Kim is a novel written by Rudyard Kipling. It was published in 1901. Considered as Kiplings final and most famous novel, Kim records the adventures of an Irish orphan, Kimball OHara, in India who becomes the disciple of a Tibetan monk while learning espionage from the British secret service. While searching for spiritual salvation, the author is shown to be torn between two worlds: the spiritual life of the priest and the adventurous life of a spy. However, the novel has been highly appreciated by many for its colourful, rich, multilayered and nostalgic depiction of Indian culture.
Set in India under the British Empire, the main protagonist of the novel is an orphaned boy of Irish descent who grows up independently in the streets of India and is taken care of by a “half-caste” woman. Kim becomes a “native” and acquires the ability to blend into the many ethnic and religious groups of India. After his meeting with a wandering Tibetan monk, Kim becomes his follower and proceeds on a journey covering the whole of India.
About the Author
However, Kipling’s fame was redoubled upon the publication in 1892 of the verse collection Barrack-Room Ballads that contained his numerous popular poems. He also published his best-known novels in the 1890s. His novel The Light That Failed is the story of a painter going blind and spurned by the woman he loves. He also wrote stylistically superb collections of stories like The Jungle Book and The Second Jungle Book.
