Stephen King
Stephen King, February 2007
Born	September 21, 1947 (1947-09-21) (age 60) Portland, Maine, United States
Pen name	Richard Bachman, John Swithen
Occupation	Novelist, Short story writer, Screenwriter, Columnist, Actor, Producer, Director
Genres	Horror fiction, Fantasy, Science fiction, Drama
Spouse(s)	Tabitha King
Children	3 Naomi Rachel King Joe King Owen King
Influences Burton Hatlen [1], Robert Bloch, Clifford Simak, Ray Bradbury, William Golding, Shirley Jackson, Fritz Leiber, H. P. Lovecraft, Richard Matheson, John D. MacDonald, Don Robertson, Thomas Hardy, Theodore Dreiser, John Fowles, Edgar Allan Poe, J. R. R. Tolkien, Stanley G. Weinbaum, Robert Browning (Dark Tower Series), Daphne du Maurier (Bag of Bones), Alexandre Dumas, père (Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption) Rod Serling (The Langoliers)
Influenced Bentley Little, Scott Sigler, Sarah Pinborough
Official website http://www.stephenking.com

Stephen Edwin King (born September 21, 1947) is an award-winning, prolific, and best-selling American author, screenwriter, columnist, actor, producer and director. Stephen King (Stephen Edwin King, born September 21, 1947) is a highly successful writer of horror fiction novels. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 632 × 599 pixel Image in higher resolution (873 × 828 pixel, file size: 152 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Stephen King Metadata... is the 264th day of the year (265th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1947 (MCMXLVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1947 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Nickname: Motto: Resurgam (Latin for I will rise again) Coordinates: , Country State County Cumberland Settled 1632 Incorporated 1786 Government  - Mayor Nicholas M. Mavodones, Jr Area  - City  52. ... A pen name or nom de plume is a pseudonym adopted by an author. ... This article is about work. ... A literary genre is one of the divisions of literature into genres according to particular criteria such as literary technique, tone, or content. ... “Horror story” redirects here. ... For other uses, see Fantasy (disambiguation). ... Science fiction is a form of speculative fiction principally dealing with the impact of imagined science and technology, or both, upon society and persons as individuals. ... For other uses, see Drama (disambiguation). ... Tabitha King (born Tabitha Spruce on March 24, 1949) is an American author, the wife of author Stephen King, and the mother of three children, two of whom are also published authors. ... Joseph Hillstrom King (born 1972) is an American writer of fiction, writing under the pen name of Joe Hill. ... This page may meet Wikipedia’s criteria for speedy deletion. ... Robert Albert Bloch (April 5, 1917, Chicago-September 23, 1994, Los Angeles) was a prolific American writer. ... Clifford Donald Simak (August 3, 1904 _ April 25, 1988) was an American science fiction author. ... Ray Douglas Bradbury (born August 22, 1920) is an American literary, fantasy, horror, science fiction, and mystery writer best known for The Martian Chronicles, a 1950 book which has been described both as a short story collection and a novel, and his 1953 dystopian novel Fahrenheit 451. ... Sir William Gerald Golding (19 September 1911 – 19 June 1993) was a British novelist, poet and Nobel Prize for Literature laureate best known for his novel Lord of the Flies. ... Shirley Jackson (December 14, 1916 [1] – August 8, 1965) was an influential American author. ... Fritz Leiber portrait by Ed Emshwiller on July 1969 special issue devoted to Leiber. ... This article is about the author. ... Richard Matheson (born February 20, 1926) is an American author and screenwriter, typically of fantasy, horror, or science fiction. ... John Dann MacDonald (July 24, 1916 – December 28, 1986), writing as John D. MacDonald, was an American writer best known for his series of detective novels featuring protagonist Travis McGee. ... Thomas Hardy redirects here. ... Theodore Herman Albert Dreiser (August 27, 1871 – December 28, 1945) was an American author of the naturalist school, known for dealing with the gritty reality of life. ... John Robert Fowles John Robert Fowles (March 31, 1926 – November 5, 2005) was an English novelist and essayist. ... Edgar Allan Poe (January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an American poet, short story writer, playwright, editor, literary critic, essayist and one of the leaders of the American Romantic Movement. ... Tolkien redirects here. ... Stanley Grauman Weinbaum (1902-December 14, 1935) was an American science fiction author. ... Robert Browning (May 7, 1812 – December 12, 1889) was a British poet and playwright whose mastery of dramatic verse, especially dramatic monologues, made him one of the foremost Victorian poets. ... Daphne, Lady Browning DBE (13 May 1907–19 April 1989), commonly known as Dame Daphne du Maurier (IPA: ), was a famous British novelist, playwright and short story writer. ... Alexandre Dumas redirects here. ... Rodman Edward Rod Serling (December 25, 1924 – June 28, 1975) was an American screenwriter, most famous for his science fiction anthology television series, The Twilight Zone. ... Bentley Little is the author of numerous horror novels. ... Scott Carl Sigler is a contemporary American author of science fiction and horror as well as an avid podcaster. ... Sarah Pinborough is an English born horror writer whose books have found success in the United States. ... is the 264th day of the year (265th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1947 (MCMXLVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1947 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see Author (disambiguation). ...

Having sold over 350 million copies of his books, King is best known for his work in horror fiction, which demonstrates a thorough knowledge of the genre's history. He has also written science fiction, fantasy, short-fiction, non-fiction, screenplays, teleplays and stageplays. Many of his stories have been adapted for other media, including movies, television series, and comic books. King has written a number of books using the pen name Richard Bachman and one short story where he was credited as John Swithen. In 2003 he received The National Book Foundation's Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters. “Horror story” redirects here. ... Science fiction is a form of speculative fiction principally dealing with the impact of imagined science and technology, or both, upon society and persons as individuals. ... For other uses, see Fantasy (disambiguation). ... Richard Bachmans author photo. ... The Fifth Quarter is a short story written by Stephen King, originally published in Cavalier (under the pen name John Swithen) and collected in Kings short story anthology Nightmares and Dreamscapes. ... The National Book Foundation, founded 1988, is a non-profit American literary foundation established to raise the cultural appreciation of great writing in America. ... The National Book Awards is one of the most preeminent literary prizes in the United States. ...

Biography

Early life

Stephen Edwin King was born in Portland, Maine on September 21, 1947 to Donald Edwin and Nellie Ruth Pillsbury King. When King was two years old, his father deserted the family when going to get a pack of cigarettes, leaving his mother to raise King and his adopted older brother David by herself, sometimes under great financial strain. The family moved to West De Pere, Wisconsin, Fort Wayne, Indiana, and Stratford, Connecticut, but when King was eleven, they returned to Raymond, New Hampshire where Ruth King cared for her parents until their death. She then became a caterer in a local residential facility for the mentally challenged. ^[2] Nickname: Motto: Resurgam (Latin for I will rise again) Coordinates: , Country State County Cumberland Settled 1632 Incorporated 1786 Government  - Mayor Nicholas M. Mavodones, Jr Area  - City  52. ... Official language(s) None (English and French de facto) Capital Augusta Largest city Portland Area  Ranked 39th  - Total 33,414 sq mi (86,542 km²)  - Width 210 miles (338 km)  - Length 320 miles (515 km)  - % water 13. ... is the 264th day of the year (265th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1947 (MCMXLVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1947 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Adoption is the legal act of permanently placing a child with a parent or parents other than the birth parents. ... De Pere is a city located in Brown County in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. ... Nickname: Motto: Room for Dreams Location in the state of Indiana, USA Coordinates: , Country United States State Indiana County Allen Founded October 22, 1794 Incorporated February 22, 1840 Government  - Mayor Tom Henry (D)  - City Clerk Sandra Kennedy (D)  - City Council Marty Bender (R) Liz Brown (R) John Shoaff (D) Tom... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Raymond is a town located in Rockingham County, New Hampshire. ...

As a child, King apparently witnessed one of his friends being struck and killed by a train, though he has no memory of the event. His family told him that after leaving home to play with the boy, King returned, speechless and seemingly in shock. Only later did the family learn of the friend's death. Some commentators have suggested that this event may have psychologically inspired King's dark, disturbing creations.^[3] but King himself has dismissed the idea.^[4] This also may have been what sparked the idea for the novella The Body, later made into the motion picture entitled "Stand by Me" and starring the late River Phoenix. The Body: Fall from Innocence is a novella by Stephen King, originally published in the 1982 collection Different Seasons. ... For other uses, see Stand by Me. ... River Jude Phoenix (August 23, 1970 – October 31, 1993) was an Academy Award- and Golden Globe-nominated American film actor. ...

