By 1897, Rudyard Kipling was not only one of the most acclaimed authors of his time, but the highest paid writer in the whole world. For his literary success, Rudyard (née Joseph) has an inner “daemon” to thank, which he claims helped him write his most famous work, ‘The Jungle Book’. Hey, whatever works for you, dude.

A child of colonial India, Rudyard Kipling projected many of his feelings about belonging and alienation through the wolf-cub Mowgli, a boy raised away from people of his own kind. For his widely loved works of fiction, Kipling became Britain’s first Nobel laureate in literature, and even the Queen wanted to knight him. Writing aside, he did have some toxic political views, being an outspoken defender of the British Empire.