Stephen King was born September 21, 1947 in Portland, Maine. Born to Donald and Nellie Ruth Pillsbury King, he was the second of two children, his brother being David King. Stephen’s early life was difficult. His father was an alcoholic and later walked out on Stephen and the rest of his family. Stephen’s family was now low on money because his mother had a trouble finding jobs, she just worked where she could find work and that was how it went for Stephen’s early childhood. Stephen’s grandparents didn’t help his situation at all. His grandparents were becoming victims of age and were becoming very ill. This forced Stephen’s mother Ruth King to stop her current jobs and take care of her parents at their home. This was decided by Ruth King and her sisters. Once, Stephen’s grandparents passed away Ms. King found a solid job in the kitchens of Pineland, a local facility for the mentally challenged. In 1973 Stephen’s mother died of cancer at the age of fifty-nine. Stephen in his early years went to grammar school in Durham, then to Lisbon Falls High School, in which he graduated in 1966. After high school graduation, King went to University of Maine at Orono for a bachelor’s degree in English. He later graduated from college with a degree in 1970. At this point he had already started writing his first novel. Stephen began teaching in 1971(The Author).
In 1971, Stephen King began teaching at Hampden Academy. Before this position, he worked in industrial laundry and student loans and savings (The Author). Although, once Double Day & Co. agreed to publish King’s book “Carrie” in 1974 he left his job as a teacher to write full time. Over a thirty-eight year period Stephen King has published over sixty novels hundreds of short stories, and won over forty awards, some being a lifetime achievement award from the National Book Awards, and the Medal of Distinguished Contribution to American Letters. He has had more best sellers than anybody since John D. MacDonald. Some of his better known novels consist of Carrie, Cujo, IT, The Stand, Pet Semetery, The Shining, and Misery. Stephen King has no problem writing from personal experience. He uses experiences mainly from his childhood to create stories and obviously exaggerate the details. For example, The Shining was based off his alcoholic father who was never there for him. Although, he has had trouble appealing to most crowds because he stays realistic and doesn’t hold back, and some people appreciate that and some don’t. King as a child was insecure and had trouble with nightmares about “his mother was laid out in a coffin and he saw himself hanging from a gallows with crows pecking out his eyes, his anxieties included everything from a terror of falling down the toilet, to paranoia about death, deformity, and even clowns.” He later found that writing about what he fears lets him release his fears (Stephen King's Real Horror). Although throughout the eighties Stephen has said that he doesn’t remember most of his bestsellers in the early 1980’s like Misery and IT .This was because throughout the eighties Stephen suffered from drug and alcohol addiction (Stephen King's Real Horror). King later overcame his addiction and to this day he hasn’t had any drugs or alcohol since the late1980’s. His victory over addiction was inspired by his family who urged him and had several interventions (Stephen King's Real Horror). Although, a lot of his books have made it to the big screen for movie adaptations, which have become some of the best horror/ science fiction movies to this day. Some of these movies consist of Carrie (1976), The Shining (1980), Christine (1983), The Shawshank Redemption (1994), The Green Mile (1999), and Stand By Me (1986). Many have been nominated for awards like the Oscars. The only movie to win an Oscar was 1990’s Misery which was for the acting of Kathy Bates not the whole movie itself. Although, Stephen seems to very popular with the crowds, and he usually receives good reviews from literary critics, although he does get his bad or disagreeing reviews too.
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At the age of sixty four, Stephen King is still writing, just not at the same pace. He knew writing was his passion in his early years and he hasn’t lost sight of that. King is still releasing bestsellers like Under the Dome, and 11/22/63. Although, King has had several instances in which his career was threatened. On June 19, 1999, King was hit by a van. This put him in critical condition. This nearly forced him to retire early, but he eventually recovered and returned to his writing career (Horror master Stephen King struck by vehicle). He later bought the exact van that hit him (Stephen King). Also, as of 2002 Stephen King has been going blind after he developed Macular Degeneration, a medical condition that comes with age in which the patient slowly loses sight. Although, Stephen King says "At least I'm alive - that's the way I feel about it." (Stephen King Is Going Blind). This shows that going blind won’t stop him from writing. He is still writing today even after his experiences that nearly put a halt to it all.
Stephen King has revolutionized the writing of horror novels. He has set the tone for other authors writing in the horror genre. When you think of horror films or horror books, one of the names that pop into minds is always Stephen King. Stephen King has helped develop culture, with the stories behind the films such as The Shawshank Redemption, Misery, and The Shining. He has affected people that have read his books in either a good way or a bad way, but either way his work affects his readers and that’s what he strives for.