Education and early creativity

King attended Durham Elementary School followed by Lisbon Falls High School. He displayed an early interest in horror as an avid reader of EC's horror comics, including Tales from the Crypt (he later paid tribute to the comics in his screenplay for Creepshow). He began writing for fun while still in school, contributing articles to Dave's Rag, the newspaper that his brother published with a mimeograph machine, and later began selling stories to his friends which were based on movies he had seen (though when discovered by his teachers, he was forced to return the profits). Lisbon Falls is a census-designated place located in Androscoggin County, Maine. ... Entertaining Comics was headed by William Gaines but is better known by its publishing name of EC Comics. ... The original title, Crime Patrol. ... Creepshow is a classic 1982 anthology horror movie directed by George A. Romero (of Night of the Living Dead and Dawn of the Dead fame), and written by Stephen King (The Shining, Misery, The Stand). ... Mimeograph machine The mimeograph machine (commonly abbreviated to mimeo) or stencil duplicator was a printing machine that was far cheaper per copy than any other process in runs of several hundred to several thousand copies. ...

From 1966 King studied English at the University of Maine, where he graduated in 1970 with a Bachelor of Arts in English. He wrote a weekly column for the student newspaper, the Maine Campus, titled "King's Garbage Truck", took part in a writing workshop organized by Burton Hatlen,^[1] and took odd jobs to pay for his studies, including one at an industrial laundry. He made his first professional short story sale while at UMaine, selling "The Glass Floor" to Startling Mystery Stories in 1967.^[5] The Fogler Library at UMaine now holds the papers of King. The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... UMO redirects here, but this abbreviation is also used informally to mean the Mozilla Add-ons website, formerly Mozilla Update Should not be confused with Université du Maine, in Le Mans, France The University of Maine, established in 1865, is the flagship university of the University of Maine System. ... A B.A. issued from the University of Tennessee. ... UMO redirects here, but this abbreviation is also used informally to mean the Mozilla Add-ons website, formerly Mozilla Update Should not be confused with Université du Maine, in Le Mans, France The University of Maine, established in 1865, is the flagship university of the University of Maine System. ...

After leaving university King gained a certificate to teach high school but, being unable to find a teaching post immediately, initially supplemented his laboring wage by selling short stories to men's magazines. In 1971, King married Tabitha Spruce, a contemporary at UMaine, whom he had met in the stacks of the Fogler Library. That fall, King found employment as a teacher at Hampden Academy in Hampden, Maine. He continued to contribute short stories to magazines and worked on ideas for novels.^[6] It was during this time that King developed a drinking problem, which would stay with him for over a decade. This is a list of magazines primarily marketed to men. ... Tabitha King (born Tabitha Spruce on March 24, 1949) is an American author, the wife of author Stephen King, and the mother of three children, two of whom are also published authors. ... Hampden Academy is a public high school located on Main Street in Hampden, Maine. ... Hampden is a town located in Penobscot County, Maine. ...

Success

First Edition of Carrie

On Mother's Day, 1973, King's novel Carrie was accepted by publishing house Doubleday. King has written how he became so discouraged when trying to develop the idea of a girl with psychic powers into a novel that he threw an early draft in the trash only for Tabitha to rescue it and encourage him to finish it.^[7] He received a $2,500 advance (not large for a novel, even at that time) but the paperback rights eventually earned $400,000, with half going to the publisher. He learned from his editor Bill Thompson that major paperback sales could lead to the opportunity for King to leave teaching and to write full-time. King and his family relocated to Southern Maine because of his mother's failing health. At this time he began writing a book titled Second Coming, later titled Jerusalem's Lot, before finally changing the title to 'Salem's Lot (published 1975). Soon after the release of Carrie in 1974, his mother died of uterine cancer. His Aunt Emrine read the novel to her before she died. King has written of his severe drinking problem at this time, stating that he was drunk while delivering the eulogy at his mother's funeral.^[8] Image File history File linksMetadata Carrienovel. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Carrienovel. ... Carrie (1974) is Stephen Kings first published novel. ... It has been suggested that The Crime Club be merged into this article or section. ... Edgar Cayce (1877 – 1945) was one of the best-known American psychics of the 20th century and made many highly publicized predictions. ... Official language(s) None (English and French de facto) Capital Augusta Largest city Portland Area  Ranked 39th  - Total 33,414 sq mi (86,542 km²)  - Width 210 miles (338 km)  - Length 320 miles (515 km)  - % water 13. ... Salems Lot is a horror novel by Stephen King, written in 1975, and was Kings second published novel. ... Carrie (1974) is Stephen Kings first published novel. ... Endometrial cancer involves cancerous growth of the endometrium (lining of the uterus). ...

Despite the loss of his mother and his dependency problems, this was an exciting time for King. After his mother's death, King and his family moved to Boulder, Colorado, where King wrote The Shining (published 1977). The family returned to Western Maine in 1975, where King completed his fourth novel, The Stand (published 1978). In 1977 the family traveled briefly to England, returning to Maine that fall where King began a post teaching creative writing at UMaine. King has kept his primary residence in Maine ever since, continuing to write. Boulder is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and most populous city of Boulder County, Colorado, in the United States. ... For other uses of this term, see Shining. ... Official language(s) None (English and French de facto) Capital Augusta Largest city Portland Area  Ranked 39th  - Total 33,414 sq mi (86,542 km²)  - Width 210 miles (338 km)  - Length 320 miles (515 km)  - % water 13. ... The Stand is a post-apocalyptic Horror/Science Fiction novel by Stephen King originally published in 1978. ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... Official language(s) None (English and French de facto) Capital Augusta Largest city Portland Area  Ranked 39th  - Total 33,414 sq mi (86,542 km²)  - Width 210 miles (338 km)  - Length 320 miles (515 km)  - % water 13. ...

Richard Bachman

Main article: Richard Bachman

In the late 1970s-early 1980s, after becoming a popular horror writer, King published a handful of novels—Rage (1977), The Long Walk (1979), Road Work (1981), The Running Man (1982) and Thinner (1984)—under the pseudonym Richard Bachman. The idea behind this was largely an experiment to measure for himself whether or not he could replicate his own success again, and allay at least part of the notion inside his own head that popularity might all be just an accident of fate. An alternate (or additional) explanation was because of publishing standards back then allowing only a single book a year.^[9] Richard Bachmans author photo. ... For the film sequel to Carrie, see The Rage: Carrie 2 Rage (originally titled Getting It On) is the first novel by Stephen King published under the pseudonym Richard Bachman. ... This article is about the novel by Stephen King under the pseudonym Richard Bachman. For phenomenon seen in Judge Dredd comics, see The Long Walk (Judge Dredd). ... Road Work is a novel by Richard Bachman, also known as Stephen King. ... The Running Man (1982) is a science fiction novel by Stephen King, written under the pseudonym of Richard Bachman. ... Thinner is a 1984 novel by Stephen King, published under his pseudonym, Richard Bachman. ...

But there's another part that suggests it's all a lottery, a real-life game-show not much different from Wheel of Fortune or The New Price Is Right (two of the Bachman books, incidentally, are about game-show-type competitions). It is for some reason depressing to think it was all—or even mostly—an accident. So maybe you try to find out if you could do it again.^[10]

The Bachman novels contained hints to the author's actual identity that were picked up on by fans, leading to King's admission of authorship in 1985. King dedicated his 1989 book The Dark Half about a pseudonym turning on a writer to "the deceased Richard Bachman", and in 1996, when the Stephen King novel Desperation was released, the companion novel The Regulators carried the Bachman byline. --58. ... Desperation. ... The Regulators is a novel by Stephen King under the pseudonym Richard Bachman. ...

Cover of Blaze by Richard Bachman (a.k.a. Stephen King)

In 2006, during a London UK press conference, King declared that he had discovered another Bachman novel, titled Blaze. It was published on June 12, 2007 in the UK and US. In fact, the manuscript had been held at King's alma mater, the University of Maine in Orono for many years and had been covered by numerous King experts. King completely rewrote the 1973 manuscript for its publication. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Blaze is a novel written by Stephen King under the name Richard Bachman. ... is the 163rd day of the year (164th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ...

Confronting addiction

Shortly after The Tommyknockers publication in 1987, King's family and friends staged an intervention, dumping evidence of his addiction taken from the trash including beer cans, cigarette butts, grams of cocaine, Xanax, Valium, NyQuil, dextromethorphan (cough medicine), and marijuana, on the rug in front of him. As King related in his memoir, he then sought help and quit all forms of drugs and alcohol in the late 1980s, and has remained sober since.^[11] The Novel The Tommyknockers is a 1987 horror novel by Stephen King. ... For other uses, see Cocaine (disambiguation). ... Alprazolam, also known under the trade names Xanax and Niravam, is a short-acting drug in the benzodiazepine class used to treat severe anxiety disorders and as an adjunctive treatment for anxiety associated with clinical depression. ... Diazepam, brand names: Valium, Seduxen, in Europe Apozepam, is a 1,4-benzodiazepine derivative, which possesses anxiolytic, anticonvulsant, sedative and skeletal muscle relaxant properties. ... NyQuil LiquiCaps NyQuil, produced by the Vicks company, is the brand name of a family of cold medicine designed to help relieve many symptoms of the common cold. ... Dextromethorphan (DXM or DM) is an antitussive (cough suppressant) drug found in many over-the-counter cold and cough medicines. ... Cannabis, also known as marijuana[1] or ganja (Hindi: गांजा),[2] is a psychoactive product of the plant Cannabis sativa. ...

