Oundle pupil wins the John Slater Memorial Kipling Essay Prize

Published on isbi School News dated Wednesday 5th of June 2013

On 21 May, Oundle School Lower Sixth former, Clementine Bailey was jointly awarded, together with a student from St Paul's Girls School, the John Slater Memorial Kipling Essay prize for 2013.

The prizes were presented by the President, Lt Col Roger Ayers at the Kipling Society's Annual lunch held in the India and Pakistan Banqueting Room, the Royal Overseas League, Park Place, London.

Professor Leonee Ormond, Chair of the Society, was pleased to address the prize winners and to commend the high standard of submissions this year. She remarked on the pleasure that the judging panel had taken in the lively, engaging and informed critiques of Kipling's verse and prose by the Sixth Form writers.

In her essay, Clemmie had chosen to contend with the assertion that Kipling was 'just' a writer for children, offering a detailed examination of his style and themes with illustration drawn from The Just So Stories, The Jungle Book, Tales From the Hills and Kim. She contended that Kipling was a memorable, resonant and rhythmic storyteller for children but these qualities were the mark of a fine prose and poetry writer and made his works something that parents would share with children and children would recollect, treasure and in turn pass on from childhood readings. Clemmie also observed that Kipling's style and the messages of his narratives were both complex and profound and that this constituted part of his lasting appeal for both adult and child readers; one could grow in, through and with Kipling.

Clemmie was pleased to receive a set of copies of some of Kipling's works together with a cash prize for herself and for the School.