Kipling Abroad: Traffics and Discoveries from Burma to Brazil

269 Pages·2010·1.59 MB·English

by  Rudyard Kipling

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ANDREW LYCETT is author of an acclaimed biography of
Rudyard Kipling. As a former foreign correspondent, he has
travelled widely and worked in most parts of the world writt en
about by Kipling. His other books include highly regarded lives
of Ian Fleming, Dylan Thomas and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. He
is a member of the Council of the Kipling Society and a Fellow
of the Royal Geographical Society.
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Press reaction to Andrew Lycett ’s Rudyard Kipling
when it was fi rst published by Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 1999
‘Andrew Lycett ’s biography is very good . . . especially good in
his analysis of the marriage with Carrie.’
Allan Massie, Daily Telegraph
‘Andrew Lycett ’s fascinating new biography . . . is another
valuable step to restoring most of Kipling’s art, and much of
his character, to comply with today’s more severe standards of
respect.’ Craig Brown, Mail on Sunday
‘The best book on a misunderstood man for 20 years, and a
sound guide to the India of his early life.’
Miranda Seymour, Sunday Times
‘Charts Kipling’s picaresque progress through India, Vermont,
Capetown and Sussex with admirable even-handedness. The
book is neither an apologia nor a polemic; there is no feebly
disingenuous att empt to excuse Kipling’s racist ravings, or to
maintain, as others have done, that his more odious political
doctrines have simply been misunderstood.’
Terry Eagleton, Independent on Sunday
(who chose it as his ‘International Book of the Year’
in Times Literary Supplement)
‘Lycett has looked at Kipling warts and all, and conducts us
through his life and times with authority, dispassion and
clarity. This is an excellent biography, with everything in its
place.’ Lawrence James, Literary Review
‘Lycett . . . succeeds in gett ing to grips with his chosen subject,
showing Kipling in all his colours: raging Imperialist, unhappy
spouse and grieving father.’ Mark Sanderson, Time Out
‘This richly detailed biography . . . will still be read long after
the latest psycho-histories and literary deconstructions have
deconstructed one another to bits. Exploring the complexity of
his life and opinions, it allows us to see the almost child-like
simplicity of the man.’ Noel Malcolm, Sunday Telegraph

rudyard kipling
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Kipling Abroad
Traffi cs and Discoveries from Burma to Brazil

Introduced and Edited by
Andrew Lycett
Published in 2010 by I.B.Tauris & Co Ltd
6 Salem Road, London W2 4BU
175 Fifth Avenue, New York NY 10010
www.ibtauris.com
Distributed in the United States and Canada Exclusively by Palgrave
Macmillan,
175 Fifth Avenue, New York NY 10010
Copyright © 2010 Andrew Lycett
The right of Andrew Lycett to be identifi ed as the editor of this work has
been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and
Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations in a review, this book, or any
part thereof, may not be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval
system, or transmitt ed, in any form or by any means, eletronic, mechanical,
photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior writt en permission
of the publisher.
ISBN 978 1 84885 072 9
A full CIP record for this book is available from the British Library
A full CIP record is available from the Library of Congress
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: available
Typeset by JCS Publishing Services Ltd, www.jcs-publishing.co.uk
Printed and bound in India by Thomson Press India Ltd
CONTENTS
Acknowledgements ix
Maps x
Introduction 1
1 India – From the Plains to the Hills 11
2 Asia – Eastern Promise 78
3 North America – Beautiful Land of the Masses 105
4 Britain – The Glory of the Garden 147
5 Europe – Cradle of Good Living 170
6 Middle East and North Africa – A Taste of the
Orient 187
7 South Africa – Winter Warmth 204
8 The Sea – On the Long Trail 211
9 South America and the Caribbean –
Rolling down to Rio 218
10 Ubique – Further Aspects of Travel 224
Bibliography 249
Index 251

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I would like to acknowledge the help and advice of Profes-
sor Thomas Pinney, whose magisterial six-volume edition
of Kipling’s lett ers was an invaluable resource. I am also very
grateful to many others who off ered useful support at diff erent
stages, including David Page, John Radcliff e and John Walker.