Stephen King

For other people with either the same or similar names, see Stephen King (disambiguation).
Not to be confused with Steve King.

Stephen King
King in 2024
King in 2024
BornStephen Edwin King
(1947-09-21) September 21, 1947 (age 77)
Portland, Maine, U.S.
Pen name
OccupationAuthor
Alma materUniversity of Maine (BA)
Period1967–present[1]
Genre
Spouse
​
(m. 1971)​
Children3, including Joe and Owen
Signature
Website
stephenking.com Edit this at Wikidata

Stephen Edwin King (born September 21, 1947) is an American author. Widely known for his horror novels, he has been crowned the "King of Horror".[2] He has also explored other genres, among them suspense, crime, science-fiction, fantasy and mystery.[3] Though known primarily for his novels, he has written approximately 200 short stories, most of which have been published in collections.[4]

His debut, Carrie (1974), established him in horror. Different Seasons (1982), a collection of four novellas, was his first major departure from the genre. Among the films adapted from King's fiction are Carrie (1976), The Shining (1980), The Dead Zone (1983), Christine (1983), Stand by Me (1986), Misery (1990), The Shawshank Redemption (1994), Dolores Claiborne (1995), The Green Mile (1999), The Mist (2007) and It (2017). He has published under the pseudonym Richard Bachman and has co-written works with other authors, notably his friend Peter Straub and sons Joe Hill and Owen King. He has also written nonfiction, notably Danse Macabre (1981) and On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft (2000).

Among other awards, King has won the O. Henry Award for "The Man in the Black Suit" (1994) and the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Mystery/Thriller for 11/22/63 (2011). He has also won honors for his overall contributions to literature, including the 2003 Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters,[5][6] the 2007 Grand Master Award from the Mystery Writers of America[7] and the 2014 National Medal of Arts.[8] Joyce Carol Oates called King "a brilliantly rooted, psychologically 'realistic' writer for whom the American scene has been a continuous source of inspiration, and American popular culture a vast cornucopia of possibilities."[9]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference OfficialBio was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ K.S.C. (September 7, 2017). "Why Stephen King's novels still resonate". The Economist. Archived from the original on September 9, 2017. Retrieved September 9, 2017.
  3. ^ Breznican, Anthony (September 3, 2019)."Life Is Imitating Stephen King's Art, and That Scares Him" Archived September 3, 2019, at the Wayback Machine. New York Times. Retrieved September 3, 2019.
  4. ^ Jackson, Dan (February 18, 2016). "A Beginner's Guide to Stephen King Books" Archived February 7, 2019, at the Wayback Machine. Thrillist. Retrieved February 5, 2019.
  5. ^ "Distinguished Contribution to American Letters". National Book Foundation. 2003. Archived from the original on March 10, 2011. Retrieved March 11, 2011.
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference NBA was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ "FORUMS du CLUB STEPHEN KING (CSK)". Forum Stephen King. Archived from the original on February 22, 2012. Retrieved March 8, 2012.
  8. ^ "Stephen King". www.arts.gov.
  9. ^ Joyce Carol Oates (2016). "Joyce Carol Oates on Stephen King". celestialtimepiece.com.