The Man Who Would Be King

short story by Kipling

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Article History

The Man Who Would Be King, short story by Rudyard Kipling, first published in The Phantom Rickshaw, and Other Tales in 1888. The piece, which is narrated by a British journalist in India, is about a pair of comic adventurers who briefly establish themselves as godlike leaders of a native tribe in Afghanistan. Exploring the nature of friendship and British imperialism, the story examines the differences between experiences felt and experiences described, ambition and achievement, and reality and fiction.

This article was most recently revised and updated by J.E. Luebering.