Car accident and thoughts of retirement

In the summer of 1999, King had finished the memoir section of On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft but had abandoned the book for nearly eighteen months, unsure of how or whether to proceed. King says that it was the first book that he'd abandoned since writing The Stand decades earlier. He had just decided to continue the book and on June 17 wrote a list of questions fans frequently asked him about writing; on June 18, he wrote four pages of the writing section. On Writing. ... The Stand is a post-apocalyptic Horror/Science Fiction novel by Stephen King originally published in 1978. ... is the 168th day of the year (169th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 169th day of the year (170th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

Bryan Smith's van.

On June 19, at about 4:30 p.m., he was walking on the right shoulder of Route 5 in Center Lovell, Maine. Driver Bryan Smith, distracted by an unrestrained Rottweiler named Bullet, moving in the back of his 1985 Dodge Caravan,^[12] struck King, who landed in a depression in the ground about 14 feet from the pavement of Route 5.^[13] Smith was leaning to the rear of his vehicle trying to restrain his dog and was not watching the road when he struck King. According to Oxford County Sheriff deputy Matt Baker, King was struck from behind and witnesses said the driver was not speeding or reckless.^[14] King's website, however, states this is incorrect and that King was walking facing traffic. Image File history File links Smithcar. ... Image File history File links Smithcar. ... is the 170th day of the year (171st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Bryan Smith. ... This article is about the dog breed. ... It has been suggested that this article be split into articles entitled Dodge Caravan and Dodge Grand Caravan, accessible from a disambiguation page. ...

King was conscious enough to give the deputy phone numbers to contact his family but was in considerable pain. King mentioned in an interview that he told a paramedic he knew he was going into shock, as he had done research on the subject for his writing. The author was first transported to Northern Cumberland Hospital in Bridgton and then flown by helicopter to Central Maine Hospital in Lewiston. His injuries—a collapsed right lung, multiple fractures of the right leg, scalp laceration and a broken hip—kept him in Central Maine Medical Center until July 9, almost three weeks later. This article is about the medical condition. ... The city of Lewiston to the right, with the twin-city of Auburn on the left. ... is the 190th day of the year (191st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

Earlier that year, King had finished most of From a Buick 8, a novel in which a character dies after getting struck by a car. Of the similarities, King says that he tries "not to make too much of it." King's work had certainly featured car accidents and their horrors before. His 1987 novel Misery also concerned a writer who experiences severe injuries in an auto accident, and auto wrecks figure prominently in The Dead Zone and Thinner. In Christine, a 1958 Plymouth Fury runs down its enemies. 1994's Insomnia has a main character struck dead by a car, and central to Pet Sematary's plot is the scene in which a tractor-trailer strikes and kills the protagonist's young son. Car accidents are also important plot elements in his The Dark Tower series. In what many consider to be his magnum opus, IT, the character Bill Denborough is struck by a car and thrown against the side of a building. Following his accident, King wrote Dreamcatcher, in which a central character suffers injuries similar to King's own after being struck by a car. From a Buick 8 is a novel by horror writer Stephen King. ... Misery is a horror novel by Stephen King, published in 1987. ... The Dead Zone is a novel by Stephen King published in 1979. ... Thinner is a 1984 novel by Stephen King, published under his pseudonym, Richard Bachman. ... This article is about the novel by Stephen King. ... Jan. ... The Plymouth Fury was an automobile made by the Plymouth division of the Chrysler Corporation from 1956 to 1978. ... Insomnia is a novel written by Stephen King and first published in 1994. ... This article is about Stephen Kings horror novel. ... For other uses, see The Dark Tower. ... Dreamcatcher (2001) is a novel written by Stephen King. ...

After five operations in ten days and physical therapy, King resumed work on On Writing in July, though his hip was still shattered and he could only sit for about forty minutes before the pain became intolerable. Physical therapy (or physiotherapy[1]) is the provision of services to people and populations to develop, maintain and restore maximum movement and functional ability throughout the lifespan. ...

King's lawyer and two others purchased Smith's van for $1,500, reportedly to avoid it appearing on eBay. The van was later crushed at a junkyard after King had severely beaten it with a baseball bat. Though King mentioned during an interview with Fresh Air's Terry Gross that he wanted to completely destroy the vehicle himself with a sledgehammer.^[15] Smith, a disabled construction worker, died of an overdose of pain medication on September 21, 2000 (King's birthday) at the age of 43. This article is about the online auction center. ... For the Scottish student radio station, see Fresh Air (Edinburgh). ... Terry Gross (born 1951) is the host and co-executive producer of Fresh Air, an interview format radio show produced by WHYY-FM in Philadelphia and distributed throughout the United States by National Public Radio. ... is the 264th day of the year (265th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2000 (MM) was a leap year starting on Saturday. ...

Two years later, King suffered a severe case of pneumonia as a direct result of the puncturing of his lung at the time of the accident. The lower portion of one lung became infected and had putrefied. During this time Tabitha King was inspired to redesign his studio. Stephen visited the space while his books and belongings were packed away. What he saw was an image of what his studio would look like if he died, providing a seed for his novel Lisey's Story. Liseys Story is a novel by Stephen King. ...

In 2002, King announced he would stop writing, apparently motivated in part by frustration with his injuries, which had made sitting uncomfortable and reduced his stamina. However, he continues to write, but states on his website that:

"I'm writing but I'm writing at a much slower pace than previously and I think that if I come up with something really, really good, I would be perfectly willing to publish it because that still feels like the final act of the creative process, publishing it so people can read it and you can get feedback and people can talk about it with each other and with you, the writer, but the force of my invention has slowed down a lot over the years and that's as it should be. I'm not a kid of 25 anymore and I'm not a young middle-aged man of 35 anymore—I'm 55 years old and I have grandchildren, two new puppies to house-train and I have a lot of things to do besides writing and that in and of itself is a wonderful thing but writing is still a big, important part of my life and of everyday."^[16]

Family life

King's home

King still lives in Maine, where they own two houses, one in Bangor, and one in Center Lovell, though he and his wife regularly spend winter in a waterfront mansion located off the Gulf of Mexico in Sarasota, Florida. He is still married to Tabitha, and they have three children and three grandchildren.^[17] Tabitha King is a published author with 9 novels to her name. Both King's sons are published authors: Owen King published his first collection of stories, We're All in This Together: A Novella and Stories in 2005; Joseph Hillstrom published an award-winning collection of short stories, 20th Century Ghosts, in 2005 and his first novel, Heart-Shaped Box will be adapted by Irish director Neil Jordan for a 2008 Warner Bros. release. King's daughter Naomi spent the past two years as a minister in the Unitarian Universalist Church in Utica, New York, where she lived with her lesbian partner Thandelka. She has since been reassigned to the Unitarian Universalist Church of River of Grass in South Florida. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1024x768, 248 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Stephen King Bangor, Maine Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the digital camera or scanner... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1024x768, 248 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Stephen King Bangor, Maine Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the digital camera or scanner... For other places with the same name, see Bangor. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Gulf of Mexico in 3D perspective. ... Cà dZan - a 1925 Sarasota residence that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places Sarasota is a city located in Sarasota County on the central west coast of Florida, USA. Its official limits include Sarasota Bay and several barrier islands between the bay and the Gulf of... Tabitha King (born Tabitha Spruce on March 24, 1949) is an American author, the wife of author Stephen King, and the mother of three children, two of whom are also published authors. ... This page may meet Wikipedia’s criteria for speedy deletion. ... Joseph Hillstrom King (born 1972) is an American writer of fiction, writing under the pen name of Joe Hill. ... 20th Century Ghosts was the first publication made by American author Joe Hill in October 2005 by PS Publishing which is based in the United Kingdom. ... Heart-Shaped Box is a 2007 horror novel by author Joe Hill, his first. ... Neil Jordan (born February 25, 1950) is an Academy Award-winning Irish filmmaker and novelist. ... “WB” redirects here. ... Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations Ecumenism · Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Constantine · Athanasius · Augustine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas · Wycliffe Tyndale · Luther · Calvin · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Pope · Archbishop of Canterbury Patriarch of Constantinople Christianity Portal This box:      For other types of... The flaming chalice is a widely used symbol for Unitarian Universalism. ... Utica, New York is a city in the state of New York, and the county seat of Oneida County. ...

