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The Little Black Classics Gate of the Hundred Sorrows
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58 pages, Paperback
First published October 11, 2014
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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 - 30 of 109 reviews
March 9, 2016
This is dark and grimy collection of short stories, and they’re not the sort of thing one would normally associate with Rudyard Kipling. But, they are, no doubt, important in understanding the author because they reflect the place in which he grew up: Imperial India. This obviously had an effect on him because he wrote about it here. The Gate of the Hundred Sorrows is a short story that demonstrates the horrible power opium dens had on addicts.
How did I take to it? It began at Calcutta. I used to try it in my own house, just to see what it was like. I never went very far, but I think my wife must have died then. Anyhow, I found myself here, and got to know Fung-Tching. I don't remember rightly how that came about; but he told me of the Gate and I used to go there, and, somehow, I have never got away from it since.
The Gate of the Hundred Sorrows is an apt name for an opium den because it is where users go to smoke away their troubles and forget the existence of the world; it is a place where the users are irrevocably bound, and are unable to escape from. So, in a sense, the name is a cruel mirroring of the gates of hell. The users can never leave because the drug overlord will punish them. They’ve cast aside their free will, and they only care about their next dosage of opium. This is signified by the narrator of the short story who simply wished to die on a mat in the den, which is his perfect idea of bliss.
I should like to die like the bazar-woman--on a clean, cool mat with a pipe of good stuff between my lips.
Indeed, this is a sad tale. The narrator has no hope, no dreams and no enthusiasm. He is, literally, dead to the world. His only concerns are gaining more opium and revering his new pipe. He holds his new pipe in wonder because it silver and fancy; it is a more effective pipe to smoke from. That’s all he cares about, that’s all he lives for. It’s all rather depressing, but, of course, very well written. I have no intention of reading more of the author’s writing in this style. However, one day I do intend to read The Jungle Book
Penguin Little Black Classic- 24
The Little Black Classic Collection by penguin looks like it contains lots of hidden gems. I couldn’t help it; they looked so good that I went and bought them all. I shall post a short review after reading each one. No doubt it will take me several months to get through all of them! Hopefully I will find some classic authors, from across the ages, that I may not have come across had I not bought this collection.
How did I take to it? It began at Calcutta. I used to try it in my own house, just to see what it was like. I never went very far, but I think my wife must have died then. Anyhow, I found myself here, and got to know Fung-Tching. I don't remember rightly how that came about; but he told me of the Gate and I used to go there, and, somehow, I have never got away from it since.
The Gate of the Hundred Sorrows is an apt name for an opium den because it is where users go to smoke away their troubles and forget the existence of the world; it is a place where the users are irrevocably bound, and are unable to escape from. So, in a sense, the name is a cruel mirroring of the gates of hell. The users can never leave because the drug overlord will punish them. They’ve cast aside their free will, and they only care about their next dosage of opium. This is signified by the narrator of the short story who simply wished to die on a mat in the den, which is his perfect idea of bliss.
I should like to die like the bazar-woman--on a clean, cool mat with a pipe of good stuff between my lips.
Indeed, this is a sad tale. The narrator has no hope, no dreams and no enthusiasm. He is, literally, dead to the world. His only concerns are gaining more opium and revering his new pipe. He holds his new pipe in wonder because it silver and fancy; it is a more effective pipe to smoke from. That’s all he cares about, that’s all he lives for. It’s all rather depressing, but, of course, very well written. I have no intention of reading more of the author’s writing in this style. However, one day I do intend to read The Jungle Book
Penguin Little Black Classic- 24
The Little Black Classic Collection by penguin looks like it contains lots of hidden gems. I couldn’t help it; they looked so good that I went and bought them all. I shall post a short review after reading each one. No doubt it will take me several months to get through all of them! Hopefully I will find some classic authors, from across the ages, that I may not have come across had I not bought this collection.
August 20, 2015
This Penguin Little Black Classic collects Thrown Away, False Dawn, In the House of Suddhoo, The Bisara of Pooree, The Gate of the Hundred Sorrows, and The Story of Muhammed Din, all taken from Plain Tales from the Hills.
