Rudyard Kipling: The Complete Verse [Paperback]

Rudyard Kipling (Author), M.M. Kaye (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 2002

When Rudyard Kipling died in 1936, he was considered second to none as a poet. Years before, when Tennyson was Laureate, he had described the young Kipling as the “only one with divine fire.” His poetry is as varied as it is beautiful; among eulogies for the dead and celebrations of life are also character assassinations and comic masterpieces. Very often, the most powerful and evocative poems are the most personal and humane; together, they comprise a compelling and deeply moving portrait of the man.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Kipling was once the literary lion of the English-speaking world; within a generation his fame, as a poet at least, was all but extinguished. In a tendentious foreword to this edition of his complete verse, Kaye makes an unconvincing attempt to answer the usual charges of imperialism, racism, and war-mongering. Her attempt to rekindle enthusiasm for Kipling's verse will doubtless prove even less successful. While the poet's political attitudes played a substantial role in the eclipse of his literary reputation, no amount of coaxing is likely to convince a modern reader that these rollicking tales and ballads in verse are the creation of a writer touched with the "divine fire" of genius. One must be impressed, however, with Kipling's masterful storytelling ability, his gift for cadence, and the sheer number of verse forms he mastered. The poems are printed in chronological order, with an index of first lines. General readers and informed laypersons may still find these poems appealing.
- Jeffrey R. Luttrell, Princeton Univ., N.J.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 756 pages
• Publisher: Kyle Cathie; 3rd edition (August 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1856264491
• ISBN-13: 978-1856264495
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.8 x 2.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #458,776 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars gorgeous!, September 10, 2001

By 

"teencynic" (Nicosia, Cyprus) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Rudyard Kipling: The Complete Verse (Poetry) (Paperback)

Largely forgotten today, to many, Kipling is an outdated imperialist with racist and sexist views, and should be left to moulder on the shelves of public library back collections. To others, he is a great poet, with a sympathetic ear for dialogue and an uncanny ability to weave the atmosphere for any story or poem.

I side with the latter.

I've liked Kipling years back. He writes poetry as easily as he does his stories, with wit, snappy soundbites, and both the ability to make you laugh and cry.

Famous for his writings of the soldiers, for his fairy tales, he isn't much in demand these days, except maybe recommended for children, which is rather a shame, because he wrote many interesting works, be it in verse or novel.

Those who call him racist had probably not read past the first few lines. Even in more blatant works like "Gunga Din" or "Fuzzy Wuzzy", he writes with a certain respect for the natives. And even in his colonialist days he was more of its critic than its trumpet. Such an attitude is obvious in more obscure works like "We and They", or "Hadramauti", where an Arab voices his dislike for the Englishmen.

Also there are his historical pieces, like "the Dutch in the medway", describing the humiliating defeat of the British at sea, and "the Roman centurian's son", a very poignant piece about an Roman soldier being called back to Rome after decades in Britan. More whimsical and lively pieces (as well as the satire he was known for), like "The way through the woods", "Pagett, MP", his pieces for chapter headings, as well as inspiration poems like "If -".

Darker works like "the Storm come" shows that he is no warmonger; his "Recessional" predicts the dissolution of the empire which he nearly outlived, and his lament for his son in "the Children" is both moving and tragic.

I suppose there's not much to be said -the poetry is loud enough on its own, and I hope my cruddy penmanship doesn't affect your view on Kipling -or deter your from reading his works.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars the complete genius, September 26, 2005

By 

Regina Chamberlain "celticregina" (Williamsburg, PA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Rudyard Kipling: The Complete Verse (Paperback)

This is a treasury of verse for Kipling fans and anyone who enjoys poetry. It has it all, from "power of a dog" to "mulhollands contract", he was brilliant!