Recent activity

In 2000, King published a serialized novel "The Plant" over the Internet, bypassing print publication. Sales were unsuccessful, and he abandoned the project.^[18] The Plant is a fiction novel published in 2000 by Stephen King. ...

Since 2003, King has provided his take on pop culture in a column appearing on the back page of Entertainment Weekly, usually every third week. The column is called "The Pop of King", a reference to "The King of Pop", Michael Jackson. Entertainment Weekly (sometimes abbreviated EW) is a magazine published by Time Inc. ... Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958), commonly known as MJ as well as the King of Pop, is an American musician, entertainer, and pop icon whose successful career and controversial personal life have been a part of pop culture for the last three decades. ...

In October 2005, King signed a deal with Marvel Comics, to publish a seven-issue, miniseries spinoff of The Dark Tower series called The Gunslinger Born. The series, which focuses on a young Roland Deschain, is plotted by Robin Furth, dialogued by Peter David, and illustrated by Eisner Award-winning artist Jae Lee. The first issue was published on February 7, 2007, and because of its connection with King, David, Lee, and Marvel Editor-in-Chief Joe Quesada appeared at a midnight signing at a Times Square, New York comic book store to promote it.^[19][20] The work had sold over 200,000 copies by March 2007.^[21] This article is about the comic book company. ... A miniseries (sometimes mini-series), in a serial storytelling medium, is a production which tells a story in a limited number of episodes. ... A spin-off (or spinoff) is a new organization or entity formed by a split from a larger one such as a new company formed from a university research group. ... For other uses, see The Dark Tower. ... Roland Deschain as depicted on the cover of The Dark Tower VII. Art by Michael Whelan . ... Peter Allen David (often abbreviated PAD) (born September 23, 1956) is an American writer, best known for his work in comic books and Star Trek novels. ... The Will Eisner Comic Industry Award is given for creative achievement in comic books. ... Cover art from Manhunter #4 (2005). ... is the 38th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... Joseph Joe Quesada (born December 1, 1962), colloquially known as Joe Q, is the editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics and a comic book writer and artist. ... For other uses, see Times Square (disambiguation). ... This article is about the state. ...

On February 14, 2007, Joblo.com announced^[22] that plans were underway for Lost co-creator J. J. Abrams to do an adaptation of King's epic Dark Tower series. is the 45th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... JoBlo. ... LOST redirects here. ... Jeffrey Abrams (also credited as J.J. Abrams) (born in 1966) is an Emmy Award-winning American film and television producer, writer, actor, composer and director. ...

In June 2007, King's novel Blaze, which was written in the early 1970s, under his long-time pseudonym Richard Bachman, was published. A novel, Duma Key was published in January 2008; and King has written a musical play with John Mellencamp titled Ghost Brothers of Darkland County. Blaze is a novel written by Stephen King under the name Richard Bachman. ... Richard Bachmans author photo. ... Duma Key is a forthcoming novel by horror writer Stephen King. ... John Mellencamp, also known as John Cougar and John Cougar Mellencamp, (born October 7, 1951) is a Grammy-winning American rock singer-songwriter and occasional actor. ... Ghost Brothers Of Darkland County is an upcoming musical written by novelist Stephen King with music by rock legend John Mellencamp. ...

On April 20, 2007, King commented on the Virginia Tech massacre in Entertainment Weekly.^[23] is the 110th day of the year (111th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... The Virginia Tech massacre was a school shooting consisting of two separate attacks approximately two hours apart on April 16, 2007, which took place on the campus of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) in Blacksburg, Virginia. ... Entertainment Weekly (sometimes abbreviated EW) is a magazine published by Time Inc. ...

On August 15, 2007, King was mistaken for a vandal in an Alice Springs bookstore. King signed six books in total, after a customer thought she had caught a vandal scribbling in volumes in the fiction section and reported him to store manager Bev Ellis.^[24] This article is about the day of the year. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... Alice Springs on a large scale map Alice Springs is a large town in the Northern Territory of Australia located at 23°42′ S 133°52′ E. Its population of 28,178 (2001 Census) makes it the second-largest settlement in the Territory (the only other towns of significant size...

King has recently voiced his support of Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama.^[25] “Barack” redirects here. ...

Interests

Philanthropy

Since becoming commercially successful, King and his wife have donated money to causes around their home state of Maine.

The Kings' early nineties donation to the University of Maine Swim Team saved the program from elimination from the school's athletics department. Donations to local YMCA and YWCA programs have allowed renovations and improvements that would otherwise have been impossible. Additionally, King annually sponsors a number of scholarships for high school and college students. UMO redirects here, but this abbreviation is also used informally to mean the Mozilla Add-ons website, formerly Mozilla Update Should not be confused with Université du Maine, in Le Mans, France The University of Maine, established in 1865, is the flagship university of the University of Maine System. ... Not to be confused with YWCA. This article is about the association. ... Not to be confused with YMCA. Neysa Moran McMein (1888-1949) Y.W.C.A. In Service for the Girls of the World, Poster, 1919 The YWCA (Young Womens Christian Association) is a womens membership movement that strives to create opportunities for womens growth, leadership and power...

The Kings do not desire recognition for their bankrolling of Bangor-area facilities: they named the Shawn T. Mansfield Stadium for a prominent local little league coach's son who had cerebral palsy, while the Beth Pancoe Aquatic Park memorializes an accomplished area swimmer who died of cancer.

Baseball

Stephen King is a fan of the Boston Red Sox and frequently attends home and away baseball games. He helped coach his son Owen's Bangor West team to the Maine Little League Championship in 1989. He recounts this experience in the New Yorker essay "Head Down," which also appears in the collection Nightmares and Dreamscapes. In 1999, King wrote The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon, which featured former Red Sox pitcher Tom Gordon as the protagonist's imaginary companion. King recently co-wrote a book titled Faithful: Two Diehard Boston Red Sox Fans Chronicle the Historic 2004 Season with Stewart O'Nan, recounting the authors' roller coaster reaction to the Red Sox's 2004 season, a season culminating in the Sox winning the 2004 American League Championship Series and World Series. In the 2005 film Fever Pitch, about an obsessive Boston Red Sox fan, King tosses out the first pitch of the Sox's opening day game. He also participates in neighborhood softball games around his Maine estate. Major league affiliations American League (1901–present) East Division (1969–present) Current uniform Retired Numbers 1, 4, 8, 9, 27, 42 Name Boston Red Sox (1908–present) Boston Americans (1901-1907) Other nicknames The BoSox, The Olde Towne Team, The Sox Ballpark Fenway Park (1912–present) Huntington Avenue Baseball Grounds... This article is about the sport. ... Little League Baseball - Logo Little League pitcher in Winesburg, Ohio Little League, Wayne, Michigan Little League Baseball is the name of a non-profit organization in the United States which organizes local childrens leagues of baseball and softball throughout the USA and the rest of the world. ... For other uses, see New Yorker. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Freeflying. ... Nightmares & Dreamscapes (1993) is a short story collection by Stephen King. ... The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon (1999) is a novel by Stephen King about a young girl, Patricia Trisha McFarland, who gets lost in the woods for more than a week. ... This article is about the player in baseball. ... Thomas Gordon (born November 18, 1967 in Sebring, Florida), nicknamed Flash, is a Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher who plays for the Philadelphia Phillies. ... Faithful: Two Diehard Boston Red Sox Fans Chronicle the Historic 2004 Season (also known as Faithful) is a book co-written by Stephen King and Stewart ONan. ... Stewart ONan (born February 4, 1961) is an American author, born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. ... The 2004 American League Championship Series was a Major League Baseball playoff series played between the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees. ... Dates October 23, 2004–October 27, 2004 MVP Manny Ramírez (Boston) Television network Fox Announcers Joe Buck and Tim McCarver Umpires Ed Montague (Crew Chief), Dale Scott, Brian Gorman, Chuck Meriwether, Gerry Davis, Charlie Reliford The 2004 World Series represented the 100th time two modern Major League Baseball teams... Fever Pitch, which was released as The Perfect Catch outside of the United States and Canada, is a Farrelly Brothers comedy film. ...

Radio stations

Stephen and his wife Tabitha own The Zone Corporation, a central Maine radio station group consisting of WDME, WZON, and WKIT. The latter of the three stations features a caricature of King as Frankenstein-esque character as part of the logo and the tagline "Stephen King's Rock 'n' Roll Station." Official language(s) None (English and French de facto) Capital Augusta Largest city Portland Area  Ranked 39th  - Total 33,414 sq mi (86,542 km²)  - Width 210 miles (338 km)  - Length 320 miles (515 km)  - % water 13. ... WZON is an AM broadcast station licensed for AM 620. ... This page is a candidate for speedy deletion. ... This article is about the 1818 novel. ...