Rudyard Kipling’s stories are all set in colonial India where he grew up. They’re also a lot darker and more realistic than the fantastical kind he became famous for in The Jungle Books and Just So Stories.
Unfortunately there’s not a lot of good stuff in this short collection. Thrown Away is about a young officer who led a rather sheltered life and committed suicide over his gambling debts. The narrator is a colleague who, along with his Major, cover up his shameful death for his family’s sake and say he died of cholera, a more acceptable way to go apparently! The story showcases (imaginary) English nobility at its best and worst – leading to a young man’s pointless death and the thoughtfulness bestowed upon him by fellow Englishmen trying to make things seem better for his people.
False Dawn is a farcical story of an officer who proposes to a woman in a sandstorm, inadvertently asking her less-appealing sister instead. The narrator asks the officer why he didn’t wait until after the sandstorm to propose – and the reader is left wondering the same thing!
The Gate of the Hundred Sorrows is the most memorable story here, though that’s not saying much. It’s about opium addiction and a particular den run by a Chinese man who let the narrator smoke in peace. I say story but really it’s a portrait of the hopeless and sad life of a drug addict.
The other stories passed me by without leaving any impression whatsoever. I’ve a feeling Suddhoo or Pooree had something to do with Indian magic as practised in rural areas but I couldn’t be sure. Muhammed Din – no idea. Extremely forgettable.
Kipling was a fine writer who told some brilliant stories, none of which appear in this collection. The ones that do are well-written and, unfortunately, not at all interesting.
Rudyard Kipling’s stories are all set in colonial India where he grew up. They’re also a lot darker and more realistic than the fantastical kind he became famous for in The Jungle Books and Just So Stories.
Unfortunately there’s not a lot of good stuff in this short collection. Thrown Away is about a young officer who led a rather sheltered life and committed suicide over his gambling debts. The narrator is a colleague who, along with his Major, cover up his shameful death for his family’s sake and say he died of cholera, a more acceptable way to go apparently! The story showcases (imaginary) English nobility at its best and worst – leading to a young man’s pointless death and the thoughtfulness bestowed upon him by fellow Englishmen trying to make things seem better for his people.
False Dawn is a farcical story of an officer who proposes to a woman in a sandstorm, inadvertently asking her less-appealing sister instead. The narrator asks the officer why he didn’t wait until after the sandstorm to propose – and the reader is left wondering the same thing!
The Gate of the Hundred Sorrows is the most memorable story here, though that’s not saying much. It’s about opium addiction and a particular den run by a Chinese man who let the narrator smoke in peace. I say story but really it’s a portrait of the hopeless and sad life of a drug addict.
The other stories passed me by without leaving any impression whatsoever. I’ve a feeling Suddhoo or Pooree had something to do with Indian magic as practised in rural areas but I couldn’t be sure. Muhammed Din – no idea. Extremely forgettable.
Kipling was a fine writer who told some brilliant stories, none of which appear in this collection. The ones that do are well-written and, unfortunately, not at all interesting.
October 26, 2019
An interesting read. I always like Kipling's writing style.
March 13, 2020
“The Gate of the Hundred Sorrows”
Rudyard Kipling
@penguinukbooks 2015
@penguinrandomhouse
⠀
All stories taken from “Plain Tales from the Hills” 1890
⠀
“False Dawn” story quote:
⠀
“Never praise sister to a sister, in the hope of your compliments reaching the proper ears, and so preparing the way for you later on. Sisters, are women first, and sisters afterwards; and you will find that you do yourself harm.”
⠀
“The Gate of the Hundred Sorrows” story quote:
⠀
“Mind you, it was a pukka, respectable opium-house, and not one of those stifling, sweltering chandoo-khanas that you can find all over the City.”
⠀
#примхливачитака
#penguinlittleblackclassics
Rudyard Kipling
@penguinukbooks 2015
@penguinrandomhouse
⠀
All stories taken from “Plain Tales from the Hills” 1890
⠀
“False Dawn” story quote:
⠀
“Never praise sister to a sister, in the hope of your compliments reaching the proper ears, and so preparing the way for you later on. Sisters, are women first, and sisters afterwards; and you will find that you do yourself harm.”
