; and his best work
speaks to a versatile and luminous narrative gift. Kipling was one
of the most popular writers in English, in both prose and verse, in
the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The author Henry James
famously said of him: "Kipling strikes me personally as the most
complete man of genius (as distinct from fine intelligence) that I
have ever known." In 1907, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in
Literature, making him the first English language writer to receive
the prize, and he remains today its youngest-ever recipient. Among
other honours, he was sounded out for the British Poet Laureateship
and on several occasions for a knighthood, all of which he
rejected. However, later in life Kipling also came to be seen (in
George Orwell's words) as a "prophet of British imperialism." Many
saw prejudice and militarism in his works, and the resulting
controversy about him continued for much of the 20th century.
According to critic Douglas Kerr: "He is still an author who can
inspire passionate disagreement and his place in literary and
cultural history is far from settled. But as the age of the
European empires recedes, he is recognized as an incomparable, if
controversial, interpreter of how empire was experienced. That, and
an increasing recognition of his extraordinary narrative gifts,
make him a force to be reckoned with."
