Kipling's biography briefly. Kipling: biography, briefly about life and work: Kipling

18.04.2019

Kipling Joseph Rudyard, (1865-1936) English writer

Born in Bombay. Originally brought up in India. In 1871 he continued his education in England. Severe myopia prevented Kipling from completing the Devonian military school and make a military career. In 1882 he returned to India.

From the age of 17 he worked at the Civil and Military Newspaper. A few years later, Kipling published stories and essays published in newspapers in separate collections: “Plain Tales from the Hills” and “The Ballad of West and East,” which brought him fame not only in India, but throughout the British Empire.

In 1889 he returned to England via Japan and North America. By this time, Kipling had become a classic of English literature.

In 1899 he left for South Africa, where the Boer War began. He spent several months in the active army, published a military newspaper there and sent reports about this war to England. His fellow writers reacted sharply negatively to his participation in the war.

In 1902, Kipling returned and lived almost constantly in his house in Sussex, delving into literary creativity. Also in 1902, Kipling released “Just So Fairy Tales,” as well as a collection English legends and legends in their own processing. This work became so popular that in 1906 he published a collection of children's stories from the history of ancient England.
In 1907, Kipling received the Nobel Prize "for observation, vivid imagination, maturity of ideas and outstanding talent as a storyteller."

During the First World War, in which his only son was killed, Kipling and his wife worked for the Red Cross. In 1917 he published a collection of poems and stories, “The Most Different Creatures.” After the war he traveled a lot.

Joseph Rudyard Kipling was born December 30, 1865 in Bombay, British India in the family of local art school professor John Lockwood Kipling and Alice (MacDonald) Kipling.

He received the name Rudyard, it is believed, in honor of the English lake Rudyard, where his parents met. early years, full of exotic sights and sounds of India, were very happy for the future writer. But at the age of 5, Kipling, along with his 3-year-old sister, was sent to a boarding school in England - in Southsea (Portsmouth). The next six years - from October 1871 to April 1877- Kipling lived in the private boarding house Lorne Lodge (4 Campbell Road), which was maintained by the married couple of Price E. Holloway, former captain Merchant Marine, and Sarah Holloway. They treated the boy poorly and often punished him. This attitude affected him so much that he suffered from insomnia for the rest of his life.

At the age of 12, his parents enrolled him in a private Devon school so that he could then enter a prestigious military academy. Later, Kipling would write about the years he spent at the school. autobiographical work"Stalky and Company." The director of the school was Cormell Price, a friend of Rudyard's father. It was he who began to encourage the boy’s love for literature. Myopia did not allow Kipling to choose a military career, and the school did not provide diplomas for admission to other universities. Impressed by the stories his son wrote at school, his father finds him a job as a journalist in the editorial office of the Civil and Military Gazette, published in Lahore (British India, now Pakistan).

In October 1882 Kipling returns to India and takes up work as a journalist. IN free time he writes short stories and poems, which are then published by the newspaper along with reports. The work of a reporter helps him better understand various aspects of the country's colonial life. The first sales of his works begin in 1883.

In the mid 1880s Kipling began traveling around Asia and the United States as a correspondent for the Allahabad newspaper Pioneer, with which he signed a contract to write travel essays. The popularity of his works is rapidly increasing, in 1888 and 1889 6 books with his stories are published, which brought him recognition.

In 1889 he makes a long journey to England, then visits Burma, China, and Japan. He travels all over the USA, crosses Atlantic Ocean and settles in London. He is beginning to be called the literary heir of Charles Dickens. In 1890 His first novel, The Light That Failed, is published. The most famous poems of that time are “The Ballad of East and West”, as well as “The Last Rhime of True Thomas”.

In London, Kipling meets the young American publisher Walcott Balestier, they work together on the story “The Naulahka”. In 1892 Balestier dies of typhus, and soon after, Kipling marries his sister Caroline. During honeymoon The bank in which Kipling had his savings went bankrupt. The couple only had enough money to get to Vermont (USA), where Balestier’s relatives lived. They live here for the next four years.