⠀
“The Gate of the Hundred Sorrows” story quote:
⠀
“Mind you, it was a pukka, respectable opium-house, and not one of those stifling, sweltering chandoo-khanas that you can find all over the City.”
⠀
#примхливачитака
#penguinlittleblackclassics
June 21, 2018
"Love unsought is a terrible gift."
- Rudyard Kipling, "The Bisara of Pooree"
Vol 24 of my Penguin Little Black Classics Box Set. This represents a collection of Rudyard Kipling's short stories that first appeard in Plain Tales from the Hills. I know Kipling isn't super-adored right now in academia, and is VERY controversial in India, and I get why (post-colonial, whiteman's burden, jingo imperialism, etc). However, I still LOVE, LOVE Kim and can trace my facination with South Asia directly to Kipling. For better or worse, my exposure to India STARTED with his poetry and his short stories.
Many of the writers I like aren't perfect, but there exists inside their deep imperfections a humanity that still resonates 100+ years later. He might have been politically wrong, culturally insensitive, and often just cracked, but he was also fascinating, brilliant at times, and hungry for something better. There is something to learn by reading Kipling and even if you disagree wtih most of it, the disagreement makes the reader better. Anyway, here is the list of tales included in this volume, along with a rough star-ranking:
1. Thrown Away - ✭✭✭✭
2. False Dawn - ✭✭✭
3. In the House of Suddhoo - ✭✭✭
4. The Bisara of Pooree - ✭✭✭
5. The Gate of the Hudred Sorrows - ✭✭✭✭
6. The Story of Muhammed Din - ✭✭✭
- Rudyard Kipling, "The Bisara of Pooree"
Vol 24 of my Penguin Little Black Classics Box Set. This represents a collection of Rudyard Kipling's short stories that first appeard in Plain Tales from the Hills. I know Kipling isn't super-adored right now in academia, and is VERY controversial in India, and I get why (post-colonial, whiteman's burden, jingo imperialism, etc). However, I still LOVE, LOVE Kim and can trace my facination with South Asia directly to Kipling. For better or worse, my exposure to India STARTED with his poetry and his short stories.
Many of the writers I like aren't perfect, but there exists inside their deep imperfections a humanity that still resonates 100+ years later. He might have been politically wrong, culturally insensitive, and often just cracked, but he was also fascinating, brilliant at times, and hungry for something better. There is something to learn by reading Kipling and even if you disagree wtih most of it, the disagreement makes the reader better. Anyway, here is the list of tales included in this volume, along with a rough star-ranking:
1. Thrown Away - ✭✭✭✭
2. False Dawn - ✭✭✭
3. In the House of Suddhoo - ✭✭✭
4. The Bisara of Pooree - ✭✭✭
5. The Gate of the Hudred Sorrows - ✭✭✭✭
6. The Story of Muhammed Din - ✭✭✭
February 8, 2016
"Tell me boy have you ever read Kipling?" Asked the man.
"No sir but I have tried ruddy hard!" Replied the boy.
Kiplings tales of India are always a pleasure to soak into. The beautiful structure is wonderful, a man that knows how to piece a sentence together using the very best words. Kiplings work comes across as a man whose writing has been unfairly and unjustifiably neglected. The tales of India are tangible, you can smell the spices in the breeze and feel the heat of the burning yellow sun.
Thankyou Mr Kipling, I shall visit again if you will permit me.
"No sir but I have tried ruddy hard!" Replied the boy.
Kiplings tales of India are always a pleasure to soak into. The beautiful structure is wonderful, a man that knows how to piece a sentence together using the very best words. Kiplings work comes across as a man whose writing has been unfairly and unjustifiably neglected. The tales of India are tangible, you can smell the spices in the breeze and feel the heat of the burning yellow sun.
Thankyou Mr Kipling, I shall visit again if you will permit me.
January 10, 2023
first story was decent but the rest sucked ass
also a lot of racism
also a lot of racism
April 25, 2015
I was somewhat sceptic when I first started reading but boy did it surprise me.
