A Brief History
On April 5, 1974, Stephen King published the first of his more than 60 full length novels, Carrie, setting the stage for what may well be the greatest horror fiction writing career in world history, and possibly the greatest writing career by an American author.
Digging Deeper
While many authors have penned one, two, or even several momentous works, the incredible production by King, who says he writes about 2,000 words a day, is truly impressive. King’s books sell well, ranking him anywhere from 10th to 21st on best selling author lists, depending on the source and when the list was made.
Along with his highly popular novels, he has also written over 200 shorter works, numerous screenplays, essays, and even comics. King has also diverged into the non-fiction genre. His stories have been the basis for numerous memorable horror, fantasy, and supernatural movies, such as The Green Mile, several iterations based on Carrie, The Shawshank Redemption, It and It, Chapter Two, The Shining, and Misery. Many of his stories have been made and then remade into new films and made for TV films and mini-series.
King’s books alone have sold over 400 million copies, and of course they continue to sell rather well even today. At 77 years old, it is unknown how many other great works King will produce, although we believe he still has some awfully creepy stories to share!
Question for students (and subscribers) to ponder: What is your favorite Stephen King story or movie?
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Historical Evidence
For more information, please see…
Rogak, Lisa. Haunted Heart: The Life and Times of Stephen King. Thomas Dunne Books, 2024.
Vincent, Bev. The Stephen King Ultimate Companion: A Complete Exploration of His Work, Life, and Influences. becker&mayer! books, 2022.
The featured image in this article, a photograph of Stephen King receiving the National Medal of the Arts from President Barack Obama, is in the public domain in the United States because it is a work prepared by an officer or employee of the United States Government as part of that person’s official duties under the terms of Title 17, Chapter 1, Section 105 of the US Code.
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