Who is Stephen King ?

hi

One of the greatest writers of our time, Stephen King, has mystified, terrified, and entertained audiences for decades. The Master of Horror has published at least fifty novels and over 200 short stories. And then there are all of the film adaptations.

With huge cinematic hits such as 2017's IT and the endless announcements of upcoming adaptations, King has stayed on our radar. Though nearly every audience member knows his name, many people still don't know that much about the esteemed author himself. Without further ado, here are thirteen mystifying facts about Stephen King to help you get better acquainted.

In 1999, while walking near his home, King was struck by a minivan after the driver's dog distracted him from the road.

Though he was in serious condition (having broken his leg and requiring surgery), he got his revenge. Paying $1,500 for the Dodge Caravan, King later told reporters, "Yes, we've got the van, and I'm going to take a sledgehammer and beat it!"

King's career was plagued by drug and alcohol use in the 1980s. Though the writer wrote on of his most famous novels during that period, he barely remembers it.

"There's one novel, Cujo, that I barely remember writing at all," King said. "I don't say that with pride or shame, only with a vague sense of sorrow and loss. I like that book. I wish I could remember enjoying the good parts as I put them down on the page."

While many of King's stories are tragic, none compare to a horrific event the author experienced during his childhood. While playing with a friend who lived near a train track, his friend was tragically struck and killed by a train. King returned home where he was reportedly "white as a ghost" with no memory of what happened. He later said:

If you're a true movie buff or King fan, then this won't come as a surprise. Stephen King has been incredibly vocal about his disgust for Kubrik's direction. From criticizing the film as "misogynistic" to appearing dismayed at the casting, it doesn't seem like there's anything King likes about it.

Though he once called it "beautiful," his argument that the film is purely superficial makes it more of a backhanded complement. In an interview with Deadline, King said

The Master of Horror collaborated with the King of Pop, writing the script for Jackson's Ghosts music video. The 40-minute long-form music video helped to secure the singer a Guinness World Record for the longest music video.

Apparently authors' faces become buried by their words because many audiences don't always recognize them apart from their writing style. Stephen King, the hero that he is, once decided to sign his signature on copies of his book in a bookstore (for free) when a customer mistook him for a vandal.

As previously stated, King's early career consisted of writing short stories for porn magazines like Cavalier and Playboy. His sci-fi and horror short stories, juxtaposed with images of scantily-clad women, drew criticism from readers.

According to Mental Floss, one reader told King, "You write all those macho things. But you can't write about women. You're scared of women." In response, King began writing Carrie, a novel entirely centered around a young female protagonist who struggles with her identity all the whilst undergoing puberty and high school ant

In the late 1970s, King published a book under the pseudonym Richard Bachman. The book would become the first of seven novels published under the name. Wanting to avoid bombarding the public with too many "King" novels, the author took to writing under a pseudonym in order to release more than one book a year.

When suspicion arose in the mid 80s, King decided to step forward and announced the truth. Rather than simply forgoing the pseudonym, King announced that Richard Bachman died of "Cancer of the Pseudonym."

Before Richard Bachman's untimely death, King published his 1977 psychological thriller Rage under his alias. Detailing a high school shooting, the novel soon came under attack when it became linked to four high school shootings decades after it was released. In response, King allowed the novel to go out of print.

In an ironic twist, the author who dreamed up some of readers' worst nightmares has a fear of his own: The number thirteen. The fear of the number thirteen is a sort of cultural phenomenon—Friday the 13th has long been associated with spooky occurrences—yet the fear isn't superficial for King.

Stephen King was born in the state of Maine, and still lives in the town of Bangor. King has used Maine as the setting for many of his horror novels.

By now, everyone knows the name of Stephen King. Usually, people imagine a spooky dude who creeps people out. Whether or not that’s true is up for debate, but he is a prolific author who has written so many books, they could probably reach your ceiling if stacked one on top of the other, and that’s not just because The Stand, IT, and The Dark Tower are massive tomes.

King’s father, Donald Edwin King, was also an (unsuccessful) writer. “I never saw any of my dad’s stories. My mother said he had piles and piles of manuscripts,” King said. His father walked out on the family when King was only two years old, and he never saw his dad again.

Stephen King is a big fan of Rock N’Roll. He and his wif own three radio stations in Bangor, Maine. WKIT-FM, a rock station, WZLO-FM, & WZON-AM which is all under “The Zone Corporation” name.

In the first grade, King was forced to repeat the year because of frequent absences.

Stephen King is a huge fan of baseball and the Boston Red Sox. He’s such a big fan that he co-wrote a book with Stewart O’Nan, chronicling the 2004 season.

King has an estimated net worth of $400 Million. He has luxury cars, his own private jet, and a waterfront vacation home in Florida.