Society and politics

In April 2008, King spoke out against HB 1423, a bill pending in the Massachusetts state legislature that would restrict or outright ban the sale of violent video games to anyone under the age of 18. Although King stated that he had no personal interest in video games as a hobby, he criticized the proposed law, which he sees as an attempt by politicians to scapegoat pop culture, and to act as surrogate parents to others' children, which he asserted is usually "disastrous" and "undemocratic". He also saw the law as inconsistent, as it would forbid a 17-year-old, legally able to see Hostel: Part II, from buying or renting Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, which is violent but less graphic. While conceding that he saw no artistic merit in some violent video games, King also opined that such games reflect the violence that already exists in society, which would not be lessened by such a law, which would be redundant in light of the ratings system that already exists for video games. King argued that such laws allows legislators to ignore the economic divide between the rich and poor, and the easy availability of guns, which he felt were the more legitimate causes of violence.^[26] Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas is the fifth video game in the Grand Theft Auto series. ...

Work

Stephen King stated at a recent book reading in Washington, DC on April, 4 2008 that Marvel Comics may soon be doing a graphic novel adaptation of The Stand due to success of the graphic novel adaptation of The Dark Tower.^{[citation needed]}

The books

This is a list of short fiction by Stephen King. ... This Stephen King bibliography is a list of books written by Stephen King, including collections, ebooks, and comic books. ...

Writing style

On Writing

In his nonfiction book On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft, King discusses his writing style at great length. King believes that, generally speaking, good stories cannot be called consciously and should not be plotted out beforehand; they are better served by focusing on a single "seed" of a story and letting the story grow itself. King often begins a story with no idea how it will end. He mentions in the Dark Tower series that halfway through its nearly 30-year writing period a terminally-ill woman asked how it would end, certain she would die before the series's completion. He told her he did not know. King believes strongly in this style, stating that his best writing comes from "freewriting." In On Writing, King stated that he believed stories to exist fully formed, like fossils, and that his role as a writer was to excavate the fossil as well as he could. When asked for the source of his story ideas in interviews, however, he has several times, including the appearance on Amazon.com's Fishbowl, answered, "I have the heart of a small boy……and I keep it in a jar on my desk." (This quote is most often attributed to Robert Bloch, author of Psycho.) Image File history File links Onwriting. ... Image File history File links Onwriting. ... On Writing. ... Psycho is a 1959 pulp thriller by Robert Bloch. ...

He is known for his great eye for detail, for continuity and for inside references; many stories that may seem unrelated are often linked by secondary characters, fictional towns, or off-hand references to events in previous books. Many of the settings for King's books are in Maine, though often fictional locations. Official language(s) None (English and French de facto) Capital Augusta Largest city Portland Area  Ranked 39th  - Total 33,414 sq mi (86,542 km²)  - Width 210 miles (338 km)  - Length 320 miles (515 km)  - % water 13. ...

King's books are filled with references to American history and American culture, particularly the darker, more fearful side of these. These references are generally spun into the stories of characters, often explaining their fears. Recurrent references include crime, war (especially the Vietnam War), violence, the supernatural and racism. Combatants Republic of Vietnam United States Republic of Korea Thailand Australia New Zealand The Philippines National Front for the Liberation of South Vietnam Democratic Republic of Vietnam People’s Republic of China Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea Strength US 1,000,000 South Korea 300,000 Australia 48,000...

King is also known for his folksy, informal narration, often referring to his fans as "Constant Readers" or "friends and neighbors." This familiar style contrasts with the horrific content of many of his stories.

King has a very simple formula for learning to write well: "Read four hours a day and write four hours a day. If you cannot find the time for that, you can't expect to become a good writer." He sets out each day with a quota of 2000 words and will not stop writing until it is met. He also has a simple definition for talent in writing: "If you wrote something for which someone sent you a check, if you cashed the check and it didn't bounce, and if you then paid the light bill with the money, I consider you talented."^[27]

Shortly after his accident, King wrote the first draft of the book Dreamcatcher with a notebook and a Waterman fountain pen, which he called "the world's finest word processor." Dreamcatcher (2001) is a novel written by Stephen King. ... The Waterman pen company is a major manufacturer of fountain pens. ... A fountain pen is a writing instrument, more specifically a pen, that contains a reservoir of water-based ink that is fed to a nib through a feed via a combination of gravity and capillary action. ...

King's writing style throughout his novels alternates from future to past, character development (including character illumination, dynamics and revelation), and setting in each chapter—leaving a cliffhanger at the end. He then continues this process until the novel is finished.

When asked why he writes, King responds: "The answer to that is fairly simple–there was nothing else I was made to do. I was made to write stories and I love to write stories. That's why I do it. I really can't imagine doing anything else and I can't imagine not doing what I do."^[28]

King often uses authors as characters, or includes mention of fictional books in his stories, novellas and novels, such as Paul Sheldon who is the main character in Misery. See also List of fictional books in the works of Stephen King for a complete list. A fictional book is a non-existent book that sometimes provides the basis of the plot of a story, or a common thread in a series of books or the works of a particular writer or canon of work. ... The following is a List of fictional books in the works of Stephen King. ...

Influences

King has called Richard Matheson "the author who influenced me most as a writer."^[29] Both authors casually integrate characters' thoughts into the third person narration, just one of several parallels between their writing styles. In a current edition of Matheson's The Incredible Shrinking Man, King is quoted: "A horror story if there ever was one…a great adventure story—it is certainly one of that select handful that I have given to people, envying them the experience of the first reading." Richard Matheson (born February 20, 1926) is an American author and screenwriter, typically of fantasy, horror, or science fiction. ... The Incredible Shrinking Man is a 1957 science fiction film directed by Jack Arnold and adapted for the screen by Richard Matheson from his novel The Shrinking Man. ...

King is a fan of H. P. Lovecraft and refers to him several times in Danse Macabre. Lovecraft's influence shows in King's invention of bizarre, ancient deities, subtle connections among all of his tales and the integration of fabricated newspaper clippings, trial transcripts and documents as narrative devices. King's invented trio of afflicted New England towns—Jerusalem's Lot, Castle Rock and Derry—are reminiscent of Lovecraft's Arkham, Dunwich and Innsmouth. King's short story "Crouch End" is an explicit homage to, and part of, Lovecraft's Cthulhu Mythos story cycle. "Gramma", a short story made into a film in the 1980s anthology horror show The New Twilight Zone, mentions Lovecraft's notorious fictional creation Necronomicon, also borrowing the names of a number of the fictional monsters mentioned therein. "I Know What You Need" from 1976's anthology collection Night Shift, and 'Salem's Lot also mention the tome. Another tribute to Lovecraft is in King's short story "Jerusalem's Lot", which opens Night Shift. King differs markedly from Lovecraft in his focus on extensive characterization and naturalistic dialogue, both notably absent in Lovecraft's writing. In On Writing, King is critical of Lovecraft's dialogue-writing skills, using passages from The Colour Out of Space as particularly poor examples. There are also several examples of King referring to Lovecraftian characters in his work, such as Nyarlathotep and Yog-Sothoth. This article is about the author. ... Danse Macabre is a nonfiction book by Stephen King on horror fiction and United States pop culture. ... Jerusalems Lot is a short story by Stephen King, first published in 1978 in the compilation Night Shift. ... Castle Rock, Maine is part of Stephen King’s fictional Maine topography, and as such serves as the setting for a number of his novels, novellas, and short stories. ... Derry Welcomes You sign from the 1990 film It Derry, Maine is part of Stephen Kings fictional Maine topography, and, like Castle Rock, it has served as the setting for a number of his novels, novellas, and short stories. ... Arkham is a fictional city in Massachusetts, part of the Lovecraft Country setting created by H. P. Lovecraft and is featured in many of his stories, as well as those of other Cthulhu Mythos writers. ... Dunwich, Massachusetts (Pronounced Dunn-ich) is a fictional town that appears in the works of H. P. Lovecraft, most notably in the story The Dunwich Horror. Dunwich is found in the Miskatonic River Valley, which is a common setting for Lovecraftian tales. ... Innsmouth is a fictional town in the writings of H.P. Lovecraft, part of the Lovecraft Country setting of the Cthulhu Mythos. ... Crouch End is a horror story by Stephen King published in Nightmares and Dreamscapes collection. ... Cthulhu and Rlyeh The Cthulhu Mythos encompasses the shared elements, characters, settings, and themes in the works of H. P. Lovecraft and associated horror fiction writers. ... Gramma may refer to: A grandmother. ... The New Twilight Zone is the popular nickname for the 1985 revival of Rod Serlings acclaimed 1950/60s television series, The Twilight Zone; it was officially titled the same as the original. ... For other uses, see Necronomicon (disambiguation). ... I Know What You Need This page meets Wikipedias criteria for speedy deletion. ... A night shift is either a group of workers who work during the night, or the period in which they work. ... Salems Lot is a horror novel by Stephen King, written in 1975, and was Kings second published novel. ... Jerusalems Lot is a short story by Stephen King, first published in 1978 in the compilation Night Shift. ... On Writing. ... The Colour Out of Space is a short story by American horror writer H. P. Lovecraft. ... Nyarlathotep (the Crawling Chaos) is a fictional character in the Cthulhu Mythos. ... Yog-Sothoth (The Lurker at the Threshold, The Key and the Gate, The Beyond One, Opener of the Way The All-in-One and the One-in-All) is a fictional character in the Cthulhu Mythos. ...

