内容简介
ThisselectioncoversthefullrangeofKipling'sshortstoriesthroughouthiscareer,withthesubjectmatterrangingfromtheIndiantotheoccultandfromanimalstodomesticcomedy.
作者简介
JosephRudyardKipling(30December1865–18January1936)wasanEnglishpoet,short-storywriter,andnovelistchieflyrememberedforhiscelebrationofBritishimperialism,talesandpoemsofBritishsoldiersinIndia,andhistalesforchildren.KiplingreceivedtheNobelPrizeforLiteraturein1907.HewasborninBombay,intheBombayPresidencyofBritishIndia,andwastakenbyhisfamilytoEnglandwhenhewasfiveyearsold.Kiplingisbestknownforhisworksoffiction,includingTheJungleBook(1894)(acollectionofstorieswhichincludes"Rikki-Tikki-Tavi"),Kim(1901)(ataleofadventure),manyshortstories,including"TheManWhoWouldBeKing"(1888);andhispoems,includingMandalay(1890),GungaDin(1890),TheWhiteMan'sBurden(1899)andIf—(1910).Heisregardedasamajor"innovatorintheartoftheshortstory";hischildren'sbooksareenduringclassicsofchildren'sliterature;andhisbestworksaresaidtoexhibit"aversatileandluminousnarrativegift".KiplingwasoneofthemostpopularwritersinEngland,inbothproseandverse,inthelate19thandearly20thcenturies.TheauthorHenryJamessaidofhim:"Kiplingstrikesmepersonallyasthemostcompletemanofgenius(asdistinctfromfineintelligence)thatIhaveeverknown."In1907,hewasawardedtheNobelPrizeinLiterature,makinghimthefirstEnglishlanguagewritertoreceivetheprize,andtodateheremainsitsyoungestrecipient.Amongotherhonours,hewassoundedoutfortheBritishPoetLaureateshipandonseveraloccasionsforaknighthood,allofwhichhedeclined.Kipling'ssubsequentreputationhaschangedaccordingtothepoliticalandsocialclimateoftheageandtheresultingcontrastingviewsabouthimcontinuedformuchofthe20thcentury.AyoungGeorgeOrwellcalledhima"prophetofBritishimperialism".AccordingtocriticDouglasKerr:"Heisstillanauthorwhocaninspirepassionatedisagreementandhisplaceinliteraryandculturalhistoryisfarfromsettled.ButastheageoftheEuropeanempiresrecedes,heisrecognisedasanincomparable,ifcontroversial,interpreterofhowempirewasexperienced.That,andanincreasingrecognitionofhisextraordinarynarrativegifts,makehimaforcetobereckonedwith."
