Stephen King

I

Introduction

Stephen King, born in 1947, American author, whose horror and fantasy works enjoy tremendous popular success. King is known for turning ordinary situations—such as peer pressure or marital stress—into terrifying ones. His exciting plots and prolific output helped reestablish horror fiction as a vital literary genre in the late 20th century. King has also led the way in adopting innovative publishing techniques.

Born in Portland, Maine, King wrote his first story at the age of 7 and sold his first piece of writing to a magazine when he was 18 years old. He earned a B.A. degree from the University of Maine at Orono in 1970 and began teaching high school English.

II

Fiction

In 1973 King’s first novel, Carrie, was published. The book tells the story of a teenager who exacts deadly revenge on her high school classmates by using her powers of telekinesis, the ability to move objects without touching them. After Carrie, King became a bestselling horror writer, publishing a string of popular books. King’s The Shining (1977), about a man who slowly goes crazy, is set in a haunted, snowbound hotel. The Stand (1978) depicts an apocalyptic showdown between forces of good and evil. Christine (1983) features a sinister car that seems to come to life, and It (1986) concerns a group of childhood friends who reunite to confront an evil presence in their hometown. King’s many other novels include Misery (1987), Needful Things (1991), Insomnia (1994), Rose Madder (1995), The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon (1999), Dreamcatcher (2001), From a Buick 8 (2002), and The Colorado Kid (2005). In Cell (2006) a mysterious mobile phone pulse turns people into homicidal zombies. Lisey’s Story (2006) is a more serious novel that explores marriage and a woman’s grief after her husband’s death. In Duma Key (2008) King gives his characters psychic powers following near-death experiences.

King moved into fantasy with The Dark Tower, a series of books centered on the character Roland of Gilead, or the Gunslinger, who is hunting the mysterious Man in Black. The seven-part series comprises The Gunslinger (1982), The Drawing of the Three (1987), The Waste Lands (1991), Wizard and Glass (1997), Wolves of the Calla (2003), Song of Susannah (2004), and The Dark Tower (2004). His collections of short fiction include Night Shift (1978), Different Seasons (1982), Skeleton Crew (1985), Four Past Midnight (1990), Nightmares and Dreamscapes (1993), and Everything’s Eventual (2002). He has also written several books under the pseudonym Richard Bachman.

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King has also explored unusual publishing options. In 1996 he issued the novel The Green Mile in six monthly paperback installments as a means of heightening its tension. The work was later published in a complete version and made into the movie The Green Mile (1999), starring Tom Hanks. In 2000 King became one of the first well-known authors to publish a work exclusively as an e-book, or electronic book, available online for download onto computers, personal digital assistants (PDAs), and other devices. A larger work, The Plant, was released in electronic installments in 2000, but the project was halted after six chapters.

III

Nonfiction

Although nearly killed when he was hit by a car while walking along a road in 1999, King kept on writing. His book On Writing (2000) describes the accident and his recovery, along with his writing experiences and career. A baseball fan, King coauthored Faithful (2004) with novelist Stewart O’Nan, a nonfiction work that chronicles the 2004 championship season of the Boston Red Sox.

IV

Motion Pictures and Awards

Many of King’s works have been made into motion pictures. They include: Carrie (1976), The Shining (1980), Cujo (1983), The Dead Zone (1983), Misery (1990), The Shawshank Redemption (1994), Apt Pupil (1998), Hearts in Atlantis (2001), Dreamcatcher (2003), and Secret Window (2004).

King has won many awards, including a Hugo Award for the nonfiction work Danse Macabre (1980) and an O. Henry Award for the short story “The Man in the Black Suit” (1994). In 2003 he received the medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters from the National Book Foundation.

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