Plain Tales from the Hills

Plain Tales from the Hills , Rudyard Kipling's first collection of short stories, established his reputation and brought India to the British imagination. Including the stories Lispeth , Beyond the Pale and In the Pride of His Youth , they tell of soldiers, wise children, exiles, forbidden romances and divided identities, creating a rich portrait of Anglo-Indian society. Originally published for a newspaper in Lahore when Kipling was a journalist, the tales were later revised by him to re-create as vividly as possible the sights and smells of India for readers at home. Far from being a celebration of empire, these stories explore the barriers between races, classes and sexes, and convey all the tensions and contradictions of colonial life.