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Stephen Edwin King (born September 21, 1947) is an American author best known for his enormously popular horror novels. King was the 2003 recipient of The National Book Foundation's Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters

King evinces a thorough knowledge of the horror genre, as shown in his nonfiction book Danse Macabre, which chronicles several decades of notable works in both literature and cinema. He has also written stories outside the horror genre, including the novella collection Different Seasons, The Green Mile, The Eyes of the Dragon, The Stand, Hearts in Atlantis and his magnum opus The Dark Tower series. In the past, Stephen King has written under the pen names Richard Bachman, Beryl Evans (once), and (once) John Swithen.

He frequently makes a cameo appearances in film adaptations of his novels.

Biography[]

Early life[]

Stephen Edwin King was born in Portland, Maine, on September 21, 1947. His father, Donald Edwin King, was a merchant seaman who was born with the surname Pollock, but changed it to King as an adult. King's mother was Nellie Ruth King (née Pillsbury). His parents were married in Scarborough, Maine, on July 23, 1939. Shortly afterwards, they lived with Donald's family in Chicago, Illinois before moving to Croton-on-Hudson, New York. King's parents returned to Maine towards the end of World War II, living in a modest house in Scarborough. When King was two years old, his father left the family. His mother Nellie raised King and his adopted older brother David by herself, sometimes under great financial strain. The family moved to Ruth's home town of Durham, Maine but also spent brief periods in Fort Wayne, Indiana and Stratford, Connecticut.

As a child, King witnessed a gruesome accident - one of his friends was caught on a railroad and struck by a train. It has been suggested that this could have been the inspiration for King's dark, disturbing creations, though King himself dismisses the idea.

King attended Durham Elementary School and Lisbon Falls High School.

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Hard at work back in the day.

King has been writing since an early age. When in school, he wrote stories based on movies he had seen recently and sold them to his friends. This was not popular among his teachers, and he was forced to return his profits when this was discovered. The stories were copied using a mimeo machine that his brother David used to copy a newspaper, Dave's Rag, which he self-published. Dave's Rag was about local events, and King would often contribute. As a young boy, King was an avid reader of EC's horror comics, which provided the genesis for his love of horror. He loved reading Tales from the Crypt.

His first published story was "In a Half-World of Terror" (re-titled from "I Was a Teen-Age Grave-robber"), published in a horror fanzine issued by Mike Garrett of Birmingham, Alabama.

From 1966 to 1971, King studied English at the University of Maine at Orono. At the university, he wrote a column titled "King's Garbage Truck" in the student newspaper, the Maine Campus. He also met Tabitha Spruce; they married in 1971. King took on odd jobs to pay for his studies, including one at an industrial laundry. He used the experience to write the short story The Mangler and the novella Roadwork (as Richard Bachman). The campus period in his life is readily evident in the second part of Hearts in Atlantis.

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A light hearted moment circa 1983.

After finishing his university studies with a Bachelor of Arts in English and obtaining a certificate to teach high school, King taught English at Hampden Academy in Hampden, Maine. During this time, he and his family lived in a trailer. He wrote short stories (most were published in men's magazines) to help make ends meet. As told in the introduction in Carrie, if one of his kids got a cold, Tabitha would joke, "Come on, Steve, think of a monster." King also developed a drinking problem which stayed with him for over a decade.

Becoming famous[]

During this period, King began a number of novels. One of his first ideas was of a young girl with psychic powers. However, he grew discouraged, and threw it into the trash. Tabitha later rescued it and encouraged him to finish it. After completing the novel, he titled it Carrie, sent it to Doubleday, and more or less forgot about it. Later, he received an offer to buy it with a $2,500 advance (not a large advance for a novel, even at that time). Shortly after, the value of Carrie was realized with the paperback rights being sold for $400,000 (with $200,000 of it going to the publisher). Soon following its release, his mother died of uterine cancer. His Aunt Emrine read the novel to her before she died.

