Stephen King facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Stephen King
King in 2024
Born	Stephen Edwin King (1947-09-21) September 21, 1947 (age 77) Portland, Maine, U.S.
Pen name	Richard Bachman John Swithen Beryl Evans
Occupation	Author
Alma mater	University of Maine (BA)
Period	1967–present
Genre	Horror fantasy supernatural fiction drama gothic genre fiction dark fantasy post-apocalyptic fiction crime fiction suspense thriller
Spouse	Tabitha Spruce ​ (m. 1971)​
Children	3, including Joe and Owen
Signature

Stephen Edwin King (born September 21, 1947) is a famous American author. He is widely known for his scary horror novels, earning him the nickname "King of Horror." He also writes in other exciting genres like suspense, crime, science-fiction, fantasy, and mystery. While he is mostly known for his novels, he has also written about 200 short stories, many of which are found in collections.

His first novel, Carrie (1974), made him a star in the horror world. Later, Different Seasons (1982), a collection of four shorter novels (novellas), showed he could write more than just horror. Many of King's stories have been turned into movies, including Carrie (1976), The Shining (1980), Stand by Me (1986), Misery (1990), and The Shawshank Redemption (1994). He has also written books under the name Richard Bachman and worked with other writers, including his friends and his sons, Joe Hill and Owen King.

Stephen King has won many awards for his writing. These include the O. Henry Award for his short story "The Man in the Black Suit" (1994). He has also received special honors for his amazing contributions to literature, such as the 2003 Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters. In 2014, he was given the National Medal of Arts.

Early Life and Education

Stephen King was born in Portland, Maine, on September 21, 1947. His father left the family when Stephen was two years old. His mother, Nellie Ruth King, raised him and his older brother, David, by herself. They often faced financial difficulties and moved around a lot, living with relatives in different states.

When Stephen was 11, his family settled in Durham, Maine. His mother worked as a caregiver. King has said that his childhood was mostly ordinary, but he always loved being scared. He started writing when he was very young, around six or seven, by copying comic book panels and then making up his own stories. Movies were also a big influence on him.

King loved to read as a child. He read all kinds of books, from Nancy Drew mysteries to scary stories like Psycho. He remembers finding a box of his father's old books, which included a collection of stories by H. P. Lovecraft. This discovery made him realize he wanted to be a writer.

A bookmobile driver once gave him Lord of the Flies, which deeply affected him. He said it was the first book that truly grabbed him and showed him that stories could be about life or death. King later named his fictional town of Castle Rock after a place in Lord of the Flies.

King went to Lisbon High School in Lisbon Falls, Maine. He wrote for his brother's newspaper and sold stories to his friends. His first story published outside of his own efforts was "I Was a Teenage Grave Robber" in a fan magazine in 1965. An editor once gave him advice that stuck with him: "write with the door closed, rewrite with the door open."

In 1966, King went to the University of Maine at Orono on a scholarship. He wrote for the student newspaper and met Tabitha Spruce in a writing workshop. They fell in love and married in 1971. King graduated in 1970 with a degree in English.

Career Highlights

Early Writings

In 1971, King worked as a teacher at Hampden Academy

Stephen King sold his first professional short story, "The Glass Floor", in 1967. After college, he couldn't find a teaching job right away. He earned money by selling short stories to magazines. Many of these early stories were later put together in a collection called Night Shift.

In 1971, King became a teacher at Hampden Academy in Hampden, Maine. He kept writing short stories and working on ideas for novels. During this time, he wrote early versions of novels like The Long Walk, which was later published in 1979.

Becoming a Published Author

Portrait from the first edition of Carrie (1974)

Portrait from the first edition of The Shining (1977)

King's first novel, Carrie, started as a short story. He almost threw it away, but his wife, Tabitha, found the pages and encouraged him to finish it. She told him, "You've got something here." Carrie was published in 1973. It tells the story of Carrie White, a high school student with special powers who faces cruelty from her classmates and her very religious mother.

