The Life & Works of Rudyard Kipling
Jingoistic Imperialist or Lover of the East?
Rudyard Kipling has been a deeply unfashionable writer for many years. He's been accused of jingoism, imperialism and racism as typified by this poem The White Man's Burden. Take up the White Man's burden- Send forth the best ye breed- Go, bind your sons to exile To serve your captives' need; To wait, in heavy harness, On fluttered folk and wild- Your new-caught sullen peoples, Half devil and half child. In spite of using the language of his time, which often does sound racist and jingoistic,...

Rudyard Kipling
Though I've belted you and flayed you, By the livin' Gawd that made you, You're a better man than I
The above is a quote from "Gunga Din" by Rudyard Kipling.  It wasn't the first of his works that I read, but it is one of my favorites.  Kipling has a style about him that I have always been fascinated by.  Couple that with the locations of many of his stories and I feel that he creates the perfect literary escapes.  You most likely know that he wrote "The Jungle Book".  And, if you know only one of his works, that is a good one -- but there are so many others that you will enjoy.  Come along...

Rudyard Kipling
Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936) was a British writer who was famous for his stories, books and poems about India during the time it was part of the British Empire. Kipling wrote about people from all backgrounds and classes, from the humblest soldier to the highest official. His most famous works included novels, short stories and poetry, including The Jungle Book, The Just So Stories, Kim, Plain Tales from the Hills, The Phantom Rickshaw and other Eerie Tales, The Light that Failed, The Day's ...