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Artist Michael Whelan's drawing of Rando Thoughtful and his friends disguised as Stephen King.

In On Writing, King admits that at this time he was consistently drunk and that he was an alcoholic for well over a decade. He even admits that he was intoxicated while delivering the eulogy at his mother’s funeral. "I think I did a pretty good job, considering how drunk I was at the time." (On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft) He states that he had based the alcoholic father in The Shining on himself, though he did not admit it (even to himself) for several years.

Shortly after the publication of The Tommyknockers, King's family and friends finally intervened, dumping his trash on the rug in front of him to show him the evidence of his own addictions: beer cans, cigarette butts, Xanax, Valium, NyQuil, dextromethorphan (cough medicine), and marijuana. As King related in his memoir, he sought help and quit all forms of drugs and alcohol in the late 1980s, and has remained sober since.

King spends winter seasons in an oceanfront mansion located off the Gulf of Mexico in Sarasota, Florida. Their three children, Naomi King, Joseph King (who appeared in the film Creepshow), and Owen King, are grown and living on their own.

Both Owen and Joseph are writers; Owen's first collection of stories, We're All in This Together: A Novella and Stories was published in 2005. The first collection of stories by Joe Hill (Joseph's pen name), 20th Century Ghosts, was published in 2005 by PS Publishing in a very limited edition, winning the Crawford Award for best new fantasy writer, together with the Bram Stoker Award and the British Fantasy Award for Best Fiction Collection. Tom Pabst has been hired to adapt Hill's upcoming novel, Heart-Shaped Box, for a 2007 Warner Bros release.

King's daughter Naomi is a Reverend in the Unitarian Universalist Church in Utica, New York, where she lives with her partner.

Works[]

Novels[]

The following is a complete list of all the novels written and published by Stephen King.

Year Title Publisher ISBN Pages Note
1974 Carrie Doubleday 978-0-385-08695-0 199
1975 'Salem's Lot 978-0-385-00751-1 439 Nominee, World Fantasy Award, 1976
1977 The Shining 978-0-385-12167-5 447 Runner-up (4th place), Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel, 1978
Rage Signet Books 978-0-451-07645-8 211 First novel published under pseudonym Richard Bachman
1978 The Stand Doubleday 978-0-385-12168-2 823 Nominee, World Fantasy Award, 1979;

Runner-up (15th place), Locus Award, 1979

1979 The Long Walk Signet Books 978-0-451-08754-6 384 Published under pseudonym Richard Bachman
The Dead Zone Viking Press 978-0-670-26077-5 428 Runner-up (2nd place), Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel, 1980
1980 Firestarter 978-0-670-31541-3 426 Nominee, British Fantasy Award’s August Derleth Award, 1981;

Runner-up (8th place), Locus Award for Best Science Fiction Novel, 1981

1981 Roadwork Signet Books 978-0-451-09668-5 274 Published under pseudonym Richard Bachman
Cujo Viking Press 978-0-670-45193-7 319 Winner, British Fantasy Award’s August Derleth Award, 1982;

Runner-up (21st place), Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel, 1982

1982 The Running Man Signet Books 978-0-451-11508-9 219 Published under pseudonym Richard Bachman
The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger Grant 978-0-937986-50-9 224
1983 Christine Viking 978-0-670-22026-7 526 Runner-up (6th place), Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel, 1984
Pet Sematary Doubleday 978-0-385-18244-7 374 Nominee, World Fantasy Award, 1984;

Runner-up (7th place), Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel, 1984

Cycle of the Werewolf Land of Enchantment 978-0-960-38282-8 127 Illustrated by Bernie Wrightson
1984 The Talisman Viking 978-0-670-69199-9 646 Written with Peter Straub;

Nominee, World Fantasy Award, 1985; Runner-up (4th place), Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel, 1985

The Eyes of the Dragon Philtrum Press (1984)

Viking (1987)