At this time, Kipling again began to write for children; in 1894-1895 The famous “The Jungle Book” and “The Second Jungle Book” are published. The collections of poetry “The Seven Seas” and “The White Theses” were also published. Two children are soon born: Josephine and Elsie. After a quarrel with his brother-in-law, Kipling and his wife in 1896 return to England. In 1897 The story “Captains Courageous” is published. In 1899, during a visit to the USA, he dies of pneumonia eldest daughter Josephine, which was a huge blow for the writer.

In 1899 he spends several months in South Africa, where he meets Cecil Rhodes, a symbol of British imperialism. The novel “Kim” is published, which is considered one of the best novels of the writer. In Africa, he begins to select material for a new children's book, which is being published in 1902 called Just So Stories.

In the same year he buys Vacation home in Sussex County (England), where he remains for the rest of his life. Here Kipling writes his famous books"Puck of Pook's Hill" and "Rewards and Fairies" are tales of Old England, united by the narrator - the elf Puck, taken from Shakespeare's plays. Simultaneously with his literary activity, Kipling began an active political activity. He writes about the impending war with Germany, speaks out in support of conservatives and against feminism.

Literary activity is becoming less and less intense. Another blow for the writer was the death of John's eldest son in the First World War. world war in 1915. He died during the Battle of Los September 27, 1915, while part of a battalion of Irish Guards. John Kipling's body was never found. Kipling, who worked with his wife in the Red Cross during wartime, spent four years trying to find out what happened to his son: he always had a glimmer of hope that perhaps his son had been captured by the Germans. In June 1919 Having lost all hope, Kipling admitted in a letter to the military command that his son was most likely dead.

After the war, Rudyard Kipling becomes a member of the War Graves Commission. It was he who chose the biblical phrase “Their names will live forever” on the obelisks of memory. During one trip in 1922 In France, he meets the English King George V, with whom he later develops a great friendship.

Kipling continued his literary activity until the early 1930s, although success accompanied him less and less. Since 1915 the writer suffered from gastritis, which later turned out to be an ulcer.

Rudyard Kipling died January 18, 1936 in London. He was buried in Poets' Corner in Westminster Abbey.

A truly talented person must be talented in everything. Confirmation of these words is Joseph Rudyard Kipling. Biography of this person, in particular, the fact of receiving Nobel Prize at the age of forty-two is evidence of this. The writer, poet and writer loved people and nature, was interested in everything, and read a lot. He was courageous, always took a clear social and political position. He believed that there was a “noble fear” that should be shared by all people - for the fate of another person. Being British by upbringing, he always considered India, whose language he knew, to be his second homeland.

What works made Kipling famous?

As you know, British poetry is one of the richest in talents in the world: George Gordon Byron, William Shakespeare, Matthew Arnold. Therefore, the choice of the English public when the famous BBC radio station tried to name its most favorite poems is indicative. The championship (and by a significant margin!) belonged to Kipling’s “Commandments”. However, he is no less famous as a prose writer. Kipling's creativity is multifaceted. The most significant among his works are the novel “Kim” and the collection of short stories “The Jungle Book”.

The lines of this writer are picturesque. Indeed, The Jungle Book can rightfully be called prose in verse. This is what our classics Turgenev and Gogol wrote, but, of course, about Russia. The mosaic of 15 stories from The Jungle Book consists of the story of Mowgli, which unites 8 of them, and other stories about endowed with human traits about the brave mongoose Rikki-Tikki-Tavi, about the cat who walks on his own. The story of Kipling's boy Mowgli, raised by a pack of wolves, and his confrontation with the cruel tiger Shere Khan has been repeatedly depicted in cartoons and is familiar to all children.

The writer's childhood

Kipling became famous for his stories about India. His biography begins in Bombay, where he was born in 1936. In India the country he knew and loved passed away. The strongest, most vivid childhood impressions of the son of the rector of the Bombay School of Art are associated with magical stories Indian nannies about animals (the boy understood and spoke Hindi well).

At the age of six he was sent to England, to a private boarding school - Kipling's biography testifies. For children accustomed to free colonial life, it was often difficult to get used to boarding drills. He was not a favorite of the hostess of the boarding house. Memories of injustice and cruelty that the writer faced in early years, he later introduced in the short story "Black Sheep".

