(December 30,1865, Bombay -

January 18,1936, London)

John Kipling, the writer’s father, finished Art School in London. In 1862 he had to began his work in Beasley. There he met his future wife, Alice Macdonald.

John agreed to go to India, Bombay to teach students in Art school. Married in London, John and Alice Kipling sailed to India. It was in May, 1865. On the 30-th of December, 1865, their son was born. They called him Rudyard.

The Kiplings became very popular in Bombay. Except teaching, John was a correspondent in one of the powerful newspapers. Alice wrote for different papers and magazines. Their house was surrounded by the wonderful garden, a lot of service-men served them. There were two kids in their family, Rudyard and his younger sister Alice. Kipling remembered his early childhood as “the time of cloudless happiness”.

When Rudyard was six, parents sent him and his sister to England, to study at English school. They lived in a captain Holloway family. When in 1874 the captain died, his wife became very angry with Ruddy and treated him badly. His life was very unhappy. The only joy was reading. But when MrsHolloway had known about it, she began taking the books away from him.

Rudyard’s mother took her children away to London when she heard about it. It was in 1877. They lived some months at her sister’s place. When Rudyard was 23 he wrote a story about his life in Holloways family. He hated their home forever.

From 1778 Kipling studied at another school and finished it in 1882. He went to India, to his parents. His father was a famous person in Lahore, and their house looked like a palace.

Rudyard began to work in the evening paper as an editor assistant. This work helped him to begin write and publish his first works, it gave him good knowledge of India.

During 1886-1887 Rudyard published thirty-five stories about India. His family discussed them and it was decided to publish them as a book. This book was published in 1888 under the name “Stories from the Mountains”. It brought him the first fame.

His parents had no doubts: their son would be famous writer and poet.Soon he became famous both in India and England.

His book with the best poems and stories was published in 1889 in England. He came back there through Far East and the USA. During the journey he wrote one more book “From Sea to Sea”, which was full of humour.

Rudyard Kipling married on the 18-th of January, 1892. His first daughter Josefina was born in 1893. Their second daughter Elsie was born in 1896, and their son John was born in 1897. But in 1899 their first daughter died.

Rudyard Kipling and his family lived in the USA some years. Here he wrote his “Books of Jungle” – the most famous book about Maugli. And here he began to write his witty stories about how and why things came to be as they are – originally he told them to his own children.

They were published in 1902 under the name “Just So Stories”. These tales were beautifully illustrated in black-and-white by the author.

In 1907 he became the first Englishman awarded by the Nobel prize.

Rudyard Kipling died on the 18-th of January 1936.