If—

Rudyard Kipling’s “If—,” written in 1895 and published in Rewards and Fairies (1910), is a historical fantasy book consisting of a series of short stories, each preceded and followed by a poem. “If—” is a didactic poem that provides inspiration and guidance on the ideal behavior to be a better person. It underscores the virtuous stoicism so often attributed to the Victorian era and so often characterized as a definitive British character trait. Kipling found inspiration for the poem in the beliefs and actions of Scottish colonial politician Leander Starr Jameson. Jameson led the failed 1895 raid (the Jameson Raid) against Paul Kruger’s Boer government. However, Kipling wrote the poem to his son, John, so its message is universal.

Poet Biography

Rudyard Kipling was born in 1865 in Bombay (now Mumbai), on India’s west coast. He later received his education in England. As a child, Kipling spoke English, Hindi, and Portuguese. His language fluency is evident in his body of work, which deals with issues of language and identity. In 1882, he returned to India to work as a reporter.

Departmental Ditties (1886) launched Kipling’s literary career. Despite the poetry collection’s success, however, Kipling was mostly known as a short story writer. The popularity of his work did lead to various awards, yet Kipling declined both the British Poet Laureateship and knighthood.