978-0-670-81458-9 326 First published as a limited edition in 1984, then for the mass market in 1987
Thinner NAL 978-0-453-00468-8 309 Published under pseudonym Richard Bachman
1986 It Viking 978-0-670-81302-5 1138 Winner, British Fantasy Award’s August Derleth Award, 1987;

Nominee, World Fantasy Award, 1987; Runner-up (3rd place), Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel, 1987

1987 The Dark Tower II: The Drawing of the Three Grant 978-0-937986-90-5 400 Runner-up (16th place), Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel, 1988
Misery Viking 978-0-670-81364-3 310 Winner, Bram Stoker Award, 1988;

Nominee, World Fantasy Award, 1988

The Tommyknockers Putnam 978-0-399-13314-5 558 Runner-up (16th place), Locus Award for Best Science Fiction Novel, 1988
1989 The Dark Half Viking 978-0-670-82982-8 431 Runner-up (2nd place), Locus Award for Best Horror Novel, 1990
1990 The Stand Doubleday 978-0-385-19957-5 1152 The Complete & Uncut Edition;

Runner-up (2nd place), Locus Award's Best Horror/Dark Fantasy Novel, 1991

1991 The Dark Tower III: The Waste Lands Grant 978-0-937986-17-2 512 Nominee, Bram Stoker Award, 1992;

Runner-up (3rd place), Locus Award for Best Horror/Dark Fantasy Novel, 1992

Needful Things Viking 978-0-670-83953-7 690 Nominee, Bram Stoker Award, 1992;

Runner-up (13th place), Locus Award for Best Horror/Dark Fantasy Novel, 1992

1992 Gerald's Game 978-0-670-84650-4 352
Dolores Claiborne 978-0-670-84452-4 305 Runner-up (14th place), Locus Award for Best Horror/Dark Fantasy Novel, 1993
1994 Insomnia 978-0-670-85503-2 787 Nominee, Bram Stoker Award, 1995;

Runner-up (3rd place), Locus Award for Best Fantasy/Horror Novel, 1995

1995 Rose Madder 978-0-670-85869-9 420 Runner-up (3rd place), Locus Award for Best Horror/Dark Fantasy Novel, 1995
1996 The Green Mile Signet Books 978-0-451-19049-9

978-0-451-19052-9 978-0-451-19054-3 978-0-451-19055-0 978-0-451-19056-7 978-0-451-19057-4

400 Winner, Bram Stoker Award, 1997;

Runner-up (8th place), Locus Award for Best Horror/Dark Fantasy Novel, 1997

Desperation Viking 978-0-670-86836-0 704 Twin novel of The Regulators;

Winner, Locus Award for Best Horror/Dark Fantasy Novel, 1997

The Regulators Dutton 978-0-525-94190-3 480 Published under pseudonym Richard Bachman;

Twin novel of Desperation

1997 The Dark Tower IV: Wizard and Glass Grant 978-1-880418-38-3 787 Runner-up (4th place), Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel, 1998;

Runner-up (6th place), Locus Award for Best Art Book, 1998

1998 Bag of Bones Scribner 978-0-684-85350-5 529 Winner, Bram Stoker Award, 1999;

Winner, British Fantasy Award’s August Derleth Award, 1999; Winner, Locus Award for Best Dark Fantasy/Horror Novel, 1999

1999 The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon 978-0-684-86762-5 224
2001 Dreamcatcher 978-0-743-21138-3 620
Black House Random House 978-0-375-50439-6 625 Sequel to The Talisman;

Written with Peter Straub; Nominee, Bram Stoker Award, 2002; Runner-up (7th place), Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel, 2002

2002 From a Buick 8 Scribner 978-0-743-21137-6 368 Nominee, Bram Stoker Award, 2003
2003 The Dark Tower V: Wolves of the Calla Grant 978-1-880-41856-7 714 Nominee, Bram Stoker Award, 2004;

