Rudyard Kipling - Classic Literature Rudyard Kipling
Rudyard Kipling was born on December 30, 1865 in Bombay, India. His father was an arts and crafts teacher at Jejeebhoy School of Art. His mother was an artist herself.
Kipling was taken to England at age 6 and was left in foster care at a home in Southsea for five years. He was not happy there, and commented on his care in both a novel and his autobiography.
Kipling began attending a boarding school, United Services College, in 1878. It was a school that offered specialized training for entry into military academics. He did not have good eyesight and his average results as a student ended his hopes for a military career.
Kipling returned to India in 1882. He worked for five years as a reporter for the Civil and Military Gazette in Lahore. He then worked as an assistant editor and overseas correspondent in Allahabad for the Pioneer from 1887-1889. In 1888, some of his stories were collected in "The Phantom Rickshaw".
Kipling had gained some fame in England for his short stories and verses during the late 1880’s and he returned to London in 1889. Living there, he published "Life’s Handicap" in 1891 and "Barrack Room Ballads" in 1892. The later was a collection of poems which included the famous "Gunga Din".
Kipling married Caroline Balestier in 1892, and moved to Vermont, in the United States. He and his wife collaborated on a novel "The Naulakha". Kipling became dissatisfied with life in Vermont and moved back to Sussex after the death of his daughter.
During this time Kipling wrote "Many Inventions (1893), "The Jungle Book" (1894), "The Second Jungle Book" (1895), "The Seven Seas" (1896) and "Captains Courageous’ in 1897. His marriage was not particularly happy as he was dominated by his wife.
Kipling was regarded as an unofficial Poet Laureate" but had refused this and other honors, including the Order of Merit. His political beliefs had begun to harden. He was quite satirical in his attitudes toward pompous patriotism, but believed strongly in the blessings and superiority of British rule.
Kipling spent time in South Africa in 1889, during the Boer War. In 1902, he finally settled in Sussex although he continued to travel to South Africa. He was given a house there by Cecil Rhodes.
Kipling published "Kim" in 1901. It is widely regarded as his best novel. The book depicts the orphaned son of an Irish sergeant and tells the story of his adventures. His own children play roles in the book as the characters Dan and Una.
Kipling also wrote for children, both in books and poems. He had great sympathy for the world of children, possibly due to his own history in the foster home. He wrote "Puck of Pook’s Hill" in 1906, and is sequel "Rewards and Fairies" in 1910, both historical works for children.
Kipling received the Nobel Prize and, shortly after, his output began to decline. The loss of his son John in World War I was particularly hard on him.
Kipling published "The Irish Guards in the Great War" in 1923. This was a history of his son’s regiment. From 1922 – 1925, he served as Rector at the University of St. Andrews.
Kipling was a private man, despite all of his writing which gave voice to his thought, feelings and beliefs. During the later years, he did his best to obtain and destroy the letters he had written, both to protect his own private life and that of others.
Kipling died on January 18, 1936 in London. His autobiography "Something of Myself" was published posthumously in 1937 with the approval of his widow.
