If : the untold story of Kipling's American years
(Book)

Book Cover
Average Rating
Published
New York : Penguin Press, 2019.
Status
Shirlington - Adult Nonfiction
828.809 BENFE
1 available

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LocationCall NumberStatus
Shirlington - Adult Nonfiction828.809 BENFEAvailable

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Published
New York : Penguin Press, 2019.
Format
Book
Physical Desc
242 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm
Language
English

Notes

Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references (pages 223-233) and index.
Description
At the turn of the twentieth century, Rudyard Kipling towered over not just English literature but the entire literary world. At the height of his fame in 1907, he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature, becoming its youngest winner. His influence on major figures-including Freud and William James-was pervasive and profound. But in recent decades Kipling's reputation has suffered a strange eclipse. Though his body of work still looms large, and his monumental poem "If-" is quoted and referenced by politicians, athletes, and ordinary readers alike, his unabashed imperialist views have come under increased scrutiny. In If, scholar Christopher Benfey brings this fascinating and complex writer to life and, for the first time, gives full attention to Kipling's intense engagement with the United States-a rarely discussed but critical piece of evidence in our understanding of this man and his enduring legacy. Benfey traces the writer's deep involvement with America over one crucial decade, from 1889 to 1899, when he lived for four years in Brattleboro, Vermont, and sought deliberately to turn himself into a specifically American writer. It was his most prodigious and creative period, as well as his happiest, during which he wrote The Jungle Book and Captains Courageous. Had a family dispute not forced his departure, Kipling almost certainly would have stayed. Leaving was the hardest thing he ever had to do, Kipling said. "There are only two places in the world where I want to live," he lamented, "Bombay and Brattleboro. And I can't live in either." In this fresh examination of Kipling, Benfey hangs a provocative "what if" over Kipling's American years and maps the imprint Kipling left on his adopted country as well as the imprint the country left on him. If proves there is relevance and magnificence to be found in Kipling's work. --from Amazon.

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Citations

APA Citation, 7th Edition (style guide)

Benfey, C. E. G. (2019). If: the untold story of Kipling's American years . Penguin Press.

Chicago / Turabian - Author Date Citation, 17th Edition (style guide)

Benfey, Christopher E. G., 1954-. 2019. If: The Untold Story of Kipling's American Years. Penguin Press.

Chicago / Turabian - Humanities (Notes and Bibliography) Citation, 17th Edition (style guide)

Benfey, Christopher E. G., 1954-. If: The Untold Story of Kipling's American Years Penguin Press, 2019.

MLA Citation, 9th Edition (style guide)

Benfey, Christopher E. G. If: The Untold Story of Kipling's American Years Penguin Press, 2019.

Note! Citations contain only title, author, edition, publisher, and year published. Citations should be used as a guideline and should be double checked for accuracy. Citation formats are based on standards as of August 2021.

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