He married Caroline Balestier in 1892, the year of publication of "The
Naulahka," which had been written in collaboration with her brother. The
travelling continued till they settled in Brattleboro, Vermont, where
their unique house was named appropriately "The Naulahka." The fruit of
his American sojourn was, among other writings, "Captains Courageous"
(1897), a story of the Atlantic fishing banks, full of American
atmosphere and characters. In the meantime, in various periodicals had
appeared short-stories and poems, which were quickly put into books. One
of the stories is "A Walking Delegate," which is so wonderfully accurate
in the local color of Vermont as to be worthy of special mention. It
forms one of "The Day's Work" group (1898). In it is seen Kipling's
power of observation, which he possesses to such a remarkable degree. To
this period belong those famous collections, "The Jungle Book" (1894)
and "The Second Jungle Book" (1895), containing the beast stories which
seem so plausible, and a book of poems, "The Seven Seas" (1896).
In 1896 the Kiplings returned to England, taking a house at Rottingdean.
While England has remained his permanent home, he has continued to take
journeys. During a trip in 1899 he was seriously ill in New York with
pneumonia. While ill, his condition was a constant source of anxiety to
all classes of people. He recovered, but his little daughter Josephine
died of the same disease. One cannot fail to note the intimate touches
reminiscent of her in "They," published in "Traffics and Discoveries"
(1904). Another trip, in 1900, was to South Africa, while the Boer War
was in progress. The results are to be found in many poems and stories
about the struggle.
In late years honors have come to him. The Nobel Prize of Literature and
an honorary degree from Oxford were both awarded him in 1907. He has
taken some part in politics, but he continues to write, though not so
prolifically as before. His more recent books are: "Kim" (1902), a vivid
panorama of India; "Puck of Pook's Hill" (1906), and "Rewards and
Fairies" (1910), realistic reconstructions of English history; "Actions
and Reactions" (1909), a series of stories, among them "An Habitation
Enforced," a rare story of the charm of English country life; and "The
Fringes of the Fleet" (1916), relating to the European War. His son
John has had the misfortune to be captured in the present war.
One book, "The Day's Work," deserves particular mention, as it contains
some of his best stories, such as "The Brushwood Boy," and exhibits
especially the three cardinal points of his philosophy of life--"Work,"
"Don't whine," and "Don't be afraid."
REFERENCES
BIOGRAPHY:
CLEMENS: A Ken of Kipling.
KNOWLES: A Kipling Primer.
CRITICISM:
LE GALLIENNE: Rudyard Kipling, A Criticism.
FALLS: Rudyard Kipling, A Critical Study.
HOOKER: The Later Work of Rudyard Kipling, North American Review, May,
1911.
NOTES TO "WEE WILLIE WINKIE"
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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