After Carrie, King wrote 'Salem's Lot, a story about vampires in a small New England town. He once called it his favorite novel. Later, he visited the Stanley Hotel in Colorado, which inspired his famous novel The Shining. This book is about a writer and his family who take care of a hotel during winter, where strange things happen.

In 1975, King and his family moved back to Maine, where he finished The Stand. This is a long story about a pandemic and what happens to the world afterward. In 1979, he published The Dead Zone, which was the first of his novels to be set in the fictional town of Castle Rock, Maine.

Expanding His Style

In 1982, King released Different Seasons, a collection of four novellas (short novels). These stories were more serious and dramatic than his usual horror. Three of them were made into popular movies: The Body became Stand by Me (1986), Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption became The Shawshank Redemption (1994), and Apt Pupil became a film of the same name (1998). This collection showed people that King could write more than just scary stories.

In 1983, he published Christine, about a haunted car. Later that year came Pet Sematary, a very disturbing story he had written years earlier. It's about a burial ground that can bring the dead back to life, but with terrible consequences.

In 1986, King published It, a long novel about a shape-shifting monster that takes on the form of people's worst fears. He wanted to "bring on all the monsters one last time" in this book. It won an award in 1987.

In 1987, he wrote The Eyes of the Dragon, a fantasy story he originally wrote for his daughter. That same year, he published Misery, about a famous writer who is held captive by his "number-one fan" after a car accident. This book explores how writing can be a way to survive.

Later Works

In the 1990s, King continued to write many successful novels. These included Needful Things (1991), which he called "The Last Castle Rock Story." He also wrote Gerald's Game and Dolores Claiborne (both 1992), which were about women and loosely connected by a solar eclipse.

In 1996, King published The Green Mile as a series of smaller books. It's the story of a death row inmate with special powers. In 1998, he released Bag of Bones, a ghost story about a writer who recently lost his wife. This book was praised for showing King's growth as a writer.

In 1999, King was hit by a van while walking. He later joked that he was almost killed by a character from one of his own novels, referring to Misery.

2000s and Beyond

Stephen King at the Harvard Book Store, June 6, 2005

In 2000, King published On Writing, a book that combines his life story with advice for writers. It became a classic. He also experimented with e-books, releasing Riding the Bullet (2000) as one of the first mass e-books.

In 2006, he published Lisey's Story, which he calls his favorite novel. It's about the widow of a novelist and explores the secret world that a long marriage creates. In 2009, his novel Under the Dome became a bestseller. It's about a town suddenly trapped under a mysterious, invisible dome.

In the 2010s, King continued to publish new works. These include 11/22/63 (2011), a time-travel story about preventing the Kennedy assassination. He also wrote a trilogy of crime novels starting with Mr. Mercedes (2014), which won an award. In 2019, he released The Institute.

More recently, King has published If It Bleeds (2020), a collection of novellas, and Fairy Tale (2022). His novel Holly, featuring the character Holly Gibney, came out in 2023. A new collection of short stories, You Like It Darker, was published in 2024. He has also announced an upcoming novel called Never Flinch for 2025.

Writing Under Other Names

King has published several books under the name Richard Bachman. He did this because publishers used to think readers would only buy one book a year from an author. The Bachman books are often darker and grittier than his usual stories.

Richard Bachman's identity was discovered in 1985 by a bookstore clerk. King then announced that Bachman had "died" from "cancer of the pseudonym." However, King later published more Bachman books, like The Regulators (1996) and Blaze (2007), which he said he "discovered."

King has also used other names for short stories and children's books, like John Swithen and Beryl Evans.

The Dark Tower Series

In the late 1970s, King started a long series of books called The Dark Tower. It's about a lone hero named Roland, a gunslinger, who travels through different worlds. The series mixes elements of fantasy, Westerns, and other genres. The first story was published in 1977, and the series grew into eight books, finishing in 2012.