Alexandre Dumas, père, an influence on King.

Edgar Allan Poe exerts a noticeable influence over King's writing as well. In The Shining, the phrase "And the red death held sway over all" hearkens back to Poe's "And Darkness and Decay and the Red Death held illimitable dominion over all" from "The Masque of the Red Death." The short story "Dolan's Cadillac" has a theme almost identical to Poe's "The Cask of Amontillado," including a paraphrase of Fortunato's famous plea, "For the love of God, Montresor!" In The Shining, King refers to Poe as "The Great American Hack". Image File history File links Alexandre_Dumas. ... Image File history File links Alexandre_Dumas. ... Alexandre Dumas redirects here. ... Edgar Allan Poe (January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an American poet, short story writer, playwright, editor, literary critic, essayist and one of the leaders of the American Romantic Movement. ... For other uses of this term, see Shining. ... The Masque of the Red Death is a short story written by Edgar Allan Poe and first published in the May 1842 edition of Grahams Ladys and Gentlemans Magazine as The Mask of the Red Death. The story was adapted in 1964 by Roger Corman into a... Dolan’s Cadillac is a short story by Stephen King. ... Wikisource has original text related to this article: The Cask of Amontillado The Cask of Amontillado (sometimes spelled The Casque of Amontillado) is a short story, written by Edgar Allan Poe and first published in the November 1846 issue of Godeys Ladys Book. ...

King acknowledges the influence of Bram Stoker, particularly on his novel ’Salem's Lot, which he envisioned as a retelling of Dracula.^[30] Its related short story "Jerusalem's Lot", is reminiscent of Stoker's The Lair of the White Worm. Abraham Bram Stoker (November 8, 1847 – April 20, 1912) was an Irish writer, best remembered as the author of the influential horror novel Dracula. ... This article is about the novel. ... This article is about the novel. ...

King has also openly declared his admiration for another, less prolific author: Shirley Jackson. 'Salem's Lot opens with a quotation from Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House. Tony, an imaginary playmate from The Shining, bears a striking resemblance to another imaginary playmate with the same name from Jackson's Hangsaman. A pivotal scene in Storm of the Century is based on Jackson's The Lottery. A character in Wolves of the Calla references the Jackson book We Have Always Lived in the Castle. Shirley Jackson (December 14, 1916 [1] – August 8, 1965) was an influential American author. ... The Haunting of Hill House is a 1959 novel by author Shirley Jackson. ... This article is about the TV miniseries. ... For the gambling game, see lottery. ... Wolves of the Calla is the fifth book in Stephen Kings The Dark Tower series. ... We Have Always Lived in the Castle is a 1962 novel by author Shirley Jackson. ...

King is a big fan of John D. MacDonald and dedicated the novella Sun Dog to MacDonald, saying "I miss you, old friend." For his part, MacDonald wrote an admiring preface to Night Shift, and even had his famous character, Travis McGee, reading Cujo in one of the last McGee novels. John Dann MacDonald (July 24, 1916 – December 28, 1986), writing as John D. MacDonald, was an American writer best known for his series of detective novels featuring protagonist Travis McGee. ... Travis McGee is a fictional character created by American mystery writer John D. MacDonald. ...

In 1987 King's Philtrum Press published Don Robertson's novel, The Ideal, Genuine Man. In his forenote to the novel, King wrote, "Don Robertson was and is one of the three writers who influenced me as a young man who was trying to 'become' a novelist (the other two being Richard Matheson and John D. MacDonald)."^[31] Philtrum Press is a small publishing house run by Stephen King. ...

In an Amazon.com interview, King said the one book he wishes he'd written is William Golding's Lord of the Flies. Amazon. ... Sir William Gerald Golding (19 September 1911 – 19 June 1993) was a British novelist, poet and Nobel Prize for Literature laureate best known for his novel Lord of the Flies. ... For other uses, see Lord of the Flies (disambiguation). ...

King makes references in several of his books to characters and events in J. R. R. Tolkien's The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. Tolkien redirects here. ... For other uses, see Hobbit (disambiguation) and There and Back Again (disambiguation). ... This article is about the novel. ...

Robert A. Heinlein's book The Door into Summer is repeatedly mentioned in King's Wolves of the Calla. Robert Anson Heinlein (July 7, 1907 – May 8, 1988) was one of the most popular, influential, and controversial authors of hard science fiction. ... The Door into Summer is a science fiction novel by Robert A. Heinlein, published in 1957. ... Wolves of the Calla is the fifth book in Stephen Kings The Dark Tower series. ...

Collaborations

Peter Straub at the University of South Florida on February 15, 2007

King has written two novels with acclaimed horror novelist Peter Straub: The Talisman and a sequel, Black House. King has indicated that he and Straub will likely write the third and concluding book in this series, the tale of Jack Sawyer, but has set no time line for its completion. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... The University of South Florida (USF), known within its system as USF Tampa[2][3][4], is a public university system located in Tampa, Florida, USA, with an autonomous campus in St. ... is the 46th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... Peter Straub at the University of South Florida on February 15, 2007 Peter Francis Straub, born March 2, 1943 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, is a writer of fiction and poetry, best known as a prolific horror author. ... The Talisman is a 1983 fantasy novel by Stephen King and Peter Straub. ... Black House is a novel by horror writers Stephen King and Peter Straub. ...

King also wrote the nonfiction book, Faithful with novelist and fellow Red Sox fanatic Stewart O'Nan. Faithful: Two Diehard Boston Red Sox Fans Chronicle the Historic 2004 Season (also known as Faithful) is a book co-written by Stephen King and Stewart ONan. ... Stewart ONan (born February 4, 1961) is an American author, born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. ...

In 1996 King collaborated with Michael Jackson to create Ghosts (1997 film), a long and expensive musical video, which is based on King's Thinner. Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958), commonly known as MJ as well as the King of Pop, is an American musician, entertainer, and pop icon whose successful career and controversial personal life have been a part of pop culture for the last three decades. ... GHOSTS is a short feature film by Michael Jackson which could also be classified as a long-form music video (and longest music video of all time). ...

"Throttle", a novella written in collaboration with his son Joe Hill, will be included in the anthology He Is Legend: Celebrating Richard Matheson, forthcoming from Gauntlet Press in February 2009.^[32] Joseph Hillstrom King (born 1972) is an American writer of fiction, writing under the pen name of Joe Hill. ...

The Diary of Ellen Rimbauer: My Life at Rose Red, was a paperback tie-in for the King-penned miniseries Rose Red. The book was published under anonymous authorship, and written by Ridley Pearson. This spin-off is a rare occasion of another author being granted permission to write commercial work using characters and story elements invented by King. Rose Red (also known as Stephen Kings Rose Red) is a television miniseries scripted by horror novelist Stephen King. ...

King wrote an introduction to one of Neil Gaiman's many graphic novel collections, and expressed admiration for him. He also wrote an introduction to the October 1986 400th issue of the Batman comic book. Neil Richard Gaiman (IPA: ) (born November 10, 1960[2]) is an English author of science fiction and fantasy short stories and novels, graphic novels, comics, and films. ... Batman is an ongoing comic book series featuring the DC Comics action hero of the same name. ...

Speculation that King wrote the novel Bad Twin, a tie-in to the series Lost, under the pseudonym Gary Troup has been discredited. Bad Twin is a tie-in novel for the television show Lost. ... LOST redirects here. ... For other uses, see Alias. ... Gary Troup is a fictional character and fictional author that is part of the narrative of the television series Lost and the related Lost Experience. ...