Youth

At first, his father believed that young Kipling should become an officer. His biography shows that as a thirteen-year-old boy he was accepted into the Devon School (essentially an analogue of our Suvorov School), which is a kind of springboard for future officers wishing to enter famous military academies. Boyish “graters”, bruises and “mini-battles” with bully classmates - all this had to go through in a male team before receiving recognition as “one of our own”. Joseph fell in love with school and service. The collection of stories “Stalky and Co” tells about this period of his life. There his talent as a writer manifested itself. At the same time, poor eyesight left no hope for a military career. The father called the 17-year-old away young man to India, where a position was found for him in the Civil and Military Newspaper.

Start of writing work

It is from the journalistic path that R. Kipling's stories originate. His collection “Department Notes” is a success. An aspiring writer is fluent in the Hindustani language, he is close to the Indian reader, he is understood and loved. The 34-year-old writer, already famous in Britain, comes to London to “make a name for himself.” Here, in collaboration with the American publisher Walcott Balestier, Kipling is working on the story “Naulahka”. Biography, brief chronology His life during this period is most interesting. He found a true friend and also fell in love with his sister. However, they did not last long collaboration. After the death of his partner from typhus, he marries his sister Caroline. He writes his famous poems "Gunga Din" and "Mandalay".

Vermont creative period

The young couple moved to where the two-volume book “The Jungle Book” and the collection of poems “The Seven Seas” were published. Here the happy parents had two daughters, then a son. Kipling's best novel is being written - "Kim" about a ragged Indian boy who learned Buddhist wisdom and became a British intelligence officer. After a quarrel with his wife's relatives, a thirty-three-year-old writer and his family move to New York. Here he and his daughter contract pneumonia, after which the girl dies.

Moving to Britain

He works for a South African newspaper for several months, then buys a private house in England, in the county of Sussex. He is actively involved in political life, supporting the Conservatives. Recognition comes to him: the Nobel Prize, honorary degrees from British and European universities. But again a serious loss awaits the writer. His son dies on the front of the First World War. The writer and his wife devote all their time to helping people in the Red Cross. He hardly writes, his grief is so great. However, Kipling soon finds a friend who managed to “shake him up” and awaken him to life. He became... the English king (Kipling was unusually friendly with this man until the end of his days.) The writer’s biography testifies to how he perpetuated the memory of his son, at the age of fifty-eight, writing the story “The Irish Guards during Great War" The life of this writer was not easy; creative triumphs, unfortunately, were often accompanied by the loss of loved ones. The gastritis that tormented him developed into a peptic ulcer. He died from internal bleeding and was buried in

Conclusion

Kipling's work is multifaceted. We know him thanks to the bright and magical children's stories “The Jungle Book”. However, his works also have another side. called him "the English Balzac." The novel "Kim" is rightfully considered best work about India on English language. Kipling was and is respected by adults, this was especially evident during the First World War. Our classic Konstantin Simonov noted Kipling’s “masculine style,” his “soldier’s severity,” “masculinity.”

Indeed, could an unmasculine person say that a man should not be “stopped” and “penetrate into the soul” by triumphs and failures, that he must always treat them “distantly.”

Name: Rudyard Kipling (Joseph Rudyard Kipling)

Age: 70 years old

Activity: writer, poet

Family status: was married

Rudyard Kipling: biography

The British writer and poet Rudyard Kipling gained popularity in his homeland thanks to his stories and poems. Aphorisms, quotes and statements of the author do not lose their relevance. The life and work of the writer also continue to arouse interest - Kipling had an interesting, but difficult fate.

Childhood and youth

Joseph Rudyard Kipling was born on December 30, 1865 in Bombay. The name is believed to have been given to the boy in honor of the lake of the same name, where his mother and father met. The early years in the exotic atmosphere of India were happy for the child. But when he was 5 years old, Rudyard and his sister, who was 3 years old at that time, were sent to study in England.

For the next 6 years, Kipling lived in a private boarding house. At this time he had a hard time: the owners treated the child poorly and often punished him. The teacher turned out to be an unkind woman and a prude. Rudyard was constantly restrained, intimidated and beaten. This negative attitude had an extremely strong influence on Kipling and left consequences: the author suffered from insomnia until the end of his life.

The mother, who went to visit the children a couple of years later, was horrified by her son’s condition: the boy was almost blind from nervous shock. The woman took the children back to India, but Kipling was not at home for long.

