The Man Who Would be King Author:Rudyard Kipling The Man Who Would be King (1888) is a short story by Rudyard Kipling chronicling the adventures of two British men who become kings in Kafiristan (now a province of Afghanistan). Joseph Rudyard Kipling (December 30, 1865 ? January 18, 1936) was an English author and poet, born in India, and best known today for his children's books, including T... more »he Jungle Book (1894), The Second Jungle Book (1895), Just So Stories (1902), and Puck of Pook's Hill (1906); his novel, Kim (1901); his poems, including Mandalay (1890), Gunga Din (1890), and "If?" (1910); and his many short stories, including "The Man Who Would Be King" (1888) and the collections Life's Handicap (1891), The Day's Work (1898), and Plain Tales from the Hills (1888). He is regarded as a major "innovator in the art of the short story"; his children's books are enduring classics of children's literature; and his best work speaks to a versatile and luminous narrative gift.« less