King played guitar for the rock band Rock Bottom Remainders, several of whose members are authors. Other members include Dave Barry, Ridley Pearson, Scott Turow, Amy Tan, James McBride, Mitch Albom, Roy Blount Jr., Matt Groening, Kathi Kamen Goldmark and Greg Iles. None of them claim to have any musical talent. King is a fan of the rock band AC/DC, who did the soundtrack for his 1986 film, Maximum Overdrive. He is also a fan of The Ramones, who wrote the title song for Pet Sematary and appeared in the music video. They are referred to several times in various novels and stories. In addition he wrote the liner notes for their tribute album We're a Happy Family^[33] . The Rock Bottom Remainders is a rock & roll band consisting of published writers, most of them both amateur musicians and popular English-language book, magazine, and newspaper authors. ... For the English musician, see Dave Berry (musician). ... Ridley Pearson is a novelist, writing mostly suspense and thrillers. ... A movie adaptation of Turows bestselling book Presumed Innocent was made in 1990. ... Amy Tan (February 19, 1952) is an American writer whose works explore mother-daughter relationships as well as relationships between Chinese American women and their immigrant parents. ... James McBride (b. ... Mitchell David Albom (born May 23, 1958 in Passaic, New Jersey) is a Jewish-American novelist and newspaper columnist for the Detroit Free Press, radio host, and TV commentator. ... Roy Blount, Jr. ... Matthew Abram Groening is an American cartoonist (Life in Hell) and the Emmy Award-winning creator of the animated series, The Simpsons and Futurama. ... Greg Iles (born 1960) is an American bestselling novelist. ... This article is about the band. ... Maximum Overdrive is a 1986 tongue-in-cheek horror film, written and directed by horror novelist Stephen King. ... The Ramones (L-R, Johnny, Tommy, Joey, Dee Dee) on the cover of their debut self-titled album (1976), cementing their place at the dawn of the punk movement. ... Pet Sematary (sometimes referred to as Stephen Kings Pet Sematary) is a 1989 horror film adaptation of the Stephen King novel of the same name. ... Were A Happy Family is a tribute album by variouis artists as a tribute to the Ramones. ...

Films and TV

Main article: Media based on Stephen King works

Many of King's novels and short stories have been made into major motion pictures or TV movies and miniseries.^[34] Unlike some authors, King is untroubled by movies based on his works differing from the original work. He has contrasted his books and its film adaptations as "apples and oranges; both delicious, but very different." The exception to this is The Shining, which King criticized when it was released in 1980; and The Lawnmower Man (he sued to have his name removed from the credits). King seems to have gained greater appreciation for Kubrick's The Shining over the years. Kubrick had described the original novel in an interview as not "literary," having its merits exclusively in the plot. This understandably may have upset King. As a film, The Lawnmower Man bore no resemblance whatsoever to King's original short story. King's name was used solely as a faux-brand. This is a list of media based on work by Stephen King (including the Richard Bachman titles): // 1976 Carrie 1979 Salems Lot (TV miniseries) 1980 The Shining 1982 Creepshow (consists of five short films: Fathers Day, The Lonesome Death of Jordy Verrill, Something to Tide You Over, The... For the Pink Floyd song, see Apples and Oranges (song). ... For other uses of this term, see Shining. ... The Lawnmower Man is a 1992 film which uses elements from Stephen Kings short story The Lawnmower Man. The films original script, written by director Brett Leonard and producer Gimel Everett, was titled Cyber God and had nothing to do with Stephen King. ... For other uses, see Brand (disambiguation). ...

King made his feature film acting debut in Creepshow, playing Jordy Verrill, a backwoods redneck who, after touching a fallen meteor in hopes of selling it, grows moss all over his body. He has since made cameos in several adaptations of his works. He appeared in Pet Sematary as a minister at a funeral, in Rose Red as a pizza deliveryman, in The Stand as "Teddy Wieszack," in the Shining miniseries as band member Gage Creed and in The Langoliers as Tom Holby. He has also appeared in The Golden Years, in Chappelle's Show and, along with fellow author Amy Tan, on The Simpsons as himself. In addition to acting, King tried his hand at directing with Maximum Overdrive. This article is about Stephen Kings horror novel. ... Rose Red (also known as Stephen Kings Rose Red) is a television miniseries scripted by horror novelist Stephen King. ... The Stand is a 1994 television miniseries based on the novel The Stand by Stephen King. ... For the 1980 film see The Shining (film). ... The Langoliers is one of four novellas published in the Stephen King book Four Past Midnight in 1990. ... Chappelles Show is an American comedy television series starring comedian Dave Chappelle. ... Amy Tan (February 19, 1952) is an American writer whose works explore mother-daughter relationships as well as relationships between Chinese American women and their immigrant parents. ... Insane Clown Poppy is the third episode of the twelfth season of The Simpsons. ... Maximum Overdrive is a 1986 tongue-in-cheek horror film, written and directed by horror novelist Stephen King. ...

After a private screening of the film Stand By Me (which was an adaptation of his novella The Body), King told director Rob Reiner that it was the best film adaptation of any of his works up to that point. He said it was actually better than his original novella.^{[citation needed]} King was also very happy with the job Frank Darabont did with The Green Mile.^{[citation needed]} For other uses, see Stand by Me. ... The Body: Fall from Innocence is a novella by Stephen King, originally published in the 1982 collection Different Seasons. ... Robert Rob Reiner (born March 6, 1945) is an American actor, director, producer, writer, childrens advocate and political activist. ... Frank Darabont (born January 28, 1959) is a three-time Academy Award nominated[1]American film director, screenwriter and producer. ... This article is about the serial novel by Stephen King. ...

King produced and acted in a miniseries, Kingdom Hospital, which is based on the Danish miniseries Riget by Lars von Trier. He also co-wrote The X-Files season 5 episode "Chinga" with the creator of the series Chris Carter. Stephen Kings Kingdom Hospital was a thirteen-episode miniseries based on Lars von Triers Riget, which was developed by horror writer Stephen King in 2004 for American television. ... The Kingdom (Danish title: Riget) is an eight-episode Danish television mini-series, created by Lars von Trier in 1994. ... Lars von Trier (born Lars Trier, April 30, 1956) is a Danish film director. ... X-Files intro from first 8 seasons The X-Files was a popular 1990s American science fiction television series created by Chris Carter. ... Chinga is the tenth episode of season 5 of The X-Files. ... Chris Carter (born October 13, 1956) is an American Jewish screenwriter and producer, best known as the creator of The X-Files. ...

He is rumored to have stored in his house many of the film props from the numerous movies adapted from his original books, including the car used in Christine and a life-sized model of Barlow the Vampire from 'Salem's Lot. Since 1977, King has granted permission to student filmmakers to make adaptations of his short stories for one dollar (see Dollar Baby). This article is about the novel by Stephen King. ... Salems Lot is a horror novel by Stephen King, written in 1975, and was Kings second published novel. ... The Dollar Baby (also sometimes referred to as the Dollar Deal) is a term coined by best-selling author Stephen King in reference to a select group of student and aspiring filmmakers for whom he has granted permission to adapt one of his short stories for the sole consideration of...

King is friends with film director George Romero, to whom he partly dedicated his book Cell, and wrote a tribute about the filmmaker in Entertainment Weekly for his pop culture column, as well as an essay for the Elite DVD version of Night of the Living Dead. Romero is rumored to be directing the adaptations of King's novels The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon and From a Buick 8.^{[citation needed]} Director Herbert Brenon with actress Alla Nazimova on the set of War Brides, 1916 A director is a person who directs the making of a film. ... George A. Romero (born 4 February 1940) is an American director, writer, editor, actor and composer. ... Cell is an apocalyptic horror novel published by American author Stephen King in January 2006. ... Entertainment Weekly (sometimes abbreviated EW) is a magazine published by Time Inc. ... Popular culture, or pop culture, is the vernacular (peoples) culture that prevails in a modern society. ... DVD (also known as Digital Versatile Disc or Digital Video Disc - see Etymology) is a popular optical disc storage media format. ... This article is about the 1968 film directed by George A. Romero. ... The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon (1999) is a novel by Stephen King about a young girl, Patricia Trisha McFarland, who gets lost in the woods for more than a week. ... From a Buick 8 is a novel by horror writer Stephen King. ...

King has also made an appearance as a contestant on Celebrity Jeopardy! in 1995. Jeopardy redirects here. ...

Reception

Critical response

Critical responses to King's works have been mixed.