In order for Rudyard to enter the prestigious military academy, at the age of 12 he was accepted into the Devon Westward Ho School. The position of director was held by a friend of Kipling's father, Cormell Price, who was the first to encourage the child's interest in literature.

IN educational institution An atmosphere of drill and violence reigned. The boy was annoyed by both ignorant teachers and students, among whom there were rude and primitive youths. Rudyard read a lot, at the age of 12 he wore glasses and was vertically challenged. Staying at Westward Ho became a difficult test for the future writer, but nothing broke the young man as a person. Over the course of 5 years, he got used to it and even “got a taste” for crude pranks.

The teenager fully believed in the need for lessons in submission, which allowed him to maintain self-respect. Kipling recognized harsh education as appropriate, and the idea of law as a conditional system of prohibitions and permissions took possession of Kipling’s consciousness. His time at the school largely determined Kipling's views and principles. His personality was formed early, as were the ideals of the young man.

Due to poor eyesight, Rudyard did not continue his military career. He left Westward Ho without completing his studies, and since the school did not issue diplomas for entry into Oxford or Cambridge, Rudyard's education ended there.

Impressed by his son’s stories, his father got him a job as a journalist in the editorial office of the Civil and Military Newspaper, which was published in Lahore. The young man's life was influenced by his acceptance into Masonic lodge. Her spirit, ritualism, unquestioning obedience to laws and messianism played not the least role in Rudyard’s fate.

Literature

Kipling, sensing a calling to write, created the work “School Lyrics”, where he mainly imitates the leading poets of the time. After 3 years, in the collection “Echoes,” the writer changes his writing style, parodying famous poets and revealing the conventionality and artificiality of their manner.

Rudyard Kipling's poem "The Commandment". Read by Maxim Kaluzhskikh

At the end of 1882, the young man returned to his homeland and worked as a journalist. In his spare time, Rudyard writes stories and poems that are sent to newspapers for publication. Kipling was engaged in journalism for 7 years: he traveled a lot around the country, where mass ignorance and prejudice are intertwined with high spirituality. The reporter's craft allowed him to develop natural observation and sociability.

Rudyard quickly mastered the skill short story, he amazed with his early maturity and fertility. When writing works, Kipling complies with a strict condition: keep within 1200 words. The best were included in the first collection “Simple Stories from the Mountains.” Most of the stories created in India were published in small paperback volumes.

A newspaper published in Allahabad invited a journalist to write a series of essays on different countries. Enthusiastic Kipling explored with interest the life of the peoples of Asia and America. The unique impressions gained from meeting dissimilar cultures were embodied in 6 books. The world of literature received the author with enthusiasm, and critics appreciated the original originality of his style.

After traveling around England, Kipling went to China, visited Burma, Japan and North America. Kipling was first talked about in India, and soon in the metropolis. Having received a lot of impressions from his travels, Rudyard returned to London, where he began work on new works.

Rudyard Kipling's poem "Grey Eyes - Dawn". Read by Maxim Kaluzhskikh

Here his stories were in great demand, Kipling continued to develop the Indian theme, and the distance between the author and home gave even more vividness to his impressions. In addition to creativity, the writer tried to participate in literary life capital Cities. Critics responded positively to the work “Library of the Indian railway”, and as for the novel “The Light Went Out” - it did not receive favorable reviews.

Amazing success young writer We can only compare it with everyone's favorite. Kipling's popularity is explained by the extent and nature of his innovation. He entered literary world just at the moment when this area was in need of renewal, the need for new heroes and interesting ideas.

Rudyard noticed ordinary people, showing them in unusual and extreme situations, where the whole essence of a person is highlighted, his hidden depths are revealed. At a time of general despondency and apathy, the writer glorified work and revealed the heroism of everyday creation.

Rudyard Kipling's poem "Burden" white man" Read by Irina Narmontene

Afterwards, Kipling became interested in writing children's stories. Critics approved of these works - the fairy tales brought the author unprecedented popularity. In 1907, Kipling, the world's first Englishman, received the Nobel Prize for Literature. Interestingly, Kipling is the youngest to receive the prize. The author came to the ceremony, but did not make a solemn speech. Soon after this event, the writer's creative activity decreased.

