It is hardly an exaggeration if I say that Stephen King is one of the best-known and most published writers today. Relatively few contemporary authors (with the exception of J.K. Rowling) create entire worlds that appeal to a global audience. Words and whole phrases from his works have long been part of popular culture; his books have inspired filmmakers to create new movies, TV series, and even graphic adaptations.

Since the publication of his first work, Carrie, King has managed to get millions of readers around the world hooked on his literary conveyor belt. Contrary to the average person’s opinion, he gained such high esteem not only for his horror, with which he is primarily associated, but also for his short stories, his journalism, and his fantasy novels. His work has been rewarded with such prestigious awards as the National Book Award, the Bram Stoker Prize, the Award for Contributions to American Literature, and others. And while most people remember some of his works, we learn a few interesting facts about his life.

Writing is a family business

Stephen King published novels and short stories en masse throughout his writing career, but he wasn’t the only one to choose such a path. He met his future wife, Tabitha, at one of his creative gatherings, where the young girl’s poetry really caught his attention. Her record also includes some works of poetry and prose. Their eldest son writes under the pseudonym Joe Hill, thus wishing to keep his splendid kinship a secret. His first novel, The Heart-Shaped Box, was warmly received by the reading public. His novel, The Horns, was adapted into a movie, and the lead role was played by the not-unfamous Daniel Radcliffe. Hill, like his father, was awarded the prestigious Bram Stoker Prize. The second son, Owen, is also a writer. He has published a collection of short stories as well as his debut novel, Double Feature.

A writer who writes about writers

The hallmark of his work is the inimitable realism and liveliness of his characters. The writer is sure to endow his characters with both character strengths and flaws, so readers are more eager to believe how these characters overcome those very flaws.

However, King resorts with enviable regularity to a favorite maneuver: his characters are often writers. The most striking example of such a character is the writer in the novel Misery, who, like King himself, is trapped in the expectations of his own fans, not having the strength and ability to move away from his favorite genre. Another striking character in King’s work is Jack Torrance, the mad writer in the novel The Shining. The book was filmed by Stanley Kubrick, and the main role went to Jack Nicholson, and it is known that King himself did not appreciate the picture. In the books “Bag of Bones” and “It” there are also characters who made a living as writers. “Lisi’s Story” tells the story of a writer’s widow, with this novel being inspired by reflections on Tabitha’s life in the event of her own death.

Intertextual Connections

To any reader who has devoured a dozen of King’s novels, it would certainly seem that all of his novels are definitely connected in some way. The connecting elements can be cities, people, or even entire organizations. For example, Castle Rock appears in the novels “Cujo,” “Lisi’s Story,” “Needful Things,” and others. Father Callahan from the book “The lot” is also found in the “Dark Tower” series. A certain mysterious organization is mentioned in the works The Langoliers, The Tomminokers, The Flaming Stare, and The Mist.

But at the same time every fan of Stephen King’s work can trace hundreds of semantic intersections and dozens of references to the wanderings of Roland Diskein in the cycle of novels “The Dark Tower”.

You can’t go anywhere without film adaptations.

Of course, Stephen King is known not only for his great track record in the literary field, his fame is also fueled by numerous film adaptations of his works. That is why he is so loved not only among fans of horror and fantasy literature, but also among true connoisseurs of cinema.

The above mentioned Kubrick film “The Shining” is recognized as one of the strongest horror films of all time, while the picture “Escape from Shawshank” based on the short story “Rita Hayworth and Escape from Shawshank” heads all the existing film ratings. The already classic film “Stay with Me” was also based on the short story “The Body.”

The miniseries “It” has been scaring kids for years, and a feature-length film is expected to be released soon. “The Dark Tower” has been adapted as a Marvel comic book movie. A full-length adaptation of the series is also expected in 2017. Of course, this is just the tip of the iceberg of King’s entire legacy, with dozens and hundreds of other interesting works lurking in the depths.