To get the free app, enter your mobile phone number. “The Long Recessional” provides the modern reader with a concise biography of the multi-faceted Kipling, showing him as, if not a man for all seasons, surely a man for his time. Download one of the Free Kindle apps to start reading Kindle books on your smartphone, tablet, and computer. David Gilmour is the author of many works of literary and political history, including Curzon: Imperial Statesman (FSG, 2003) and The Last Leopard: A Life of Giuseppe di Lampedusa. Free shipping and pickup in store on eligible orders. Long Recessional : The Imperial Life of Rudyard Kipling by Gilmour, David and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at AbeBooks.com. As Gilmour makes clear, Kipling's mysterious and enduring works deeply influenced the way his readers saw both themselves and the British Empire, and they continue to challenge our own generation. 'Superb, beautifully written, touching and occasionally very funny' Andrew Roberts David Gilmour's 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. . Rudyard Kipling was a unique figure in British history, a great writer and at the same time a great imperial icon. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Read "The Long Recessional The Imperial Life of Rudyard Kipling" by David Gilmour available from Rakuten Kobo. Imperialist and chauvinist - yes, misogynist - no. The long recessional : the imperial life of Rudyard Kipling by Gilmour, David, 1952-Publication date 2002 Topics Navigate; Linked Data; Dashboard; Tools / Extras; Stats; Share . His great poem "Recessional" celebrated Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee in 1897 and his last poems warned of the dangers of Nazism, while Kipling himself, an icon of the empire, was transformed from an apostle of success to a prophet of national decline. David Gilmour is also the author of an excellent biography of George Nathaniel Curzon, sometime Viceroy of India, and a contemporary of Kipling’s. If: The Untold Story of Kipling's American Years, The Age of Decadence: Britain 1880 to 1914, The Price of Peace: Money, Democracy, and the Life of John Maynard Keynes, An enthralling biography of a mind ... essential reading for anyone who cares about how a writer finds, and passionately lives, his subject—Ruth Padel, Daily Telegraph. The Long Recessional is peppered with phrases that recall this early betrayal: "Kipling remained angry," "he invited trouble," and "none of this mellowed Kipling." That's one emphasis; another is what Gilmour identifies as the "two sides to [Kipling's] head". A need read for everyone who continues to love "Gunga Din", "When Earth's Last Picture..","The Truce of the Bear" and "If", Reviewed in the United States on January 28, 2016. Gilmour quotes Kipling as saying that empire was "the fabric of my mental and physical existence." 'The Long Recessional' By David Gilmour. John Murray £22.50, pp362. The Long Recessional: The Imperial Life of Rudyard Kipling: Author: David Gilmour: Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2003: ISBN: 146683000X, 9781466830004: Length: 368 … Gilmour quotes Kipling as saying that empire was "the fabric of my mental and physical existence." (Recessional) It's this thinking that Gilmour focuses on and thus Kipling's life and works can't be seen as anything but a study in THE LONG RECESSIONAL. Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936) was a unique figure in British history, a great writer as well as an imperial icon whose life trajectory matched that of the British Empire from its zenith to its final decades. Gilmour focuses on Kipling's complex relationship with the British Empire, and shows that these caricatures do not do justice to the poet's nuanced views. Mail LONG RECESSIONAL has been added to your Cart Add a gift receipt with prices hidden. Find all the books, read about the author and more. He warned unsuccessfully against the steep cuts made in the Royal Navy and other services as Europe, other than Germany, especially the British, disarmed in the 1920s and l930s under liberal as well as relatively conservative governments, wishful thinkers and idealists, not dissimilar to the US then and today. He lives in Edinburgh. Download one of the Free Kindle apps to start reading Kindle books on your smartphone, tablet, and computer. No Kindle device required. David Gilmour. His great poem "Recessional" celebrated Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee in 1897 and his last poems warned of the dangers of Nazism, while Kipling himself, an icon of the empire, was transformed from an apostle of success to a prophet of national decline. You're listening to a sample of the Audible audio edition. The first quarter of this book is an interesting account of Kipling's life in India and, as a schoolboy, in Britain. Kipling books are a source of education that makes you wish for a moment in time you could live during that era. These items are shipped from and sold by different sellers. "Readable and reliable . From then on, there is much skipping to be done to escape the long analyses of British involvement in South African wars and politics. . © 2008-2021, Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates, The Ruling Caste: Imperial Lives in the Victorian Raj, British & Irish Literary History & Criticism. Rudyard Kipling, when remembered today, is usually snidely dismissed as a jingoistic Victorian, or as the writer of