Superb, beautifully written, touching and occasionally very funny Andrew RobertsDavid Gilmours superb biography of Rudyard Kipling is the first to show how the life and work of the great writer mirrored the trajectory of the British Empire, from its zenith to its final decades. His famous poem Recessional celebrated Queen Victorias Diamond Jubilee in 1897, but his last poems warned of the dangers of Nazism, and in those intervening years Kipling, himself an icon of the Empire, was transformed from an apostle of success to a prophet of national decline. As Gilmour makes clear, Kiplings mysterious stories and poetry deeply influenced the way his readers saw both themselves and the British Empire, and they continue to challenge us today.A fine, fair and generous work ... Gilmours celebrated life of Curzon demonstrated his mastery of imperial nuance and esoteric character, and he brings to this book just the right combination of empathy, distaste andfastidious detachment ... there is never a flaccid line, and never a hasty judgement Jan Morris, New StatesmanEvery now and again a book comes along that sheds new light on a life we thought we knew. David Gilmours beautifullywritten biography of Rudyard Kipling is just such a work ... This is literary biography at its very finest George Rosie, Sunday HeraldAn enthralling biography of a mind ... essential reading for anyone who cares about how a writer finds, and passionately lives, his subject Ruth Padel, Daily TelegraphThe best...

Binding: Paperback;384 pages; Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd; Classification: BGH; Weight: 412 g; Dimensions: 131 x 197 x 20

Something not quite right? You have 21 days from the day you receive it, to send something back.

Please note, we cannot offer refunds on fashion face masks, cosmetics, pierced jewellery, adult toys, and swimwear or lingerie if the hygiene seal is not in place or has been broken.

Items of footwear and/or clothing must be unworn and unwashed with the original labels attached. Also, footwear must be tried on indoors. Items of homeware including bedlinen, mattresses, and toppers, and pillows must be unused and in their original unopened packaging. This does not affect your statutory rights.

Click here to view our full Returns Policy.