Runner-up (4th place), Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel, 2004

2004 The Dark Tower VI: Song of Susannah 978-1-880-41859-8 432 Runner-up (4th place), Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel, 2005
The Dark Tower VII: The Dark Tower 978-1-880-41862-8 845 Winner, British Fantasy Award's August Derleth Award, 2005;

Nominee, Bram Stoker Award, 2005

2005 The Colorado Kid Hard Case Crime 978-0-843-95584-2 184
2006 Cell Scribner 978-0-743-29233-7 351
Lisey's Story 978-0-743-28941-2 528 Winner, Bram Stoker Award, 2007;

Nominee, World Fantasy Award, 2007; Runner-up (10th place), Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel, 2007

2007 Blaze 978-1-416-55484-4 304 Published under pseudonym Richard Bachman
2008 Duma Key 978-1-416-55251-2 607 Winner, Bram Stoker Award, 2009
2009 Under the Dome 978-1-439-14850-1 1074 Nominee, British Fantasy Award's August Derleth Award, 2010;

Runner-up (7th place), Locus Award for Best Science Fiction Novel, 2010

2011 11/22/63 978-1-451-62728-2 849 Nominee, British Fantasy Award, 2012;

Nominee, World Fantasy Award, 2012; Runner-up (2nd place), Locus Award for Best Science Fiction Novel, 2012

2012 The Dark Tower: The Wind Through the Keyhole Grant 978-1-880-41876-5 336 The eighth Dark Tower novel, but chronologically set between the fourth and fifth volumes.
2013 Joyland Hard Case Crime 978-1-781-16264-4 288 Nominee, Edgar Award for Best Paperback Original, 2014;

Runner-up (11th place), Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel, 2014

Doctor Sleep Scribner 978-1-476-72765-3 531 Sequel to The Shining;

Winner, Bram Stoker Award, 2014; Runner-up (5th place), Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel, 2014

2014 Mr. Mercedes 978-1-476-75445-1 436 First novel in the Bill Hodges Trilogy;

Winner, Edgar Award for Best Novel, 2015

Revival 978-1-476-77038-3 403 Runner-up (8th place), Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel, 2015
2015 Finders Keepers 978-1-501-10007-9 434 Second novel in the Bill Hodges Trilogy.
2016 End of Watch 978-1-501-12974-2 432 Third novel in the Bill Hodges Trilogy.
2017 Gwendy's Button Box Cemetery Dance Publications 978-1-58767-610-9 175 Written with Richard Chizmar
Sleeping Beauties Scribner 978-1-50116-340-1 702 Written with Owen King;

Nominee, Bram Stoker Award, 2018

2018 The Outsider 978-1-50118-098-9 576 Runner-up (2nd place), Locus Award for Best Horror Novel, 2019
Elevation 978-1-98210-231-9 144
2019 The Institute 978-1-98211-056-7 576 Nominee, British Fantasy Award's August Derleth Award, 2020;

Runner-up (3rd place), Locus Award for Best Horror Novel, 2020

2021 Later Hard Case Crime 978-1-78909-649-1 256
Billy Summers Scribner 978-1-982-17361-6 528
2022 Gwendy's Final Task Cemetery Dance Publications 978-1-58767-801-1 412 Third novel in the series, second written with Richard Chizmar
Fairy Tale Scribner 978-1-66800-217-9 599
2023 Holly Scribner 978-1-66801-613-8 449

Upcoming novels[]

The following is a list of upcoming works being written by Stephen King.

  • The Talisman 3
  • Lisey's Story Tie-In Edition

Short Story Collections[]

The following is a complete list of all the short story collections written and published by Stephen King.

