British writer born in India who wrote The Jungle Book, Kim, Just So Stories, If, and The White Man's Burden — the most popular English-language poet of his era and the Nobel laureate who most fully articulated the British imperial consciousness — now a contested figure because of his celebration of empire.
Created the literary mythology of British imperialism — Kim's immersive account of the Great Game in India, The Jungle Book's narrative of civilizational formation through nature's laws, and If's stoic masculine code together constitute the richest literary expression of the imperial project — both its appeal and its blind spots.
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