Rudayrd Kipling was one of the most popular writers of prose and poetry in the late 19th and 20th century and awarded the Nobel Prize for literature in 1907. Born in Bombay on 30th December 1865 but, as was the custom of the British in India, he and his sister were sent back to England when he was 5. The ill treatment and cruelty by the couple who they boarded with in Portsmouth, Kipling himself suggested contributed to the onset of his literary life. This was further enhanced by his return to India at the age of 16 to work on a local paper as not only did this result in writing constantly but also made him explore issues of identity and national allegiance which pervade much of his work. Whilst he is best remembered for his classic children's stories and the popular poem If, he is also regarded as a major innovator in the art of the short story. This audio book provides fine example of this skill and is read by Ghizela Rowe and Richard Mitchley.