Personal life

In London, Rudyard Kipling met the young publisher Walcott Balesir, who died of typhus in 1892. Soon after his death, the writer married Walcott's sister, Caroline. While the couple was enjoying each other on their honeymoon, the bank where Kipling's savings lay went bankrupt. The young people only had enough money to travel to Vermont, where their wife’s relatives lived.

At first, the newlyweds rented a small house. But soon after the birth of their daughter Josephine, when the room became too crowded for the three of them, the family bought land, building and furnishing a house on it. Elsie's second daughter was born in this house. The family lived here for four years, until Kipling’s quarrel with his brother-in-law.

After a scandal in 1896, the family returned to England, where their third child, son John, was born. Rudyard was a loving father; Kipling even composed fairy tales, with so much warmth in them, for children.

Not everything in the writer’s personal life went smoothly. During a trip to the USA, the eldest daughter Josephine died of pneumonia - this was a strong blow for the author.

Rudyard's losses did not end there - the death of his son in the First World War, whose body was never found, left a wound in the author's heart. Kipling and Caroline worked in the Red Cross during wartime; they spent 4 years clarifying the circumstances of their son's death.

They had hope that their son had been captured by the Germans. But in June 1919, completely desperate, the writer informed the military command about the death of his son. The film “My Boy Jack” was made about these events.

Of Kipling's three children, only Elsie lived long life: died at the age of 80. The woman, whose photo is on the Internet, tried throughout her life to preserve the traditions of her husband and father. After her death, Elsie bequeathed her property to the National Trust.

Death

Rudyard continued to write, but the author had less and less success. Since 1915, the writer suffered from gastritis, but it later turned out that the diagnosis was made incorrectly - in fact, Kipling suffered from an ulcer. The writer died in London on January 18, 1936, less than a week after the operation. Rudyard's body was cremated, and his ashes are located in Poets' Corner in Westminster Abbey, next to Charles Dickens and.

The decline of Kipling's literary fame was most likely explained by great-power and conservative views, as well as the general availability of his works. Modernists assumed that the writer avoided topics and aesthetic principles which they profess.

However, since the early 40s, Kipling's work has been rethought by critics. After the re-release of a collection of Rudyard's poems, interest in the works is being revived.

Bibliography

1888 – “Simple Tales from the Mountains”
1888 – “Three Soldiers”
1888 – “Little Willie Winky”
1893 – “White Cat”
1894 – “The Jungle Book”
1895 – “The Second Jungle Book”
1896 – “Brave Captains”
1896 – “Seven Seas”
1896 – “White Theses”
1898 – “Works of the Day”
1899 – “Stalky and Co.”
1899 – “The White Man’s Burden”
1903 – “Five Nations”
1901 – “Kim”
1904 – “Paths and Discoveries”
1906 – “Puck from Puka Hill”
1909 – “Action and Reaction”
1910 – “Rewards and Fairies”
1910 – poem “Commandment” (“Control yourself among the confused crowd”)
1918 – “Garden of Gethsemane”
1919 – “Gray Eyes Dawn”
1923 – “Irish Guards during the Great War”
1932 – “Restriction and Renewal”
1937 – “A little about myself”

Rudyard Kipling, who in 1907 became the first Englishman to receive the Nobel Prize in Literature, was born in Bombay on December 30, 1865. Rudyard Kipling became widely famous for his fairy tales and stories about life in the Indian colony: “Kim”, “Rikki-Tikki-Tavi” and everyone’s favorite “The Jungle Book”. Interesting Facts about Rudyard Kipling and himself famous book- “The Jungle Book”.

Many often argue about the place of birth Rudyard Kipling. He was born on December 30, 1865 in Bombay, British India. The early years, full of the exotic sights and sounds of India, were very happy for the future writer. But at the age of 5, their parents sent them and their sister to study in England. Kipling had many negative memories of these years, since the owner of the private boarding house, Madame Rosa, often used physical punishment on the children, which is why Joseph Rudyard suffered from insomnia for the rest of his life. Later, the writer said that he would gladly burn down the Holloway house (the owners of the boarding house) and sprinkle the ashes with salt.

Kipling was named after Lake Rudyard, near which his parents got engaged. And if they had a daughter, they planned to name the baby Margaret MacDonald Kipling.

