You don’t have to be a big book lover to know of “The Jungle Book.” Disney has done plenty to make it popular worldwide even to non-readers. But the fact of the matter is that, as is the case with many other Disney adaptations, the original book authored by Rudyard Kipling is a lot heavier and more complex. Most of the time it would not be a literary piece recommended for young children. But we aren’t here to talk about the book. Today we would like to offer you a peek into some details of Kipling and his life.
His Name:
Other than Rudyard Kipling, we don’t really know that many Rudyards and we would better our bottom dollar that you don’t know either. It’s not exactly John or Tom. Rudyard is a very unusual name and Kipling was named that way after Rudyard Lake in England.
A Couple of His Creations Have Bits of His Childhood and Teenage Years:
The short story “Baa Baa Black Sheep” features descriptions of the rough time he had in England while he was under the less-than-nurturing care of the Holloways, his foster family as he was getting his primary education in England. The novel “Stalky and Co.” is rich with details from his teenage years, which were thankfully better.
He Has Made Some Dictionary Contributions:
If you have ever used the word ‘cushy’ to describe something such as your pillow, a plush toy, or even some lush grass that you sat on at a picnic, you have Kipling to thank for that. He is the man who introduced the word cushy to the English language! That was not the only word he introduced into the dictionary: there were also ‘stinky,’ ‘lunchless,’ and ‘righto.’
A Record Breaker:
Some of Kipling’s accolades include getting a Nobel Prize for literature in 1907. He is the youngest recipient to ever win the prestigious award. Another testament to his writing prowess was the fact that during his time he was the highest paid writer in the world.