Collaborations

Working with Other Writers

Stephen King has written two novels with his friend Peter Straub: The Talisman (1984) and Black House (2001). They tried to make their writing styles blend so readers couldn't tell who wrote which parts.

King has also collaborated with his sons. He co-wrote Throttle (2009) and In the Tall Grass (2012) with Joe Hill. With his son Owen, he co-wrote Sleeping Beauties (2018), which is set in a women's prison. King also worked with Richard Chizmar on the "Gwendy" series of books.

Film and Television Work

King has written screenplays for movies and TV shows. His first screenplay was for Creepshow (1982), a horror movie made up of several short scary stories. He also wrote Cat's Eye (1985).

In 1986, King directed his own movie, Maximum Overdrive, based on his story "Trucks". He has also written several TV miniseries based on his books, including The Stand (1994) and The Shining (1997).

Music and Comics

King has also been involved in music and comics. He co-wrote a musical called Ghost Brothers of Darkland County (2012). In comics, he co-wrote the series American Vampire for DC Comics in 2010.

Writing Style and Themes

How King Writes

Stephen King in 2011

In his book On Writing, King says that stories are "found things, like fossils in the ground." He believes a writer's job is to dig them out as carefully as possible. He is known for his vivid descriptions and comparisons that make readers see things in a new way.

What King Writes About

When asked if fear is his main topic, King explained that he is interested in how ordinary life changes when something extraordinary happens. This could be a scary monster or a difficult real-life situation. He explores how people react and what it shows about their character.

King often includes writers as characters in his books, like Ben Mears in 'Salem's Lot or Jack Torrance in The Shining. He even appears as himself in some of his Dark Tower novels. This allows him to explore ideas about what it means to be an author.

Many of King's stories are set in small towns in Maine, often in fictional places like Derry. He writes about family life, marriage, and the lives of children. He shows how the challenges of real life can feel like a battle against something evil. His stories often focus on characters growing up, like in The Body and Joyland.

King believes in telling the truth about how real people would behave in difficult situations, even if the story itself is make-believe.

Who Influenced King

King says that if you want to be a writer, you must "read a lot and write a lot." He learned about good description from authors like Raymond Chandler and T. S. Eliot.

He has called Richard Matheson "the author who influenced me most." Other writers who inspired him include Ray Bradbury and Shirley Jackson. King often pays tribute to classic horror stories by retelling them in a modern way. For example, 'Salem's Lot is similar to Bram Stoker's Dracula, and Revival is a modern take on Mary Shelley's Frankenstein.

King has shared lists of his favorite books, which include classics like Lord of the Flies, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, and Nineteen Eighty-Four.

Views and Activism

King campaigning for Gary Hart for President in 1984

Stephen King was raised in the Methodist church, but he stopped following organized religion in high school. However, he has said that he chooses to believe in God.

King has been active in politics. He supported Gary Hart in the 1984 presidential election and Barack Obama in 2008. In 2011, he spoke out against the Tea Party movement.

King at the Ramstein Air Base in Germany, 2013

In 2012, King wrote an article saying that wealthy Americans, including himself, should pay more taxes. He called it "a practical necessity and moral imperative."

In 2013, he published an essay called Guns about the debate over gun laws in the United States. He asked gun owners to support a ban on automatic and semi-automatic weapons, calling them "weapons of mass destruction."

King has also spoken out against Donald Trump's political campaigns. In the 2020 Democratic primaries, he supported Elizabeth Warren, and later endorsed Joe Biden for president.

In 2022, King testified in a court case to stop two large book publishers from merging. He spoke against his own publisher, and his testimony helped convince the judge to block the merger.

Philanthropy

Stephen King is very generous with his money. He has stated that he donates about $4 million each year to various causes. These include libraries, local fire departments that need new equipment, schools, and organizations that support the arts.

