The Unsettling Life of Stephen King

Proclaimed by the public as the king of horror, Stephen King has established a memorable career for himself in terror literature. With several decades as a successful writer, his name received international fame. However here is a look into his turbulent life that helped make him one of the best horror writers:

• Stephen King was born in Portland Maine in 1947. Consequently, a lot of his stories take place in Maine.
• King’s parents separated, his dad left his mom when he was very young saying he was going to buy cigarettes. This left his mom to raise him and his brother by herself.
• When he was young, he witnessed the death of his friend. He was killed by a train but King has no memory of it. Many people believe this death inspired many of the dark stories he would later write.
• He began writing short stories for magazines. In fact, the first story he sold was called ‘The Glass Floor’ which he sold to the Startling Mystery Stories magazine in 1967. At first, he wanted to be a teacher, but when he couldn’t find a job, writing short stories became a method of financial income.
• Married Tabitha Spruce and soon became a teacher at Hampden Academy.
• In 1974 he published his first novel, Carrie. It was picked up by a publishing company the year prior. King had previously become frustrated with the novel and writing about a teenage girl with psychic abilities. He actually threw the manuscript in the trash, which his wife later retrieved and encouraged him to continue.
• King moved to the South of Maine when his mom fell ill with cancer, during this time he was writing Salem’s Lot. King always said this book was special to him.
• After his mother’s unfortunate death he wrote his famous book The Shinning in Colorado. He later moved back to Maine making it his permanent residency.
• During the 1970’s he wrote his famous series The Dark Towers, which were an eccentric mix of Tolkiens Middle Earth and the American Wild West.
• However, he didn’t only write novels, in the 80’s he contributed to the Xmen comics. All of these profits he would later donate to fight famine in Africa. King would also later write musicals and own a radio with his wife among other achievements.
• In 1999 he was hit by a van that left him with a collapsed lung. King would later buy the van so that he could destroy it with a sledgehammer.

King’s work has revolutionized modern horror literature. His work has often found itself on the big screen and even had remakes so that newer generations can experience the fear his stories evoke. If you want to experience this first hand, check out his work on our online library www.mediabinn.com.