Year Name Publisher ISBN Pages Note
1978 Night Shift Doubleday 978-0-385-12991-6 336 Nominee, World Fantasy Award, 1979;

Runner-up (8th place), Locus Award for Best Single Author Collection, 1979

1982 Different Seasons Viking Press 978-0-670-27266-2 527 Nominee, World Fantasy Award, 1983;

Runner-up (4th place), Locus Award for Best Single Author Collection, 1983

1985 Skeleton Crew Putnam 978-0-399-13039-7 512 Winner, Locus Award for Best Collection, 1986;

Nominee, World Fantasy Award, 1986

1990 Four Past Midnight Viking Press 978-0-670-83538-6 763 Winner, Bram Stoker Award, 1991;

Nominee, British Fantasy Award, 1991; Runner-up (6th place), Locus Award for Best Collection, 1991

1993 Nightmares & Dreamscapes 978-0-670-85108-9 816 Nominee, Bram Stoker Award, 1994;

Runner-up (6th place), Locus Award for Best Collection, 1994

1999 Hearts in Atlantis Scribner 978-0-684-85351-2 528 Nominee, Bram Stoker Award, 2000;

Nominee, British Fantasy Award, 2000; Nominee, World Fantasy Award, 2000; Runner-up (5th place), Locus Award for Best Collection, 2000

2002 Everything's Eventual 978-0-743-23515-0 464 Nominee, Bram Stoker Award, 2003;

Nominee, British Fantasy Award, 2003; Runner-up (5th place), Locus Award for Best Collection, 2003

2008 Just After Sunset 978-1-416-58408-7 386 Winner, Bram Stoker Award, 2009;

Nominee, British Fantasy Award, 2009; Nominee, Shirley Jackson Award, 2009

2010 Full Dark, No Stars 978-1-439-19256-6 368 Winner, Bram Stoker Award, 2011;

Winner, British Fantasy Award, 2011

2015 The Bazaar of Bad Dreams 978-1-501-11167-9 495 Winner, Shirley Jackson Award, 2016
2020 If It Bleeds 978-1-982-13797-7 448 Runner-up (7th place), Locus Award for Best Collection, 2021
2024 You Like It Darker 600 Mentioned in an interview on Talking Scared Podcast

Non-Fiction[]

The following is a complete list of all the non-fiction books written and published by Stephen King.

Year Title Publisher ISBN Pages Note
1981 Danse Macabre Everest House 978-0-896-96076-3 400 Winner, Hugo Award for Best Non-Fiction Book, 1982;

Winner, Locus Award for Best Related Non-Fiction Book, 1982

1988 Nightmares in the Sky Viking Studio Books 978-0-670-82307-9 128 Illustrated by f-stop Fitzgerald
2000 On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft Scribner 978-0-684-85352-9 228 Winner, Bram Stoker Award for Best Non-Fiction, 2001;

Winner, Locus Award for Best Non-Fiction Book, 2001

Secret Windows: Essays and Fiction on the Craft of Writing BOMC 978-0-965-01851-7 433
2004 Faithful Scribner 978-0-743-26752-6 432 Written with Stewart O'Nan

Screenplays[]

Year Title Notes
1982 Creepshow An anthology film consisting of adaptations of five short stories (3 of which were written original for the film)
1985 Cat's Eye An anthology horror film based on King's short stories "Quitters, Inc." and "The Ledge"
Silver Bullet A horror film based on King's novella Cycle of the Werewolf
1986 Maximum Overdrive A comedy horror film written and directed by King, based on King's short story "Trucks"
1987 "Sorry, Right Number" An episode of the horror anthology series Tales from the Darkside; later included in King's short story collection Nightmares & Dreamscapes
1989 Pet Sematary A horror film based on King's novel of the same name
1991 Golden Years An original television science fiction thriller limited series created by King, and cowritten with Josef Anderson
1992 Sleepwalkers An original horror film
1994 The Stand A television miniseries based on King's novel of the same name
1996 Michael Jackson's Ghosts A musical short film with a story by King, Stan Winston, Mick Garris and Michael Jackson, based on an original concept by King and Michael Jackson
1997 The Shining A three-episode television miniseries based on King's novel of the same name
1998 "Chinga" An episode of the television series The X-Files, cowritten with series creator Chris Carter
1999 Storm of the Century An original horror television miniseries
2002 Rose Red An original horror television miniseries
2004 Kingdom Hospital A horror television series based on Lars von Trier's The Kingdom
2006 Desperation A horror television film based on King's novel of the same name
2014 "Heads Will Roll" An episode of the television series Under the Dome, based on King's novel of the same name
A Good Marriage A psychological thriller film based on King's novella of the same name
2016 Cell A science fiction horror film based on King's novel of the same name, cowritten with Adam Alleca
2021 "The Circle Closes" A science fiction fantasy episode of the 2020 television miniseries The Stand, based on and serving as a new ending for King's novel of the same name
Lisey's Story A fantasy horror television miniseries based on King's novel of the same name