The tales are very enjoyable with as noticable highlight the title story.
A collection of dark morbid stories are featured and it opened up a new world to me.
If it was Pinguins intention to warm readers up for the real deal op Kipling I must admit they achieved their quest. Will buy some of his books.
The tales are very enjoyable with as noticable highlight the title story.
A collection of dark morbid stories are featured and it opened up a new world to me.
If it was Pinguins intention to warm readers up for the real deal op Kipling I must admit they achieved their quest. Will buy some of his books.
February 27, 2022
Seems to me like a curious collection of texts that blend the Victorian obsession with ghost-like stories, and the new and riveting environment of India which does not adhere at all to the Gothic setting the English were used to in regards to ghost(-like) stories.
Also, I’m starting to wonder why so many of these Penguin Little Black Classics receive such a low rating. Although they, obviously, miss the structure of a big(ger) work, they generally are really good, little insights into the kinds of authors we’ve been appreciating for long times. I guess the very little, accessible size of these booklets invites those that do not want to invest their time and energy in more sizeable pieces of literature, and thus have a very different standard to judge them by. Oh well.
Also, I’m starting to wonder why so many of these Penguin Little Black Classics receive such a low rating. Although they, obviously, miss the structure of a big(ger) work, they generally are really good, little insights into the kinds of authors we’ve been appreciating for long times. I guess the very little, accessible size of these booklets invites those that do not want to invest their time and energy in more sizeable pieces of literature, and thus have a very different standard to judge them by. Oh well.
November 30, 2025
2,5
Przyjemny styl, panie Kipling (to dobry moment, żeby się w końcu przyznać, że jedyną lekturą, której nie przeczytałam w podstawówce była “Księgi Dżungli”). Zaczynało się dobrze, ale z każdym kolejnym opowiadaniem fabularnie mniej mi się podobało. Weźcie natomiast pod uwagę, że mam PTSD związane z Indiami, więc mogę nie być obiektywna w swojej ocenie.
Przyjemny styl, panie Kipling (to dobry moment, żeby się w końcu przyznać, że jedyną lekturą, której nie przeczytałam w podstawówce była “Księgi Dżungli”). Zaczynało się dobrze, ale z każdym kolejnym opowiadaniem fabularnie mniej mi się podobało. Weźcie natomiast pod uwagę, że mam PTSD związane z Indiami, więc mogę nie być obiektywna w swojej ocenie.
February 19, 2019
This little collection is very different to The Jungle Book, but that’s not a bad thing. It’s a little colonialist but it’s also beautifully written and fun to read.
July 15, 2024
Muy meh, la verdad.
December 29, 2016
There are six stories in this bindup and here's my rating for each story:
1. Thrown Away 3 stars
2. False Dawn 3 stars
3. In the House of Suddhoo 1 star
4. The Bisara of Pooree 2 stars
5. The Gate if the Hundred Sorrows 2 stars
6. The Story of Muhammed Din 1 star.
Sadly enough not one story stood out for me or blew me away.. so this bindup it's okay. I think it's because of the subject and because they are just random stories, so I wasn't that interested. I recommend starting with The Jungle Books.
1. Thrown Away 3 stars
2. False Dawn 3 stars
3. In the House of Suddhoo 1 star
4. The Bisara of Pooree 2 stars
5. The Gate if the Hundred Sorrows 2 stars
6. The Story of Muhammed Din 1 star.
Sadly enough not one story stood out for me or blew me away.. so this bindup it's okay. I think it's because of the subject and because they are just random stories, so I wasn't that interested. I recommend starting with The Jungle Books.
July 27, 2020
Read all my reviews on https://urlphantomhive.wordpress.com
I have never read The Jungle Book - in fact I'm only vaguely aware of its story. This collection of short stories however deals with Northern India, where Kipling grew up. They were a quite random collection and it hardly resonated with me.
The title story, the Gate of the Hundred Sorrows, was rather depressing as it describes the effect of opium addiction.
This was not really for me.
