A Short Biography of Stephen King

Known as the Master of Horror Stephen King as written many books and short stories in his lifetime, not to mention his one work of nonfiction. Stephen King as also written works under his pseudonym, which few seem to know is Richard Bachman. Stephen Edwin King was born on September 21, 1947 at the Maine General Hospital in Portland Maine. His parents were Donald Edwin King and Ruth Pillsbury King. Stephen being the only natural born child in the family and his older brother David having been adopted at birth two years earlier. The Kings were the typical family until one night when Donald King said he was stepping out for cigarettes and was never heard from again. (Utopianweb.com)

Ruth had two raise her two small children by herself. The closest Ruth came to criticizing her errant husband was to say that he lacked sticking power. Stephen King stated that his mother "landed on her feet scrambling. Somehow she kept things together, as women before her have done and as other women are doing now as we speak." She began working a succession of low wage jobs to support her family. They had to move often, as Ruth searched for better jobs, and they sometimes had to move in with other members of the family. (Stephen King 22)

In 1958, when Stephen King was 11 and David was 13, Ruth King realized that her parents, Guy Pillsbury and Nellie Fogg Pillsbury, who were in their eighties and in poor health, needed help. Her sisters offered Ruth an arrangement: they would all help her out financially if she would move into the modest farmhouse down a dirt road in Durham, Maine's western section, known as Methodist Corner. She would aid their ailing parents, acting as a nurse-caretaker. Stephen attended classes in a one-room schoolhouse. His teacher described him as "a smart, friendly, outgoing boy" who was always writing. He attended the old Methodist church next to his house and taught Bible school as a teenager during summer vacations. (Stephen King 36)

Stephen King graduated from high school in 1966 and continued on to the University of Maine at Orono. While studying at University, he met his wife-to-be, Tabitha Spruce. He received his bachelors of science in English in 1970, then married Tabitha Spruce in 1971. Stephen King worked at an industrial laundromat, then became a janitor, and then finally became an English teacher at Hamden Public School in Maine in the fall of 1971. He didn't earn enough money, and had trouble paying the bills. (Horrorking.com)

Their daughter, Naomi born within the first year of their marriage, was dressed mostly in scrounged clothes. And on June 4, 1972, their second child Joseph was born. King began writing Carrie in the summer of 1972 but tossed the notes in the trash: Tabitha rescued the pages and told him to continue. He hated it, but finished the book and sent it to a publisher anyway. His expectations were low; he had gotten many, many rejections. Then the telegram arrived Carrie was to be published! And King would receive a 2,500 advance. A month and a half later, on May 12, 1973 King got an astonishing phone call. His publisher, Doubleday, had sold the paperback rights for $400,000, of which Stephen King got half. (Stephen King 55-56)

While in college King was introduced to the works of prominent authors such as Theodore Dreiser, who greatly influenced his writing. (Stephen King 51)

Stephen King has also took his chances as an author appearing in some of the films based on his own books like Thinner (1996), Sleepwalkers (1992), and Pet Sematary (1989). (Utopianweb.com)

Stephen King has won many awards a few of these include the Hugo Award: 1982- Spectacular Non-Fiction Book, Danse Macabre, the British Fantasy Award: 1982-Best Novel Cujo, and the Balrog Award: 1979- Spectacular Novel The Stand. (Members.aol.com)

Stephen King has also written many books and short stories some of these include Christine,The Shining, Insomnia,Firestarter, and Misery. (Qnet.com)

In the Stephen King novel The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger an alien hunter is searching for an evil alien known as the Man in Black. In order to find the Man in Black the hunter teams up with a kid from Earth called Jake, and a raven named Alice in an ancient myth to frontier western setting.

As reviewed by the School Library Journal about a book called Rage written by Stephen King. A high school student goes berserk in the classroom, killing the teacher and holding the class hostage. The story combines social commentary, adventure and science fiction, set against the backdrop of a decaying society. This one novel is well worth the price of the book. (Barnesandnoble.com)

Stephen King is known as the Master of Horror and with the constant chilling fiction novels he brings out his legacy is sure to grow only deeper and remain eternal.