Rudyard Kipling

Rudyard Kipling was a British author and poet. He was born in Bombay, India, in 1865. He wrote The Jungle Book and Just So Stories. He became the youngest person to win the Nobel Prize in Literature at age 41.

Early Life

Kipling was born in India when it was part of the British Empire. He was sent to school in England at age six. He had an unhappy time there but found comfort in reading and writing. He returned to India as a young journalist.

An old photograph of Bombay, the Indian city where Kipling was born.
An old photograph of Bombay, the Indian city where Kipling was born. (User Sanjay Tiwari on en.wikipedia / Wikimedia Commons)

Big Achievements

Kipling wrote The Jungle Book, which tells the story of Mowgli, a boy raised by wolves. He also wrote Just So Stories, Kim, and many poems. He won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1907. His stories have been adapted into beloved Disney movies.

Fun Facts

  • Kipling was the first English-language writer to win the Nobel Prize in Literature.
  • He turned down a knighthood and the position of Poet Laureate.
  • The Jungle Book has been made into several movies and TV shows.

Did You Know?

Kipling's Just So Stories were originally bedtime tales he told to his daughter Josephine. She insisted he tell them 'just so,' meaning exactly the same way every time. He wrote them down and published them.