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Mary Postgate
Of Miss Mary Postgate, Lady McCausland wrote that she was 'thoroughly conscientious, tidy, companionable, and ladylike. I am very sorry to part with her, and shall always be interested in her welfare.' Miss Fowler engaged her on this recommendation, and to her surprise, for she had had experience of companions, found that it was true. Miss Fowler was nearer sixty than fifty at the time, but though she needed care she did not exhaust her attendant's vitality. On the contrary, she gave out, stimulatingly and with reminiscences. Her father had been a minor Court official in the days when the Great Exhibition of 1851 had just set its seal on Civilisation made perfect. Some of Miss Fowler's tales, none the less, were not always for the young. Mary was not young, and though her speech was as colourless as her eyes or her hair, she was never shocked.
26 pages, Paperback
First published January 9, 2013
1 person is currently reading
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About the author
Rudyard Kipling
7,242 books3,739 followersJoseph Rudyard Kipling was a journalist, short-story writer, poet, and novelist.
Kipling's works of fiction include The Jungle Book (1894), Kim (1901), and many short stories, including The Man Who Would Be King (1888). His poems include Mandalay (1890), Gunga Din (1890), The Gods of the Copybook Headings (1919), The White Man's Burden (1899), and If— (1910). He is regarded as a major innovator in the art of the short story; his children's books are classics of children's literature; and one critic described his work as exhibiting "a versatile and luminous narrative gift".
Kipling was one of the most popular writers in the United Kingdom, in both prose and verse, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Henry James said: "Kipling strikes me personally as the most complete man of genius (as distinct from fine intelligence) that I have ever known." In 1907, at the age of 41, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature, making him the first English-language writer to receive the prize, and its youngest recipient to date. He was also sounded out for the British Poet Laureateship and on several occasions for a knighthood, both of which he declined.
Awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1907 "in consideration of the power of observation, originality of imagination, virility of ideas and remarkable talent for narration which characterize the creations of this world-famous author."
Kipling kept writing until the early 1930s, but at a slower pace and with much less success than before. On the night of 12 January 1936, Kipling suffered a haemorrhage in his small intestine. He underwent surgery, but died less than a week later on 18 January 1936 at the age of 70 of a perforated duodenal ulcer. Kipling's death had in fact previously been incorrectly announced in a magazine, to which he wrote, "I've just read that I am dead. Don't forget to delete me from your list of subscribers."
Kipling's works of fiction include The Jungle Book (1894), Kim (1901), and many short stories, including The Man Who Would Be King (1888). His poems include Mandalay (1890), Gunga Din (1890), The Gods of the Copybook Headings (1919), The White Man's Burden (1899), and If— (1910). He is regarded as a major innovator in the art of the short story; his children's books are classics of children's literature; and one critic described his work as exhibiting "a versatile and luminous narrative gift".
Kipling was one of the most popular writers in the United Kingdom, in both prose and verse, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Henry James said: "Kipling strikes me personally as the most complete man of genius (as distinct from fine intelligence) that I have ever known." In 1907, at the age of 41, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature, making him the first English-language writer to receive the prize, and its youngest recipient to date. He was also sounded out for the British Poet Laureateship and on several occasions for a knighthood, both of which he declined.
Awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1907 "in consideration of the power of observation, originality of imagination, virility of ideas and remarkable talent for narration which characterize the creations of this world-famous author."
Kipling kept writing until the early 1930s, but at a slower pace and with much less success than before. On the night of 12 January 1936, Kipling suffered a haemorrhage in his small intestine. He underwent surgery, but died less than a week later on 18 January 1936 at the age of 70 of a perforated duodenal ulcer. Kipling's death had in fact previously been incorrectly announced in a magazine, to which he wrote, "I've just read that I am dead. Don't forget to delete me from your list of subscribers."
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
February 15, 2016
I don't think Kipling liked the Germans very much.
November 29, 2016
Haunting. Poor Mary. This is a sad little story, that delves into some very dark places.
February 8, 2020
I have arranged my takeaway thoughts into haiku:
"Easy to mistake
What flinty depths might exist
Beneath still waters."
"Easy to mistake
What flinty depths might exist
Beneath still waters."
May 19, 2020
"Mary Postgate" by Rudyard Kipling **
Oppressed woman finds sense of empowerment by the grizzly denial of a ghastly predicament.
"Then the end came very distinctly in a lull between two rain-gusts."
Oppressed woman finds sense of empowerment by the grizzly denial of a ghastly predicament.
"Then the end came very distinctly in a lull between two rain-gusts."
November 9, 2020
Great short story.
March 19, 2021
Written in a war environment and yet forgettable.
March 16, 2022
Despite the emotionally charged themes, this story lacked passion. I could see its origins as propaganda, and unfortunately that meant I found it manipulative rather than thought-provoking.
April 11, 2024
Sad story
July 9, 2024
Kipling's best WW I short story, with deep psychological meanings.
February 12, 2025
A sad tale that speaks to the heart of human nature and its double-standards while also showing that this life is not all that it should be.
March 7, 2017
Psychological propaganda piece written during WW I.
March 2, 2023
Ovviamente propaganda. Ovviamente nazionalista e orribilmente deumanizzante nei confronti di chi, in quel momento era per gli inglesi il "nemico". Però la scena di Mary Postgate che, pistola in mano e nemico di fronte a sé, guarda l'orologio da polso e realizza che mancano solo trenta minuti all'ora del tè mi ha fatto venire un brivido lungo alla schiena, e qualcosa questo dovrà pur valere.
October 23, 2016
21/100 Glimpse of Truth Short Stories
Interesting character study, all the more so after learning of Rudyard's son John.
Interesting character study, all the more so after learning of Rudyard's son John.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews