Rudyard Kipling was born on December 30, 1865, in Bombay, British India. Shortly before Rudyard's birth, his parents, John Lockwood Kipling and Alice Macdonald, left the United Kingdom due to John's appointment as a professor at Bombay's Jeejeebjoy School of Art. Rudyard was born on the university's campus, and his parents named him after Rudyard Lake in Staffordshire (where John and Alice first met). Kipling's parents referred to themselves as "Anglo-Indians," and Rudyard's early years were marked by a dual influence of his country of origin and his country of residence. At the age of five, Rudyard and his younger sister, Trix, were sent to the United Kingdom to begin their formal education while their parents remained in India.
After spending his youth abroad, Rudyard returned to India at sixteen, where he began working for various local newspapers. Colleagues often commented on his passion for writing and his work ethic. After beginning his literary career in British India, Rudyard decided to relocate to London to delve further into the British literary scene. While in London, he published various short stories and a novel, entitled The Light That Failed. His breakthrough came with the publication of The Jungle Book in 1894, a collection of tales set in the Indian jungle. These stories, filled with adventure and moral lessons, quickly became classics in children's literature. In 1901, Kipling wrote Kim, a novel set in colonial India. Six years later, in 1907, Kipling was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature, solidifying his place as one of the most influential writers of his time.
In his later life, Kipling became deeply involved in various political and social issues. He used his platform to advocate for British patriotism during World War I, which earned him both praise and criticism. The latter part of Kipling's life was also marked by personal loss, including the death of his son John. Kipling continued to write until the early 1930s, though with less recognized success. He passed away in London, shortly after his 70th birthday. His works continue to be studied, celebrated, and debated, exploring themes of colonialism, identity, and the human spirit.
Originally published in 1925, "The Gardener" is a story written by British-Indian author Rudyard Kipling and published in France. The story follows the life of main character Helen Turrell, who becomes pregnant out of wedlock in India, which, at...
Published in 1894, Rudyard Kipling’s The Jungle Book is a collection of short stories and poems. It is one of the best-known and beloved works of children’s literature; however, Kipling’s complex views on colonialism and race justifiably factor...
Kim by Rudyard Kipling was first published serially in McClure's Magazine and Cassell's Magazine. It was later published as a book by Macmillan and Co. Ltd. in October 1901. The story takes place in the late 19th century, after the Second Afghan...
Kipling is considered a British author; however, he was born in Bombay, India in 1865. He was educated in England and then returned to India as a young man to live and work. An extremely prolific writer, Kipling produced stories and poetry about...
Although Kipling is perhaps most famous for his short stories like "The Jungle Book," he was just as famed for his verse as his prose. His work, which is staggering in number, consists of such major poems as "If", "The White Man's Burden", "The...
