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This selection covers the full range of Kipling's extraordinary short stories throughout his career. Ranging in subject matter from the Indain to the Occult, from children to animals, from domestic comedy to public tragedy, each is masterly in its way. Above all, they convey a wonderful sense of life and energy and reveal Kipling as a far greater and more diverse writer than most people suspect. This is an ideal gift-book, perfect for reading in short snatches or long stretches, according to taste.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Kipling is like Hemingway to my mind, in that for me the best of his writing is right here in his short stories.
There are a lot of Kipling collections out there, but if you want only one, or perhaps are new to the writer, then this is a very good book to have. The first thing to point out is that this is a very well made book. The Everyman editions are very classy and are made to last.
As for the selection on offer here, I'd say it's representative rather than definitive. Kipling was a master story teller who also happened to write a lot of stories, so any editor trying to make a selection is on a bit of a hiding to nothing, in that they're bound to miss out something that some reader or other would consider essential. However, this is about as good an all-round collection as you could wish for. All the key periods of Kipling's career are catered for, from the early Indian stories of his 'Plain Tales...' period, to selections from "Stalkey and Co." right up to some uncannily good later work. All of this goes to show what an under-rated writer he continues to be in his native land.
I'll just pick three examples from among many of the treasures to be found here. First there's "Mrs Bathhurst" which is a tale of sexual intrigue and roams right across the British Empire. Then there's "The Man Who would be King" which is one of the greatest stories written by anyone anywhere ever, and sums up far better than the poem "The White Man's Burden" the dangerous obsessions with riches, power and prestige that continue to drive would-be empire builders to this day. And finally there's a late, post- World War I story called "The Gardener" which deals with the emotional aftermath of losing a child in that dreadful conflagration. Even the most rabid anti-Kiplingite would have to admit that it is touching and heartfelt without ever succumbing to sentimentality. In fact here's a trick to play on your literary friends. Read them "The Gardener" without them knowing who it's by, and then see if they can guess the author. Kipling's might well be the last name to spring to mind.
There is plenty more to confound expectation here, as well as stories to shock, delight, make you laugh, make you think, make you smile and to send a shiver down your spine. The settings for a lot of these stories will surprise you too. I can think of very few writers with the sheer imagination to write so convincingly about so many diverse kinds of people in so many diverse settings and epochs. He even tried his hand at a kind of proto-science fiction, an example of which is included. Above all these stories will make you realise that, for all his faults, there is far more to Kipling than "If", the "Jungle Book" and his being the de facto poet of Empire. One thing I think any intelligent reader would have to agree is that at his very best he was one of the greatest writers ever, and in having this book you will have most of his strongest work right there in your hands.
There are a lot of Kipling collections out there, but if you want only one, or perhaps are new to the writer, then this is a very good book to have. The first thing to point out is that this is a very well made book. The Everyman editions are very classy and are made to last.
As for the selection on offer here, I'd say it's representative rather than definitive. Kipling was a master story teller who also happened to write a lot of stories, so any editor trying to make a selection is on a bit of a hiding to nothing, in that they're bound to miss out something that some reader or other would consider essential. However, this is about as good an all-round collection as you could wish for. All the key periods of Kipling's career are catered for, from the early Indian stories of his 'Plain Tales...' period, to selections from "Stalkey and Co." right up to some uncannily good later work. All of this goes to show what an under-rated writer he continues to be in his native land.
I'll just pick three examples from among many of the treasures to be found here. First there's "Mrs Bathhurst" which is a tale of sexual intrigue and roams right across the British Empire. Then there's "The Man Who would be King" which is one of the greatest stories written by anyone anywhere ever, and sums up far better than the poem "The White Man's Burden" the dangerous obsessions with riches, power and prestige that continue to drive would-be empire builders to this day. And finally there's a late, post- World War I story called "The Gardener" which deals with the emotional aftermath of losing a child in that dreadful conflagration. Even the most rabid anti-Kiplingite would have to admit that it is touching and heartfelt without ever succumbing to sentimentality. In fact here's a trick to play on your literary friends. Read them "The Gardener" without them knowing who it's by, and then see if they can guess the author. Kipling's might well be the last name to spring to mind.
There is plenty more to confound expectation here, as well as stories to shock, delight, make you laugh, make you think, make you smile and to send a shiver down your spine. The settings for a lot of these stories will surprise you too. I can think of very few writers with the sheer imagination to write so convincingly about so many diverse kinds of people in so many diverse settings and epochs. He even tried his hand at a kind of proto-science fiction, an example of which is included. Above all these stories will make you realise that, for all his faults, there is far more to Kipling than "If", the "Jungle Book" and his being the de facto poet of Empire. One thing I think any intelligent reader would have to agree is that at his very best he was one of the greatest writers ever, and in having this book you will have most of his strongest work right there in your hands.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Although only a selection of Kipling's short stories, these were well chosen, the product is excellently presented (with the clear typeface Everyman's Library series has accustomed us to) and represents a welcome addition to the curiously meagre availability of this brilliant writer's collected stories.
Format:Hardcover
Although only a selection of Kipling's short stories, these were well chosen, the product is excellently presented (with the clear typeface Everyman's Library series has accustomed us to) and represents a welcome addition to the curiously meagre availability of this brilliant writer's collected stories.
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