Stephen King Popular horror writer Date of Birth: 21.09.1947 Country: USA

Biography of Stephen King

Stephen King, a popular American horror writer often referred to as the "great and terrible" by the press, is actually an ordinary person. He wears simple shirts and jeans, loves baseball and rock music, and enjoys playing the guitar in a amateur band in his free time. Despite his appearance, truly terrifying stories are born in his mind.

Stephen King was born on September 21, 1947, in Portland. His father was a merchant marine captain, and his mother worked various jobs to make ends meet. Two years after Stephen's birth, his father went to buy cigarettes and never returned. His mother, a lively and optimistic woman, did not give up. In addition to Stephen, she also raised an older adopted son. To support the family, she had to work multiple jobs. They often stayed with relatives, so Stephen's childhood was spent in different cities.

King began writing stories at the age of seven. Together with his brother David, they published a homemade newspaper that they distributed to relatives and neighbors for 5 cents. It was during this time that he started writing his first stories. In 1963, these stories were included in the collection "People, Places, and Creatures - Volume I," which Stephen distributed to friends and acquaintances.

After graduating from high school, Stephen was torn between volunteering for the Vietnam War or continuing his education at university. His mother insisted that he get an education, so King enrolled at the University of Maine. In university, he was active in student life, writing articles for the weekly newspaper and being a member of the Student Council. His perspectives changed significantly during this time. He began supporting the anti-war movement and became a fierce opponent of the Vietnam War.

Although King's first novel, "Carrie," was rejected by publishers, he continued to write. He shared his works at poetry seminars attended by aspiring writers. It was at one of these seminars where he met a lovely girl named Tabitha Spruce who impressed him with her poetry. They dated for a while, and in 1971, they got married.

The early years of their marriage were very difficult. The family lived on Stephen's part-time job at a laundry and on Tabitha's student loan. Eventually, King found a job as an English teacher at Hampden Academy. However, even then, they struggled financially as their family grew with the birth of their son Joe and daughter Naomi.

A turning point in King's life occurred when Tabitha found three crumpled pages of a new novel in the trash. She loved what she read and insisted that Stephen finish it. The story about a girl with paranormal abilities became "Carrie" (1974) and was submitted to a publisher. In 1973, King's friend who worked at a publishing company informed him that the rights to the novel had been sold for $400,000, with half of the amount going to the author. Overjoyed, Stephen went for a walk and bought Tabitha a hairdryer as a gift. From that moment on, their lives changed forever.

"Carrie" became incredibly popular, and King began working on a new novel. The idea came to him during a weekend he spent with his wife in Room 217 of a hotel in Estes Park. Inspired by the ominous atmosphere of the room, he wrote "The Shining" (1977). After completing "The Shining," Stephen worked on "The Stand" (1978) and started writing another novel, "The Dead Zone" (1979).

The story described in "The Shining" turned out to be prophetic. Like his literary character, Stephen started drinking and soon became addicted to drugs. He later revealed in his autobiography, "On Writing," that he does not remember how "Cujo" (1981) was created and that "Tommyknockers" (1987) was written under the influence of various drugs. During this period from 1974 to 1987, King wrote his best works. In addition to the mentioned novels, they include "Firestarter" (1980), "Christine" (1983), "Thinner" (1984), "The Talisman" (1984), and "It" (1986).

King's addiction to alcohol and drugs only ended in 1987, thanks to Tabitha's efforts. Stephen pulled himself together and has since only consumed Pepsi. In the 1980s and 1990s, Stephen King continued to publish, including under the pseudonym Richard Bachman. His most famous work under this pseudonym was the novel "Rage" (1977). For a long time, the true identity of Richard Bachman was carefully concealed. It was amusing for the author that the secret was uncovered not by journalists from The New York Times but by an ordinary bookstore clerk named Steve Brown from Washington.

In 1999, Stephen King became a grandfather, and just a few months later, he was involved in a car accident. While on his daily walk, which he loves, he was hit by a car. Fortunately, King survived, but he suffered four broken ribs, a leg fractured in nine places, lung damage, and a cracked spine. He spent about a month in the hospital, but the effects of the accident still affect his health to this day.

By 2002, Stephen King's creative legacy included several story collections and around forty novels, which sold millions of copies. Coming up with new ideas became increasingly challenging, and the author announced that he would retire from writing once he finished working on "The Dark Tower" series. However, he did not keep his word. Since then, he has published novels such as "Cell" (2006), "Duma Key" (2008), "11/22/63" (2011), "Doctor Sleep" (2013), "Mr. Mercedes" (2014), "Revival" (2014), "Finders Keepers" (2015), "The Bazaar of Bad Dreams" (2016), "Sleeping Beauties" (2017), "Gwendy's Button Box" (2018), and "The Outsider" (2018).

In June 2019, Stephen King appeared in a video for the news portal NowThis Newsruen alongside Robert De Niro, Laurence Fishburne, and other celebrities. The video accused the Russian government of attacking American democracy and Donald Trump of conspiring with Russia.

King's works have been adapted into numerous films. Movies such as "The Dead Zone," "Carrie," "The Shining," and "The Shawshank Redemption" achieved incredible popularity and became cult classics. However, the interpretations of directors did not always align with King's vision. For example, he was very dissatisfied with Stanley Kubrick's adaptation of his novel "The Shining."

Stephen King is not just a popular writer; he is one of the greatest authors in the genres of science fiction and horror. In 2003, he was awarded the Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Literature, an honor previously bestowed upon masters of the written word such as Arthur Miller and John Updike. Thus, Stephen King was considered a modern literary classic.