Like many British colonists born in India, Kipling I felt at home only there, but not in Britain or the USA.

His father, John Lockwood Kipling, was professor of architectural sculpture at the Bombay School of Art. He was also an excellent designer of ceramic sculpture.

Rudyard Kipling in childhood

Talking about English literature, it is generally accepted that Joseph Rudyard Kipling is its most popular author. He also became the first Briton to win the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1907. By the way, he became the youngest applicant for this award.

It's surprising, but Kipling rejected many prestigious awards from his country, including knighthood. But he was very proud when he was appointed honorary rector of the University of St. Andrew.

Rudyard Kipling takes office as rector

Besides stories Rudyard Kipling also published several collections of poetry, including “Department Songs” (1886), “Seven Seas” (1896), “Five Nations” (1903) and other works.

Kipling considered a very propagandistic author. Throughout his career he strongly promoted the ideas of British imperialism. And, ironically, at first this position brought him enormous success, but it was precisely this position that caused his popularity to decline Kipling. He has been called the "poet of the barracks", the "bard of imperialism" and the "literary hooligan". Although, in reality, each of his works was very far from being called at least in some way racist.

He had a personal dislike for the Nazis due to the fact that they stole their symbols from ancient peoples. Few people know, but on many books Rudyard Kiplig, which were published before 1935, featured a swastika on the cover, a symbol of good luck in India.

B last years life Rudyard Kipling He lived so secludedly that a newspaper reported his death. The writer responded to this immediately: “I just found out that I’m dead,” he wrote in response Kipling. “Please remember to remove me from your list of subscribers.”

U Kipling had a famous relative, Stanley Baldwin, the Conservative Prime Minister of Great Britain in the 1920s and 1930s.

Only one of his novels, Kim, is considered a recognized literary masterpiece.

Kipling I used only black ink. In this regard, the opinion arose that the writer was inspired only by ink made from black volcanic glass. But most likely such a fundamental choice was associated with poor vision Joseph Rudyard Kipling- he simply could not see any other color on the white paper.

Robert Baden-Powell, founder of the Scouting movement, took many of the names and principles of his organization from The Jungle Book. Kipling.

Kipling wrote the often overlooked sequel to The Jungle Book. In 1895, a collection of short stories, The Second Jungle Book, was published. It included five stories featuring Mowgli, as well as three unrelated stories about children working with animals to overcome difficulties.

First publication of The Jungle Book

In 2010, an edition of The Jungle Book was found, signed by himself Rudyard Kipling for your daughter. The entry reads: “This book belongs to Josephine Kipling, for whom it was written by her father. May, 1884." Unfortunately, within five years, my beloved daughter Kipling died of illness. The writer also lost his son in the war.

A tragic fate befell the writer's son Jack. He disappeared without a trace during the First World War. Although he should not have gone to war, as he suffered from myopia. But his wife Caroline once expressed their common opinion: “Why should the son of our friends or neighbors die in order for our own son to live?” Therefore, they arranged for their son to be accepted into the Irish Guards. In 2007, the film “My Boy Jack” was released, which was about relationships Kipling with son.

January 24, 2012, Publishing House"Random House Inc." released a graphic adaptation of the novel The Jungle Book, written by Dan Johnson and illustrated by Amit Tayal.

Voldemort's snake, Nagini, got its name in honor of the heroine "Rikki-Tikki-Tavi", the Indian cobra Nag or Nagaina.

Mother Wolf claims that Mowgli's name means frog, but there is no known language in which such a word exists.

U Kipling in The Jungle Book, the character of the panther Bagheera was male, but since “panther” is the word female, then the translators decided to transform this hero. By the way, the same story happened with the work “The Cat Who Walked By Itself” - in the original version main character was a cat.

Film company "The Walt" Disney Company” created four adaptations of “The Jungle Book”: a cartoon, which was released in 1967, and its sequel, which was released in 2003, as well as two films: 1994 and on.

Rudyard Kipling in recent years

Today it is very difficult to say who is the most popular British writer, since this country has given the world many geniuses. AND Rudyard Kipling, is certainly high on their list. He gave the reader magnificent stories about a completely new, different world, where man lives in harmony with nature. In every line of your stories Rudyard Kipling put his own feelings towards India, which is why his books are timeless.