He had a cultured and a wealthy family. His father was a Professor of Architectural Sculpture at the Bombay School of Art and his mother was coming from a wealthy and well known family.

-He spent his early childhood in India. At this time a Hindu nanny had been given the duty of taking care of him. So, Kipling with the influence of his nanny had the chance to come into direct contact with the Indian culture and the traditions.

-When he was only five years old, his parents decided to send him to England for education and he started to live in the foster home of Madam Rosa. During his stay in that place he was like a victim who was mistreated and beaten all the time.

-This sudden change of environment at such a young age and the evil treatment that he has faced caused him to suffer from insomnia for the rest of his life.

However, this factor has played an important role in the development of his literary imagination.

-When he was twelve his parents took him from the foster home and placed him in a private school. Later in his life the principles of the English students, their understanding of honour and duty had a great influence on his views.

-In the year 1882 Kipling returned back to India and started to work part time in a newspaper.

He was making interviews, and writing in the newspaper. In this way he had considerable experience about the colonial life. In the later years he reflected these in his stories and poems.

In 1886, he published his first poetry book ‘’Departmental Ditties’’.

Between the years 1887-1889, his short stories consisting of six volumes were published...

All of these stories were about India that he loved and knew so closely.

-When he returned to England he saw that he had already been recognised and known as a writer.

During those years his very well known poem ‘’Recessional’’ and his famous novel ‘’Kim’’ were published.

-In 1907 the Nobel prize in literature was given to Kipling. In the presentation of this award the main factors that have been taken into consideration were his power of observation, originality of his imagination, his interesting ideas and his extarordinary talent of narration which showed itself in his writings.

-The death of his two children Josephine and John affected his life deeply. In his works published during the years following these incidents it can clearly be seen how great their effect has been.

-Between the years 1919 and 1932 he travelled extensively and wrote stories , poems, sketches, and historical works.

-As he grew older, his works reflected in a marvelous way the physical and the psychological strains that he had experienced; how he had a total break down and how he returned back to normal following this.

-In 1936, effected by the epidemic, he passed away into the world beyond leaving behind a legacy that will live for centuries long.

-Mainly, Kipling’s works cover five phases. His first book ‘’Schoolboy Lyrics’’ was published at the time when Tennyson and Browning were still writing and the names of Hardy and Keats were not even heard of.

He also wrote during the period known as the Victorian Era. According to what we have learned from the English and Western Literature, feelings such as conservatism, optimism, self-assurance marked the poetry of this age.

-Though Kipling had literary fame during the early years, in the later years, as he grew older his works faced enormous amount of literary criticism.

Especially, his works on racial and imperial topics attracted the criticisms more.

Critics were emphasizing the point that contrary to the popular understanding of the time ‘’there was no underlying meaning in Kipling’s works, his poems did not require any meaning other than what was written and in order to understand them it was enough to read them only once.’’

In the Mc Guills Critical Survey of Poetry, it is stated that according to some critics his poems had the quality of coarseness and crudeness.

As Kipling became older his poetry attracted more criticising looks and doubts started to come to the fore about his poetic abilities.

It is really surprising that there wasn’t any decrease in the popularity of the poet in spite of the behaviour of the critics.

He had the ability to speak both to the ordinary man on the street, to the workers and to the class of literary elites. This ability made him to join a group of poets who were able to reach to people of a wide spectrum worldwide.

Kipling’s reputation started to gain respect after T.S.Elliot’s essay about his works. In his essay Elliot described his verses as ‘’great verses which from time to time turn into poetry unitentionally’’.

Under the lead of Elliot, the critics reanalysed Kipling’s verses and made him to have the position that he deserved.

During his whole life Kipling acted on a wide platform starting from Laureate, the unofficial poet of England going to the most famous poet of English Literary Literature.

His career followed a path which had ups and downs. As he matured he improved as a poet too.

When he died Kipling was a poet who in the English Literature had the most diverse collection of poems.

Let us present you one of his most famous poems...

If you can keep your head when all about you

Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;

If you can trust your self when all men doubt you,

But make allowance for their doubting too;

If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,

Or, being lied about, don't deal in lies,

Or, being hated, don't give way to hating,

And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise;

If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;

If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;

If you can meet with triumph and disaster

And treat those two imposters just same;

If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken

Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,

Or watch the things you gave your life to broken

And stoop and build 'em up with wornout tools;

If you can make one heap of all your winnings

And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,

And lose, and start again at your beginnings

And never breath a word about your loss;

If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew

To serve your turn long after they are gone,

And so hold on when there is nothing in you

Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on !";

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,

Or walk with kings - nor lose the common touch;

If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;

If all men count with you, but none too much;

If you can fill the unforgiving minute

With sixty seconds' worth of distance run

And - which is more - you'll be a Man my son!

Ahmet F. Yuksel