Rudyard Kipling

Long before I began noticing the boys around me*, I had two mad crushes. The second was Rudyard Kipling. (The first was Simon Bolivar, but never mind about that.) How could a girl resist a man with a name like Rudyard and an incredible storytelling sense? Every tale is a sensory rich experience.

A two volume set of his works sits close to my reading chair and we indulge often. His stories are best enjoyed out loud and I love his endearing (yet sometimes wicked) sense of humor.
I am currently reading "Something of Myself", an autobiography of sorts. In the chapter called Working Tools, he shares insights for writers.
On your muse:

"When your Daemon is in charge, do not try to think consciously. Drift, wait and obey."

On critics:

"And the generality of them seemed to have followed other trades--in banks or offices--before coming to the Ink; whereas I was free born."

On books:

"My treatment of books, which I looked upon as tools of my trade, was popularly regarded as barbarian...There were books which I respected because they were put in locked cases. The others, all the house over, took their chances."

On editing:

"They were originally much longer than when they appeared, but the shortening of them, first to my own fancy after fanciful re-readings, and next to the space available, taught me that a tale from which pieces have been raked out is like a fire that has been poked. One does not know that the operation has been performed, but everyone feels the effect."


"...it was necessary that every word should tell, carry, weigh, taste, and, if need were, smell."

He even talks about writing instruments, which leads me to believe that he relished the tactile element of long hand.

My family loves the Just So stories and The Jungle Book (which is perhaps why I have such a violent reaction to what Disney did with it), but I think my favorite is Kim. In that story, I can physically experience India, in spite of never having visited.

J likes The Cat Who Walked By Himself.
M can't decide between The Beginnning of the Armadillos and How The Rhinoceros Got His Skin.

Do you have a favorite?

*If you must know, the first time a boy offered to kiss me, I threatened to kick him "where it counts" and ran away. That was fourth grade.