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The Best of Rudyard Kipling: A Collection of Essential Poetry
Joseph Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936) was an English novelist, journalist, poet, and short-story writer most famous for his stories set in and related to colonial India. He innovated the art of short story writing and was one of the most popular writers in the U.K. during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. A brand new collection of Kipling's best poetry, including "Gunga Din", "If--", "Recessional", "The Gods of the Copybook Headings", "The White Man's Burden", "Mesopotamia", "The Female of the Species", "The Ballad of East and West", "Epitaphs of the War", "The Way Through the Woods", "Mother O' Mine", and many more. A fantastic collection not to be missed by poetry lovers and fans of Kipling's seminal work. Other notable works by this author include: "The Jungle Book" (1894), "Kim" (1901), and "The Man Who Would be King" (1888).
- GenresPoetry
57 pages, Paperback
Published August 14, 2020
28 people are currently reading
32 people want to read
About the author
Rudyard Kipling
7,201 books3,683 followersJoseph 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."
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."
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
July 12, 2024
A small collection of some of celebrated British writer Rudyard Kipling's most well-known poems and short Epitaphs.
The best poems in this book are of very high quality and expertly composed such as his most known poems IF, The white man's Burden, and The Glory of the Garden. His other works are not necessarily mad but seemed to not have any tangible meaning or wider message and were sometimes written in an overly informal manner making it difficult to understand.
The epitaphs are too short to critique and probably were not meant for wider publishing but again don't compare in my opinion to some of Kipling's better poems.
However, this is worth a read overall if not only for some of his best poems, his other less well-known poetry can still be quite good in parts.
The best poems in this book are of very high quality and expertly composed such as his most known poems IF, The white man's Burden, and The Glory of the Garden. His other works are not necessarily mad but seemed to not have any tangible meaning or wider message and were sometimes written in an overly informal manner making it difficult to understand.
The epitaphs are too short to critique and probably were not meant for wider publishing but again don't compare in my opinion to some of Kipling's better poems.
However, this is worth a read overall if not only for some of his best poems, his other less well-known poetry can still be quite good in parts.
November 3, 2025
My favourite poems were IF and Mother O’ Mine. I suspect the inability to relate to an imperialistic period today explains why I didn’t particularly understand nor enjoy much of the collection.
The two poems I selected are both timelessly applicable and universally resonant, which affirms my suspicion.
Likely not something I’d revisit, but I wanted to behold the sample of the well respected Kipling, myself.
It’s a small book containing supposedly profound literature… perhaps reading it in one sitting wasn’t helpful.
The two poems I selected are both timelessly applicable and universally resonant, which affirms my suspicion.
Likely not something I’d revisit, but I wanted to behold the sample of the well respected Kipling, myself.
It’s a small book containing supposedly profound literature… perhaps reading it in one sitting wasn’t helpful.
September 1, 2025
Mijn eerste dichtbundel! ik vond hem erg goed, hoewel ik me soms door vrij dikke lagen kolonialisme moest worstelen vond ik het erg interessant en toch mooie poëzie.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews