Rudyard Kipling (1865 - 1936) was an English poet, short-story writer, and novelist. He received the Nobel Prize for Literature, the first English Language write to receive the prize and to date he remains the youngest writer. He is known for writing about the Empire. Literary critic Douglas Kerr wrote, "....as the age of the European empires recedes, he is recognised as an incomparable, if controversial, interpreter of how empire was experienced. That, and an increasing recognition of his extraordinary narrative gifts, make him a force to be reckoned with." Henry James said: "Kipling strikes me personally as the most complete man of genius (as distinct from fine intelligence) that I have ever known."