Souvenirs of France

'Sixty pages… of memory, praise, nostalgia and gratitude' Julian Barnes

Rudyard Kipling's love affair with India is well-documented but his affection for France and its people is less well-known. It started at the age of twelve when he would regularly accompany his father to the Paris Exhibition of 1878, where the elder Kipling was in charge of the Indian Section of Arts and Manufactures. Young Rudyard would be sent off in the morning with two francs in his pocket and instructions to stay out of trouble. He would spend his money on ‘satisfying déjeuners’ and ‘celestial gingerbreads’ as well as frequent trips up inside the head of the Statue of Liberty, then part of the Exhibition prior to being shipped to Ellis Island.

He returned to France a decade later, as a young man, and then regularly in the years that followed, sometimes for pleasure, sometimes on business – such as when working for the British Imperial War Graves Commission. He was a frequent visitor for the rest of his life.

Souvenirs of France was originally published in 1933, and was one of the last of Kipling's books to appear during his lifetime. It is a very personal and fascinating portrait of a great writer and of a country that had a special place in his heart.

Part of the Very Short Classics series, a collection of short books from around the world and across the centuries, many of which are being made available as ebooks for the very first time.