~Little Black Classics #24~
I have never read The Jungle Book - in fact I'm only vaguely aware of its story. This collection of short stories however deals with Northern India, where Kipling grew up. They were a quite random collection and it hardly resonated with me.
The title story, the Gate of the Hundred Sorrows, was rather depressing as it describes the effect of opium addiction.
This was not really for me.
~Little Black Classics #24~
May 27, 2015
I actually really liked the stories and Kipling's writing; but I felt like the book could have used a little more and a short introduction or something.
February 5, 2016
Thrown Away - 2 stars
False Dawn - 3 stars
In the House of Sudhoo - 4 stars
The Bisara of Poree - 4 stars
The Gate of The Hundred Sorrows - 1 star
The Story of Muhammad Din - 1 star
False Dawn - 3 stars
In the House of Sudhoo - 4 stars
The Bisara of Poree - 4 stars
The Gate of The Hundred Sorrows - 1 star
The Story of Muhammad Din - 1 star
April 11, 2023
Not much to like here.
May 28, 2021
Прекрасное далёко прекрасно далеко. И люди словно стали другими. Или они всегда такими были, просто среди них можно найти как стремящихся к существованию во имя других или сугубо во имя удовлетворения собственных потребностей. Или последние стали преобладать, отчего первых и вовсе не стало, они перевелись, изредка с удивлением встречаемые. Как о том не рассуждай, в случае Киплинга получится разговор особый, так как Редьярд взялся повествовать на довольно опасную тему, в его годы за такую практически не считаемую. Это в последующем начали рьяно бороться с привычкой человека употреблять одурманивающие вещества, тогда как до того беспокойства не проявлялось. Почему же общество озаботилось необходимостью борьбы с таковой проказой? Отчасти объяснение получится найти с помощью рассказа «Ворота Ста Печалей», одного из вошедших в сборник «Незамысловатые сказания с холмов».
(c) Trounin
(c) Trounin
May 15, 2024
These Kipling stories for adults are varied in content but timeless, a series of tales of the Indian subcontinent that run from mystical to realist, with plots and characters that could easily show up in Apuleius or Boccaccio or Ronald Dahl. Kipling tells stories of native and imperial flavors, concerning follies of youth and religious relics and children making sandcastles and men smoking themselves to death in sordid opium dens. Really worth reading.
October 27, 2024
I have not read much of Kipling - The Jungle Book when I was a kid I guess - and I must say I like his concise prose. And his writing is I suppose a good reflection of English colonial attitudes at a time when the sun was not setting on that Empire ...
July 5, 2017
I am not that intrigued with this book, probably the translation is hard for me i'd better reading the pure English you know, that's why it took me so long!
Read
October 26, 2022150 years ago I would've been the only crazy-ass white boy in the Opium den.
March 27, 2025
This one failed to capture my interest, which was disappointing bc I've always had a soft spot for The Jungle Book.
December 6, 2020
It was an interesting read and the writing style was commendabld too. Too dark and sorrowful stories send you to another level of gloom.
September 6, 2021
One of the Black Classic collections, this is a combination of short stories based in the Far East, where Kipling spent much time. The stories are dripping with humidity, the mugginess clinging to you as you absorb the evocative writing. The stories are okay, but it’s the way they’ve been written, that has made Kipling a renowned and celebrated author.
May 5, 2019
Experiencing Imperial India through the lense of Kipling.
July 4, 2016
This is an excellent collection of Kipling's short stories, and far more darker than expected. He draws on his experiences in colonial India, and his tales border on the macabre, and often supernatural.
The Gate of the Hundred Sorrows itself is a very bleak and melancholy story of an opium addict. The title comes from the very aptly named opium den the narrator frequents; where all hope is lost, and all one can hope for is dying in the quiet on a clean mat. The narrator is numb to all but his vice, and is senselessly content to pay the extortionate prices imposed by the landlord. Sad, hopeless, and somewhat horrific, this is a very very good story.
My favourite of the five stories was The Bisara of Pooree, named after a carved wooden fish in a silver box which can bring love only to those who steal it from its previous owner. Those who buy, find, or are given the object are condemned to a life of bad luck. The magic and the paranormal seeped through the pages here, and Kipling presented a wonderful ending.