certain children’s books. To take only one example, Kipling was perfectly aware of the foibles of his fellow Anglo-Indians, and he often paid tribute to the nobility of ordinary Indians. “In his entertaining and sympathetic biography . Kipling was in his early twenties when his first stories about Anglo-Indian life vaulted him into celebrity. [Gilmour] is superb as a historian and biographer.” ―Robert F. Moss, Los Angeles Times Book Review. [Gilmour's] assessment of the political background of Kipling's writings is All in all, a good, albeit slow, read. Interesting, well written, perhaps not as sympathetic in parts as one would expect. Unable to add item to Wish List. . The Long Recessional: The Imperial Life of Rudyard Kipling. Please try your request again later. Let us hope that Kipling is not proven even more correct in the event of a nuclear exchange between India and Pakistan. Your recently viewed items and featured recommendations, Select the department you want to search in. Buy the Paperback Book The Long Recessional: The Imperial Life Of Rudyard Kipling by David Gilmour at Indigo.ca, Canada's largest bookstore. —Earl L. Dachslager, Houston Chronicle David Gilmour's superbly nuanced biography of Rudyard Kipling, now available in paperback, is the first to show how the great writer's life and work mirrored the trajectory of the British Empire, from its zenith to its final decades. The Bloomsbury set jeered his views but he was proven tragically right after Indian independence, which resulted in a bloodbath. Your recently viewed items and featured recommendations, Select the department you want to search in. Rudyard Kipling is one of the best-known of the late Victorian poets and story-tellers. I regretted to read of Rud's anti-semitism, though it was consistent with that of most of the British social and upper class attitudes of his time. The Long Recessional: The Imperial Life of Rudyard Kipling eBook: Gilmour, David: Amazon.ca: Kindle Store A major new biography of Rudyard Kipling Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936) was a unique figure in British history, a great writer as well as an imperial icon whose life trajectory match Fast and free shipping free returns cash on delivery available on eligible purchase. The fact that Gilmour explores Kipling's writing in terms of these themes and how they reflected aspects of his character is a clear indication that this book is no hagiography. Buy The Long Recessional: The Imperial Life of Rudyard Kipling by Gilmour, David (ISBN: 9780712665186) from Amazon's Book Store. These items are shipped from and sold by different sellers. On the other hand, Kipling correctly predicted the coming of WWII initiated by Germany, having also lost his only son in the first World War. Reviewed in the United States on October 6, 2017. May 5, 2002; Rudyard Kipling never wasted time investigating his roots. more deeply than any writer before him.” ―Gregory Feeley, The Philadelphia Inquirer, “[A] formidable study . . . After viewing product detail pages, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages that interest you. From then on, there is much skipping to be done to escape the long analyses of British involvement in South African wars and politics. Kipling seemed to see empire as some divine right of England: Few have doubted Kipling's literary genius but for much of the 20th century progressive opinion has caricatured him as the bard of racism, the poet of savagery, the versifier of militarism. As a fervent admirer of Kipling's books, short stories and poetry, I found the book interesting, though slow and spending too much time on Kipling's political views and jumping from one period to another back and forth without chronological consistency. Social. Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 8, 2016. Let us hope that Kipling is not proven even more correct in the event of a nuclear exchange between India and Pakistan. The Long Recessional: The Imperial Life of Rudyard Kipling. Read "The Long Recessional The Imperial Life of Rudyard Kipling" by David Gilmour available from Rakuten Kobo. He quietly dismantles the caricature of Kipling as a two-dimensional Victorian chauvinist.” ―Alan Riding, The New York Times, “[Gilmour examines] Kipling's political consciousness . You're listening to a sample of the Audible audio edition. © 2008-2021, Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates, The Ruling Caste: Imperial Lives in the Victorian Raj. With this he's looking at writings that were chauvinistic, ultra-nationalistic and even racist. Reviewed in the United States on October 6, 2017. To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. While Gilmour (Curzon) gives convincing readings of such warhorses as the cautionary "Recessional," he can't meliorate the paternalism of "The White Man's Burden" (in passing, he dismisses "If" as an "unintended parody of public school" stoicism). But he was also aware that British rule over the Subcontinent was a great force for peace and stability. The focus here is on the subject of empire and as the subtitle says it is all about: "The Imperial Life of Rudyard Kipling". Kipling seemed to see empire as some divine right of England: Few have doubted Kipling's literary genius but for much of the 20th century progressive opinion has caricatured him as the bard of racism, the poet of savagery, the versifier of militarism. 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