One of Kipling’s least-known works is at once his most autobiographical, a nostalgic if unsentimental look at his alma mater, the United Services College in Westward Ho! (near Bideford), North Devon. Stalky & Co. follows the colorful career of the three boys who virtually run the school, the eponymous Stalky (Arthur Corkran, also briefly known as “Corky”), M’Turk (William “Turky” McTurk), and Beetle (Reginald). The first two were based on Kipling’s actual school friends, while ‘Beetle’ is a fairly obvious stand-in for Kipling himself (and close enough to his actual nickname, Gigger, due to his spectacles which resembled giglamps). While the …
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Citation: Grasso, Joshua. "Stalky & Co". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 17 December 2019 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=1897, accessed 22 November 2024.]