I found each of the tales here to be gorgeous in their own way, however particularly loved the two mentioned above most. Kipling really was a man who knew how to weave a story. His structure and descriptions plunge the reader directly into India, and we experience the colours, sounds, and smells to a wonderful degree. I enjoyed the use of unexplained exotic language, and the subtle hints at customs quite unknown to me.
This is (quite ashamedly) a wonderful introduction to Kipling for me. I hope to read more of his work later in the year.
The Gate of the Hundred Sorrows itself is a very bleak and melancholy story of an opium addict. The title comes from the very aptly named opium den the narrator frequents; where all hope is lost, and all one can hope for is dying in the quiet on a clean mat. The narrator is numb to all but his vice, and is senselessly content to pay the extortionate prices imposed by the landlord. Sad, hopeless, and somewhat horrific, this is a very very good story.
My favourite of the five stories was The Bisara of Pooree, named after a carved wooden fish in a silver box which can bring love only to those who steal it from its previous owner. Those who buy, find, or are given the object are condemned to a life of bad luck. The magic and the paranormal seeped through the pages here, and Kipling presented a wonderful ending.
I found each of the tales here to be gorgeous in their own way, however particularly loved the two mentioned above most. Kipling really was a man who knew how to weave a story. His structure and descriptions plunge the reader directly into India, and we experience the colours, sounds, and smells to a wonderful degree. I enjoyed the use of unexplained exotic language, and the subtle hints at customs quite unknown to me.
This is (quite ashamedly) a wonderful introduction to Kipling for me. I hope to read more of his work later in the year.
April 4, 2015
Kipling is frequently lambasted for his imperial tone and dismissiveness toward the many cultures appropriated/sacked by the British. He is also very popular in other circles for his plain-speaking language and storytelling knack: his poem If was reasonably recently dubbed the nation's favourite. Yet, having read these and the Just So Stories I must say that I feel he is ripe for a reappraisal. His stories show much sympathy for the Indians who populate them and his portrayal of white British characters is also far from celebratory: one is portrayed a thief, another a drug addict and many just out of touch with reality. Yes, his turns of phrase can catch the breath, even if uttered in dramatic monologue, and while I feel it is right to dislike the use of racist language, it is wrong to condemn one man for a problem that affected his whole culture.
Great stories, particularly False Dawn, the title story and the supreme Bisara of Pooree. Immensely enjoyable, which is what I found when reading the Just So Stories too. I think that is important to recognise this great British writer's talent and be proud of it, rather than giving him to the far right as a gift, along with the bath-water. After all, it is not like he was surrounded by a left-thinking conscience with which to examine his views, unlike the right-wing self-servers of today.
Great stories, particularly False Dawn, the title story and the supreme Bisara of Pooree. Immensely enjoyable, which is what I found when reading the Just So Stories too. I think that is important to recognise this great British writer's talent and be proud of it, rather than giving him to the far right as a gift, along with the bath-water. After all, it is not like he was surrounded by a left-thinking conscience with which to examine his views, unlike the right-wing self-servers of today.
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February 3, 2017
Rudyard Kipling is best known for The Jungle Book and his Just So Stories, which show his prowess as a writer and his mastery over words and their wonders.
The Gate of the Hundred Sorrows just doesn't cut it. It was terribly written and I almost forgot who had written it. His poetry is marvellous, his best and most famous being If, and his prose is just as good. He was born and grew up in Indian, which these stories concern.
It may be that I am not interested in India; perhaps that may be it. But there was nothing to grip me and, like a lot of short stories, they lacked a depth and roundedness that the longer format, or even poetry, contains.
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The Gate of the Hundred Sorrows just doesn't cut it. It was terribly written and I almost forgot who had written it. His poetry is marvellous, his best and most famous being If, and his prose is just as good. He was born and grew up in Indian, which these stories concern.
It may be that I am not interested in India; perhaps that may be it. But there was nothing to grip me and, like a lot of short stories, they lacked a depth and roundedness that the longer format, or even poetry, contains.
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