France at War: On the Frontier of Civilization

by Rudyard Kipling

In 1915, as the "Great War" (World War 1) entered its second year Rudyard Kipling made a journalistic tour of the front, visiting French armed forces. By then he was already winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature (the first writer in English to be so honoured). He published his observations in articles in the Daily Telegraph in England, and in the New York Sun. At that stage of the war nationalistic sentiments were running high but the true cost of war was beginning to be understood "at home".The collection of journalistic pieces is preceded by a poem, "France", that had been published before the outbreak of war (in 1913) which has a more overblown jingoistic feel to it than the reflections on war itself. The poem does, though, show Kipling's love of France, as well as his sense of the destiny of imperial dreams.

Genres: History, World War I, British Literature, Classics, War, Travel, France

56 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1933

About the author

Joseph Rudyard Kipling was a journalist, short-story writer, poet, and novelist.

Kipling's works of fiction include The Jungle Book (1894), Kim (1901), and many short stories, including The Man Who Would Be King (1888). His poems include Mandalay (1890), Gunga Din (1890), The Gods of the Copybook Headings (1919), The White Man's Burden (1899), and If— (1910). He is regarded as a major innovator in the art of the short story; his children's books are classics of children's literature; and one critic described his work as exhibiting "a versatile and luminous narrative gift".

Kipling was one of the most popular writers in the United Kingdom, in both prose and verse, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Henry James said: "Kipling strikes me personally as the most complete man of genius (as distinct from fine intelligence) that I have ever known." In 1907, at the age of 41, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature, making him the first English-language writer to receive the prize, and its youngest recipient to date. He was also sounded out for the British Poet Laureateship and on several occasions for a knighthood, both of which he declined.

Awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1907 "in consideration of the power of observation, originality of imagination, virility of ideas and remarkable talent for narration which characterize the creations of this world-famous author."

Kipling kept writing until the early 1930s, but at a slower pace and with much less success than before. On the night of 12 January 1936, Kipling suffered a haemorrhage in his small intestine. He underwent surgery, but died less than a week later on 18 January 1936 at the age of 70 of a perforated duodenal ulcer. Kipling's death had in fact previously been incorrectly announced in a magazine, to which he wrote, "I've just read that I am dead. Don't forget to delete me from your list of subscribers."

Reviews

[sigurd]

è curioso il destino di Kipling: amava molto la Francia, infatti scrisse nella sua autobiografia:

"Alla fine del mio primo semestre, i miei genitori non potevano raggiungere l'Inghilterra per le vacanze di Pasqua. A titolo di risarcimento, mi fecero fare una vacanza quando mio padre tornò a casa e con lui andai all'Esposizione di Parigi del '78, dove lui era responsabile delle mostre indiane. Mi ha permesso, a dodici anni, la piena libertà di quella città spaziosa e accogliente, e la corsa attraverso gli edifici dell'esposizione. Fu molto educativo; e sigillò il mio amore per la Francia per sempre.

e scrisse anche molte poesie che avevano come tema la Francia (qui una http://www.poetryloverspage.com/poets...)
una che non trovo più ma che ricordo dice, pressappoco, se tu pensi che questo sia troppo, ti dico che non è abbastanza, non è abbastanza, è la Francia!

ma il destino preparava per lui, nella nazione che amava, un cimitero in cui piangere. "Il giardino chiamato Getsemani si trova in Piccardia", scrisse. Il suo unico figlio, John, morì nella battaglia di Loos, proprio in Francia. Chissà come cambiarono i suoi sentimenti e il suo entusiasmo...
per parte mia, dico che l'umanità sarà sempre in debito nei confronti della Francia- concluderei con alcuni versi di Borges:
Non dirò la sera e la luna, dirò Verlaine.
Non dirò il mare e la cosmogonia, dirò il nome di Hugo.
Non l'amicizia, ma Montaigne
Non dirò il fuoco, ma Giovanna

[Old Man JP · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short little book that I'd never heard of before by Kipling that I found in a used book store. It's written in very beautiful poetic prose as a tribute to the French people as they bravely endured the ravages of WWI. Kipling traveled through the areas of France at war where the people went about their daily lives, as best they could, while the fighting raged around them. It was a very romanticized and glorified accounting but a good read.

[Lauren Contreras-Loreto]

Rudyard Kipling is an amazing writer- reading his reports about World War I was very interesting- I loved the way he painted the battlefield. It was nice to hear a pleasant report of the French Hospitality as well. He painted a trying time almost as a greek epic.

[Louis-Simon Lbl]

Quelques passages brillants, mais on reste sur notre faim, car le récit est composé d'anecdotes inabouties qui tombent à plat. De plus, les conclusions tirées par l'auteur sur le peuple français apparaissent sorties d'avance. Il ne fait que se rassurer... ou encore se faire rassurant? Il faut le lire comme un témoignage d'époque (important dans le contexte).

« Selon les manuels boches, le bombardement "est conçu pour terroriser la population civile afin qu'elle puisse faire pression sur les hommes politiques pour conclure la paix". Dans la vraie vie, les hommes sont très rarement apaisés par le spectacle de leurs femmes qu'on torture. »

[Thomas Keith · Rating 5 out of 5]

An interesting observation of the Western Front, from the rear to the front, and French Nationalism in the face of German invasion.