The Stephen and Tabitha King Foundation, run by King and his wife, is one of the top charities in Maine. They give out over $2.8 million in grants every year. For example, in 2011, their foundation donated $70,000 to help families in his hometown of Bangor, Maine, pay their heating bills during winter. In 2021, they donated $6,500 to help children publish two novels they had been working on.

Personal Life

King's home in Bangor

Stephen King married Tabitha Spruce on January 2, 1971, after they met at the University of Maine. Tabitha is also a novelist and a philanthropist. She has always supported Stephen's writing, even saving his early manuscript for Carrie from the trash.

The Kings divide their time between three homes: one in Bangor, Maine, one in Lovell, Maine, and a winter home in Sarasota, Florida. Their home in Bangor is a well-known spot for tourists. As of 2019, they planned to turn it into a facility for his archives and a retreat for writers.

Portrait of Owen and Stephen from the first edition of Different Seasons (1982)

Stephen and Tabitha have three children. Their daughter, Naomi, is a minister. Both of their sons are also professional authors. Owen King (born 1977) published his first collection of stories in 2005. Joseph Hillström King (born 1972), who writes as Joe Hill, published his first collection of short stories in 2005.

King wearing a Boston Red Sox jersey at a book signing in November 2004

King is a big fan of baseball, especially the Boston Red Sox. He even co-wrote a book called Faithful about the Red Sox's historic 2004 season when they won the 2004 World Series. Baseball also appears in some of his novellas.

Music, especially rock, is important in King's work and life. He played guitar in a charity band called the Rock Bottom Remainders, made up of other authors. They released an album and wrote books about their experiences.

King and his wife own a radio station group called Zone Corporation. In December 2024, King announced that some of the stations would close due to his age and financial losses. However, one station, WKIT, was sold to local businessmen.

King is still a very active reader. He enjoys many different types of books, from thrillers to poetry. He has shared lists of his favorite books, which include many classics and lesser-known works.

Car Accident and Recovery

On June 19, 1999, Stephen King was walking on the side of a road in Lovell, Maine, when he was hit by a minivan. The driver was distracted by an unrestrained dog. King was seriously injured, with many broken bones in his leg. Doctors even considered amputating his leg at first, but they were able to save it.

After several operations and physical therapy, King slowly recovered. He was able to resume writing his book On Writing in July, even though he was still in a lot of pain. King's lawyer later bought the van that hit him to prevent it from being sold as a strange souvenir. The van was then crushed.

Appearances in Other Media

Stephen King has made appearances in various other media. In the book The Princess Bride, the author William Goldman jokingly wrote that Stephen King was "doing the abridgment" of a fictional book. King explained this was an inside joke between him and Goldman, who has adapted many of King's novels into screenplays.

King has also appeared in music. In 1988, he provided a spoken introduction for an updated version of the song "Astronomy" by the band Blue Öyster Cult. In 2012, he narrated an album for Shooter Jennings.

He has made cameos (brief appearances) in movies and TV shows based on his own work. He also appeared as a character named Bachman on the show Sons of Anarchy, which was a nod to his pseudonym Richard Bachman. King even voiced himself in an episode of The Simpsons, where he appeared with other famous authors.

Awards and Honors

Carrie was listed by the New York Public Library as one of the "Books of the Century" in the "Pop Culture Mass & Entertainment" category. In 2008, On Writing was ranked 21st on Entertainment Weekly's list of "The New Classics: The 100 Best Reads from 1983 to 2008". It also made Time's list of the 100 greatest nonfiction books published since the magazine started in 1923.

11/22/63 (2011) was named one of the five best fiction books of the year by The New York Times. They praised how King blends ordinary life with supernatural elements and explores themes of memory and fate.

Filmography

See Also

In Spanish: Stephen King para niños

• List of adaptations of works by Stephen King
• Castle Rock (Stephen King)
• Charles Scribner's Sons (aka Scribner)
• Derry (Stephen King)
• Dollar Baby
• Jerusalem's Lot (Stephen King)
• Haven