Toomai of the Elephants

by Rudyard Kipling

Toomai of the Elephants I will remember what I was, I am sick of rope and chain- I will remember my old strength and all my forest affairs. I will not sell my back to man for a bundle of I will go out to my own kind, and the wood-folk in their lairs. I will go out until the day, until the morning break- Out to the wind's untainted kiss, the water's clean caress; I will forget my ankle-ring and snap my picket stake. I will revisit my lost loves, and playmates masterless!

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction, Classics

30 pages, Paperback

First published October 20, 2012

About the author

Joseph Rudyard Kipling was a journalist, short-story writer, poet, and novelist.

Kipling's works of fiction include The Jungle Book (1894), Kim (1901), and many short stories, including The Man Who Would Be King (1888). His poems include Mandalay (1890), Gunga Din (1890), The Gods of the Copybook Headings (1919), The White Man's Burden (1899), and If— (1910). He is regarded as a major innovator in the art of the short story; his children's books are classics of children's literature; and one critic described his work as exhibiting "a versatile and luminous narrative gift".

Kipling was one of the most popular writers in the United Kingdom, in both prose and verse, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Henry James said: "Kipling strikes me personally as the most complete man of genius (as distinct from fine intelligence) that I have ever known." In 1907, at the age of 41, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature, making him the first English-language writer to receive the prize, and its youngest recipient to date. He was also sounded out for the British Poet Laureateship and on several occasions for a knighthood, both of which he declined.

Awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1907 "in consideration of the power of observation, originality of imagination, virility of ideas and remarkable talent for narration which characterize the creations of this world-famous author."

Kipling kept writing until the early 1930s, but at a slower pace and with much less success than before. On the night of 12 January 1936, Kipling suffered a haemorrhage in his small intestine. He underwent surgery, but died less than a week later on 18 January 1936 at the age of 70 of a perforated duodenal ulcer. Kipling's death had in fact previously been incorrectly announced in a magazine, to which he wrote, "I've just read that I am dead. Don't forget to delete me from your list of subscribers."

Reviews

[Lloyd Hughes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mr Kipling is a master storyteller; it's a privilege reading his works. Little Toomai witnesses the elephant's dance and becomes Toomai of the elephants. Any story telling about a night of elephants dancing deserves four stars.

[Jess the Shelf-Declared Bibliophile · Rating 3 out of 5]

Check out my reviews on the main versions of each book.

[Madhulika Liddle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chapter 11 of Rudyard Kipling’s Classic The Jungle Book, this is a wonderfully evocative little story about elephants and their mahouts—or rather, one little mahout. Little Toomai , all of ten years old, comes from a long line of mahouts, and was introduced to ‘his elephant’, the venerable and very experienced old Kala Nag (who has travelled far and wide, even to Abyssinia, following soldiers into war), when he was born. Little Toomai is completely at home around elephants and has an easy and informal relationship with the behemoth that is Kala Nag.

One day, though, Petersen Sahib, who is in charge of the expeditions that go deep into the forests to capture elephants, meets Little Toomai. And likes, and approves of the little mahout. But to Little Toomai’s wish that he be allowed to join in the hunt, Petersen Sahib lays down a condition: after Little Toomai has seen the elephants dance.

I loved this story, mostly because Kipling reproduces the jungle with such charm and wit. The animals, the people, the lore. The magic of the climactic scene: all of it drew me in so quickly that I could almost imagine myself right there, in the thick of things. Even if you don’t read all of The Jungle Book, this one is a satisfyingly short excerpt of it that stands well on its own.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the thing about Kipling, the majority of his works are near enough similiar, going along tried and tested lines. Some books, depending on the time of reading you don't know how to take because of the wording and language. Then, all of a sudden, you get a little gem like this book, something completely out of the ordinary that you would not associate with Kipling and his style at all.

Here you have a wonderful story of, in essence a boy becoming a man. In parts, I did feel sad and pangs of pain reading about stories of wild elephants to be captured to be domesticated. However, the story itself was truly different from so many other of Kipling’s books (and this is coming from someone who has made Kipling his specialist author for this year). The images Kipling invoked of the jungles of India were truly amazing. In parts it felt like you were a part of the journey itself.

[Krste · Rating 2 out of 5]

This short story from the Jungle Book is my least favorite. Its not a bad story, but amidst the likes of Rikki Tikki Tavi and Mowgli's adventures it fails to stand out in any way.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't care for this story.

I guess I don't like to think about elephants being chained up their whole lives.

[Niamh · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5

[Klare · Rating 2 out of 5]

A short story in The Jungle Book.

[Charissa Ty · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was okay..

[Jenna · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didn't like this book.... I could hardly understand it. I'm reading it from a book that has a lot of rudyard kipling's stories in it, and I think I may have read a shorter version. I could not understand anything and it was all too jumbled up. I didn't find out until the very end that little toomai was a boy, I thought he was an elephant. Anyways , I love rudyard kipling's books such as the jungle book and Rikki-tikki-tavi. This book was not satisfying to me.

[Brendan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautifully told.