Others[]

Year Title Publisher ISBN Note
1982 Creepshow Plume 978-0-452-25380-3 Graphic novel, illustrated by Bernie Wrightson
1985 The Bachman Books NAL 978-0-453-00507-4 Originally four stories, with Rage removed from later editions
1988 Bare Bones - Conversations on Terror McGraw-Hill 978-0-070-65759-5 Collected interviews
1994 Mid-life Confidential: The Rock Bottom Remainders Tour America with Three Chords and an Attitude Viking Press Essays written by members of the Rock Bottom Remainders, which included King
1997 Six Stories Philtrum Press Limited edition (1100 copies); five of these stories reissued in Everything's Eventual (2002), one of them (Blind Willie) reissued in Hearts in Atlantis (1999)
1999 Blood and Smoke Simon & Schuster 978-0-671-04617-0 Original audiobook of three stories; collected in Everything's Eventual (2002)
Storm of the Century Pocket Books 978-0-671-03264-7 Original screenplay, published shortly before the initial airing
2000 The Plant Philtrum Press Published partially in 1982/83/85/2000; Unfinished
2009 Stephen King Goes to the Movies Pocket Books 978-1-416-59236-5 Contains five previously collected short stories
2010 Blockade Billy Simon & Schuster 978-1-451-60821-2 Contains the title short story and "Morality", both collected in The Bazaar of Bad Dreams (2015)
American Vampire Vol. 1 Vertigo 978-1-401-22830-9 Graphic novel, co-written with Scott Snyder, Illustrated by Rafael Albuquerque;

Winner, Eisner Award for Best New Series, 2011

2013 Ghost Brothers of Darkland County Hear Music 978-1-579-40235-8 Libretto for musical
Guns Philtrum Press Non-fiction essay written by King on the issue of gun violence
2016 Six Scary Stories Cemetery Dance Publications 978-1-587-67570-6 An anthology of stories picked by Stephen King (not to be mistaken with Six Stories)
2016 Charlie the Choo-Choo Simon & Schuster 978-1-534-40123-5 Published under pseudonym Beryl Evans, illustrated by Ned Dameron
Hearts in Suspension University of Maine Press 978-0-891-01127-9 A collection of essays by King with other authors
2018 Flight or Fright Cemetery Dance Publications 978-1-587-67679-6 An anthology edited by Stephen King and Bev Vincent, and including stories from King, Vincent, and Joe Hill

Publishers[]

  • Scribner
  • Viking
  • Doubleday
  • Putnam
  • New American Library (Signet)
  • Simon & Schuster
  • Cemetery Dance
  • Hard Case Crime

Trivia[]

  • Stephen King refused to write a sequel until Doctor Sleep.
  • Several of Stephen King's novels reference King's works—or film adaptations of those works—as existing within their respective universes. Some also reference King directly. For example, in the novel Thinner—which was written by King under his main pseudonym, Richard Bachman—after protagonist Billy Halleck gives Dr. Mike Houston the explanation for his supernatural weight loss, Houston tells him he "was starting to sound a little like a Stephen King novel."
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