In his analysis of post-World War II horror fiction, The Modern Weird Tale (2001), critic S. T. Joshi^[35] devotes a chapter to King's work. Joshi argues that King's best-known works, his supernatural novels, are his worst, being mostly bloated, illogical, maudlin and prone to deus ex machina endings. Despite these criticisms, Joshi argues that since Gerald's Game (1993), King has been tempering the worst of his writing faults, producing books that are leaner, more believable and generally better written. Joshi also stresses that, despite his flaws, King almost unfailingly writes insightfully about the pains and joys of adolescence, and has produced a few outstanding books and stories. Joshi cites two early non-supernatural novels -– Rage (1977) and The Running Man (1982) -– as King's best, suggesting both are riveting and well-constructed suspense thrillers, with believable characters. Sunanda Tryambak Joshi (b. ... For other uses, see Deus ex machina (disambiguation). ... Geralds Game (1992) is a novel by Stephen King. ... Teen redirects here. ... Thriller films are movies that primarily use action and suspense to engage the audience. ...

In 1996, King won an O. Henry Award for his short story "The Man in the Black Suit." The O. Henry Awards are yearly prizes given to short stories of exceptional merit. ... The Man in the Black Suit is a short story from the collection Everythings Eventual: 14 Dark Tales by Stephen King. ...

In 2003, King was honored by the National Book Awards with a lifetime achievement award, the Medal of Distinguished Contribution to American Letters, with his work being described thus: National Book Awards are annual literary awards presented since 1950 for the best American book published in the preceding year, presently in each of four categories: fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and young peoples literature. ...

Stephen King’s writing is securely rooted in the great American tradition that glorifies spirit-of-place and the abiding power of narrative. He crafts stylish, mind-bending page-turners that contain profound moral truths–some beautiful, some harrowing–about our inner lives. This Award commemorates Mr. King’s well-earned place of distinction in the wide world of readers and book lovers of all ages.

Some in the literary community expressed disapproval of the award: Richard Snyder, the former CEO of Simon & Schuster, described King's work as "non-literature", and critic Harold Bloom denounced the choice: For other uses, see Literature (disambiguation). ... Harold Bloom (born July 11, 1930) is an American professor and prominent literary and cultural critic. ...

The decision to give the National Book Foundation's annual award for "distinguished contribution" to Stephen King is extraordinary, another low in the shocking process of dumbing down our cultural life. I've described King in the past as a writer of penny dreadfuls, but perhaps even that is too kind. He shares nothing with Edgar Allan Poe. What he is is an immensely inadequate writer on a sentence-by-sentence, paragraph-by-paragraph, book-by-book basis.^[36] An example of the original dime novel series, circa 1860. ... Edgar Allan Poe (January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an American poet, short story writer, playwright, editor, literary critic, essayist and one of the leaders of the American Romantic Movement. ...

However, others came to King's defense, such as writer Orson Scott Card, who responded: Orson Scott Card (born August 24, 1951)[1] is a bestselling American author, as well as being a critic, political writer, and speaker. ...

Let me assure you that King's work most definitely is literature, because it was written to be published and is read with admiration. What Snyder really means is that it is not the literature preferred by the academic-literary elite."^[37]

In Roger Ebert's review of the 2004 movie Secret Window, he states "A lot of people were outraged that [King] was honored at the National Book Awards, as if a popular writer could not be taken seriously. But after finding that his book On Writing had more useful and observant things to say about the craft than any book since Strunk and White's The Elements of Style, I have gotten over my own snobbery."^[38] Roger Joseph Ebert (born June 18, 1942) is a Pulitzer Prize-winning American film critic. ... Secret Window is a 2004 thriller starring Johnny Depp and John Turturro. ... On Writing. ... The Elements of Style, 2000 edition. ...

Influence on popular culture

Since the publication of Carrie, public awareness of King and his works has reached a high saturation rate,^[39] becoming as popular as The Twilight Zone or the films of Alfred Hitchcock^[40]. As the best-selling novelist in the world, and the most financially successful horror writer in history, King is an American horror icon of the highest order. King's books and characters encompass primary fears in such an iconic manner that his stories have become synonymous with certain key genre ideas. Carrie, Christine, Cujo, It, and The Shining, for example, are instantly recognizable to millions as popular shorthand for the Vengeful Nerd Wronged, the Killer Car, the Evil Dog, the Evil Clown, and the Haunted Hotel.^{[citation needed]} The Twilight Zone is a television series created by Rod Serling. ... Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock KBE (August 13, 1899 â€“ April 29, 1980) was an iconic and highly influential British-born film director and producer who pioneered many techniques in the suspense and thriller genres. ... Carrie (1974) is Stephen Kings first published novel. ... This article is about the novel by Stephen King. ... It has been suggested that this article be split into multiple articles accessible from a disambiguation page. ... It is a horror novel by Stephen King, published in 1986. ... For other uses of this term, see Shining. ...

Awards

King has won 6 Bram Stoker awards, 6 Horror Guild awards, 5 Locus Awards, 3 World Fantasy Awards (including a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2004), the 1996 O. Henry award, a Hugo Award in 1982 for the non-fiction Danse Macabre. He was given a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2003 by the Horror Writers' Association and, controversially, a Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters from the National Book Foundation in 2003 (see Critical Response, above).^[41] In 2007 King received an award for lifetime achievement from the Canadian Literary Guild (The only non-Canadian to be bestowed this award). The Bram Stoker Award is a recognition presented by the Horror Writers Association (HWA) for superior achievement in horror writing. ... The International Horror Guild Award is a recognition presented by the International Horror Guild (IHG) to recognize the achievements of those who create in the field of Horror and Dark Fantasy. ... The Locus Awards are presented to winners of Locus Magazines annual readers poll, which was established in the early 70s specifically to provide recommendations and suggestions to Hugo Awards voters. ... First awarded in 1975, the World Fantasy Award is handed out annually at the World Fantasy Convention to recognize outstanding achievement in the field of fantasy. ... The 2005 Hugo Award with base designed by Deb Kosiba. ... Danse Macabre is a nonfiction book by Stephen King on horror fiction and United States pop culture. ... The Horror Writers Association (HWA) is a worldwide non-profit organization of professional writers and publishing professionals dedicated to promoting the interests of Horror and Dark Fantasy writers. ... The National Book Foundation, founded 1988, is a non-profit American literary foundation established to raise the cultural appreciation of great writing in America. ...

See also

Tabitha King (born Tabitha Spruce on March 24, 1949) is an American author, the wife of author Stephen King, and the mother of three children, two of whom are also published authors. ... This page may meet Wikipedia’s criteria for speedy deletion. ... Joseph Hillstrom King (born 1972) is an American writer of fiction, writing under the pen name of Joe Hill. ... The Dollar Baby (also sometimes referred to as the Dollar Deal) is a term coined by best-selling author Stephen King in reference to a select group of student and aspiring filmmakers for whom he has granted permission to adapt one of his short stories for the sole consideration of... The Rock Bottom Remainders is a rock & roll band consisting of published writers, most of them both amateur musicians and popular English-language book, magazine, and newspaper authors. ... It has been suggested that The Crime Club be merged into this article or section. ... Philtrum Press is a small publishing house run by Stephen King. ... Charles Scribners Sons is a publisher that was founded in 1846 at the Brick Church Chapel on New Yorks Park Row. ... Viking Press was founded on March 1, 1925, in New York City, by Harold K. Guinzburg and George S. Oppenheim. ... Look up Grant, grant in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Castle Rock, Maine is part of Stephen King’s fictional Maine topography, and as such serves as the setting for a number of his novels, novellas, and short stories. ... Derry Welcomes You sign from the 1990 film It Derry, Maine is part of Stephen Kings fictional Maine topography, and, like Castle Rock, it has served as the setting for a number of his novels, novellas, and short stories. ...

References

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Additional reading

• The Many Facets of Stephen King, Michael R. Collings, Starmont House, 1985, ISBN 0930261143
• The Shorter Works of Stephen King, Michael R. Collings with David A. Engebretson, Starmont House, 1985, ISBN 093026102X
• Stephen King as Richard Bachman, Michael R. Collings, Starmont House, 1985, ISBN 0930261003
• The Annotated Guide to Stephen King: A Primary and Secondary Bibliography of the Works of America’s Premier Horror Writer, Michael R. Collings, Starmont House, 1986, ISBN 0930261801
• The Films of Stephen King, Michael R. Collings, Starmont House, 1986, ISBN 0930261100
• The Stephen King Phenomenon, Michael R. Collings, Starmont House, 1987, ISBN 0930261127
• Horror Plum'd: An International Stephen King Bibliography and Guide 1960-2000, Michael R. Collings, Overlook Connection Press, 2003, ISBN 1-892950-45-6
• Stephen King Is Richard Bachman, Michael R. Collings, Overlook Connection Press, March 2008, ISBN 1-892950-74-X

See also Books about Stephen King There have been many books published about Stephen King and his works. ...

External links

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to:

Stephen King

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Stephen King

• Stephen King's Official Web Site
• Stephen & Tabitha King Foundation
• Works by or about Stephen King in libraries (WorldCat catalog)
• Stephen King at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database
• Stephen King at the Internet Book List