The Man Who Would Be King

The Man Who Would Be King is an adventure novella written by Rudyard Kipling in 1888.

The story, set in 19th century India, presents the story of two characters who cross paths with the narrator and ask for his help to achieve their great goal: to become the kings of Kafiristan (a remote part of northeastern Afghanistan).

The narrator, who is an alter ego of Rudyard Kipling himself, is a journalist based in India at the time when it was a colony of the United Kingdom. He tells how he crosses paths at different points in the story with these two Englishmen, motivated in equal parts by adventure and greed.

However, this couple will not know the consequences that embarking on this project can bring...

The story is based on a true story of a British man named James Brooke who became the first Rajah of Sarawak in Borneo.

"Brother to a Prince and fellow to a beggar if he be found worthy. The Law, as quoted, lays down a fair conduct of life, and one not easy to follow. I have been fellow to a beggar again and again under circumstances which prevented either of us finding out whether the other was worthy".

This edition of The Man Who Would Be King is based on Brentano’s at 31 Union Square, New York edition.