Kim's World, India, Tibet and the Great Game

Kipling's 'Kim' is strongly rooted in reality both in its images of late nineteenth century India and in several of its actual characters. In this talk you will meet the originals of the Lama, the Babu and others and see how the novel reflects both the reality of the Great Game played across Central Asia principally by Russian and British spies, and the fascination with exotic cultures and beliefs that characterised European scholarship of the day.  Recommended reading:  Peter Hopkirk's the Quest for Kim.

Heleanor Feltham, BA (hon) Dip. Ed., PhD began tutoring in the English Department of Sydney University and then switched to the Powerhouse Museum, specialising in material culture.  She has been involved with adult education for many years, with a particular interest in China, Persia, Central Asia and the Silk Road.  A founder of the Asian Arts Society of Australia and original editor of its journal, she retired from the museum in 2002 and is currently a visiting scholar in International Studies at UTS.
Her interest in Kipling goes back to her early childhood in New Guinea, when her father read her the Just So Stories and other children's books and recited reams of Kipling's poems.  She is currently writing a book on lions.