thoughtfulMy favorite books include The Just So Stories (especially "The Elephant's Child" and "The Cat That Walked By Himself") and The Jungle Book (especially "Mowgli's Brothers" and "Rikki-tikki-tavi").
My favorite poems include "The Female of the Species" and "The Law of the Jungle." When my poem "One Ship Tall" won the SFPA contest in 2007, it was described as 'Heinlein by way of Kipling' -- an apt comparison and one of the best compliments I've ever received. This site lists many poems by Rudyard Kipling.
The things I love most about Kipling's writing are his ear for language and his adroit social commentary. His poetry has a driving rhythm, tight with alliteration and repetition. His style shifts to suit the tone of each piece, yet always remains distinct. There is in both poetry and fiction the cadence of oral tradition, the storyteller's elegant delineation of plot-bone and embellishment.
As for social commentary, that's where it gets interesting. Kipling had a tendency to see both sides of an issue, and it comes through in his writing. He drew from two cultures, British and Indian, and he didn't hesitate to mock the foibles of either. He was a product of his time, but he also saw beyond it, into the past and the future. On the surface, some of his writing seems sexist or imperial ... but if you look at the word choices and structure, the main current runs the other way. "Gunga Din" highlights the arrogance of British imperialsm; "The Female of the Species" simultaneously reveals the strengths of women and the weaknesses of sexist division; and "Lukannon" is a devastating criticism of environmental degradation. Kipling had the poet's eye for seeing the world a little sideways, and speaking the truth likewise.
So if you like the lyric quality of my poetry, and the old storyteller's cadence in my fiction, and my occasional tendency to take a knife to sacred cows ... then Rudyard Kipling is one the ancestors you should thank, because he's one of the cornerstones in the pyramid of giants I'm standing on.
November 13 2008, 19:47:03 UTC 12 years ago