“Words are, of course, the most
powerful drug used by mankind. - Rudyard Kipling
And Kipling, who was born on this
date in 1865, used words in the most powerful of ways, creating great novels
like The Jungle Book and The Man Who Would Be King, epic poems
like Mandalay and Gunga Din, and collections for children like The Just So Stories.
Despite that, he is probably most
quoted on or around Mother’s Day when his saying “God could not be everywhere
and therefore he created mothers” is used in various renditions.
One of the most popular writers in
the world in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, he is widely 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 has described his work as exhibiting "a versatile and luminous
narrative gift.”
He was born in Bombay (Mumbai),
India, where both his parents and the setting became integral parts of his
writing and creative process. His father
was a noted sculptor and professor and his mother a socialite and driving force
behind her son’s successes, teaching him reading and writing early and
encouraging him to "think beyond yourself and your
In 1907, he was awarded the Nobel
Prize for Literature, the first English-language recipient. The prize citation
read: "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."
“If history were taught in the form
of stories,” Kipling said about his writing, “it would never be forgotten.”
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