WRITER

Stephen King

1947 - Today

Photo of Stephen King

Icon of person Stephen King

Stephen Edwin King (born September 21, 1947) is an American author. Called the "King of Horror", he has also explored other genres, among them suspense, crime, science-fiction, fantasy and mystery. Though known primarily for his novels, he has written approximately 200 short stories, most of which have been published in collections. Read more on Wikipedia

Since 2007, the English Wikipedia page of Stephen King has received more than 29,773,031 page views. His biography is available in 108 different languages on Wikipedia (up from 104 in 2019). Stephen King is the 107th most popular writer (down from 82nd in 2019), the 81st most popular biography from United States (down from 68th in 2019) and the 10th most popular American Writer.

Stephen King is most famous for his horror novels.

Memorability Metrics

  • 30M

    Page Views (PV)

  • 76.74

    Historical Popularity Index (HPI)

  • 108

    Languages Editions (L)

  • 8.13

    Effective Languages (L*)

  • 5.13

    Coefficient of Variation (CV)

Notable Works

Shining
Fiction / Horror, Fiction / General
The Overlook Hotel is more than just a home-away-from-home for the Torrance family. For Jack, Wendy, and their young son, Danny, it is a place where past horrors come to life. And where those gifted with the shining do battle with the darkest evils. Stephen King's classic thriller is one of the most powerfully imagined novels of our time. <p> <b>The Shining</b>
It
Fiction, Horror
A promise made twenty-eight years ago calls seven adults to reunite in Derry, Maine, where as teenagers they battled an evil creature that preyed on the city's children.
Cujo
Fiction, Horror
Think Jaws, but with a 200-pound Saint Bernard.
Carrie
Fiction, Horror
The story of misfit high-school girl, Carrie White, who gradually discovers that she has telekinetic powers. Repressed by a domineering, ultra-religious mother and tormented by her peers at school, her efforts to fit in lead to a dramatic confrontation during the senior prom.
On Writing
Memoir
On Writing is both a textbook for writers and a memoir of Stephen's life and will, thus, appeal even to those who are not aspiring writers. If you've always wondered what led Steve to become a writer and how he came to be the success he is today, this will answer those questions.
Misery
Literary Collections / General
Novelist Paul Sheldon has plans to make the difficult transition from writing historical romances featuring heroine Misery Chastain to publishing literary fiction.
The Shining
Fiction, horror fiction, demonology
The Shining is a 1977 horror novel by American author Stephen King. It is King's third published novel and first hardback bestseller; its success firmly established King as a preeminent author in the horror genre. The setting and characters are influenced by King's personal experiences, including both his visit to The Stanley Hotel in 1974 and his struggle with alcoholism. The book was followed by a sequel, Doctor Sleep, published in 2013. The Shining centers on the life of Jack Torrance, a struggling writer and recovering alcoholic who accepts a position as the off-season caretaker of the historic Overlook Hotel in the Colorado Rockies. His family accompanies him on this job, including his young son Danny Torrance, who possesses "the shining", an array of psychic abilities that allow Danny to see the hotel's horrific past. Soon, after a winter storm leaves them snowbound, the supernatural forces inhabiting the hotel influence Jack's sanity, leaving his wife and son in incredible danger. ---------- Also contained in: - [Carrie / Night Shift / 'Salem's Lot / Shining](https://openlibrary.org/works/OL14917547W) - [Works (Danse Macabre / Salem's Lot / Shining)](https://openlibrary.org/works/OL24233994W)
Skeleton Crew
American Horror tales, nested narrative, Novellas
From the Flap: The Master at his scarifying best! From heart-pounding terror to the eeriest of whimsy--tales from the outer limits of one of the greatest imaginations of our time! Evil that breathes and walks and shrieks, brave new worlds and horror shows, human desperation bursting into deadly menace--such are the themes of these astounding works of fiction. In the tradition of Poe and Stevenson, of Lovecraft and The Twilight Zone, Stephen King has fused images of fear as old as time with the iconography of contemporary American life to create his own special brand of horror--one that has kept millions of readers turning the pages even as they gasp. In the book-length story "The Mist," a supermarket becomes the last bastion of humanity as a peril beyond dimension invades the earth. . . Touch "The Man Who Would Not Shake Hands," and say your prayers . . . There are some things in attics which are better left alone, things like "The Monkey" . . . The most sublime woman driver on earth offers a man "Mrs. Todd's Shortcut" to paradise . . . A boy's sanity is pushed to the edge when he's left alone with the odious corpse of "Gramma" . . . If you were stunned by Gremlins, the Fornits of "The Ballad of the Flexible Bullet" will knock your socks off . . . Trucks that punish and beautiful teen demons who seduce a young man to massacre; curses whose malevolence grows through the years; obscene presences and angels of grace--here, indeed, is a night-blooming bouquet of chills and thrills. ([source][1]) ---------- Contains: - [The Mist](https://openlibrary.org/works/OL149144W/The_Mist) - Here There Be Tygers - [The Monkey](https://openlibrary.org/works/OL149146W/The_Monkey) - Cain Rose Up - [Mrs. Todd's Shortcut](https://openlibrary.org/works/OL149148W/Mrs._Todd's_Shortcut) - [The Jaunt](https://openlibrary.org/works/OL20663554W/The_Jaunt) - The Wedding Gig - Paranoid: a Chant - The Raft - [Word Processor of the Gods](https://openlibrary.org/works/OL20666372W/The_Word_Processor) - The Man Who Would Not Shake Hands - Beachworld - The Reaper's Image - [Nona](https://openlibrary.org/works/OL20666488W/Nona) - For Owen - Survivor Type - Uncle Otto's Truck - Morning Deliveries (Milkman No. 1) - Big Wheels: a Tale of the Laundry Game (Milkman No. 2) - Gramma - The Ballad of the Flexible Bullet - The Reach [1]: https://stephenking.com/library/story_collection/skeleton_crew_flap.html
Carrie
occult & supernatural fiction, horror fiction, psychological thrillers
The story of misfit high-school girl, Carrie White, who gradually discovers that she has telekinetic powers. Repressed by a domineering, ultra-religious mother and tormented by her peers at school, her efforts to fit in lead to a dramatic confrontation during the senior prom. ([source][1]) ---------- Also contained in: - [The Shining / 'Salem's Lot / Night Shift / Carrie][2] ---------- See also: - [Selected from Carrie][3] [1]: https://stephenking.com/library/novel/carrie.html [2]: https://openlibrary.org/works/OL19558521W [3]: https://openlibrary.org/works/OL11018609W/Selected_from_Carrie
It
coming of age, thrillers, suspense
"*It*" is a 1986 horror novel by American author Stephen King. "*It*" was his 22nd book and his 17th novel written under his own name. The story follows the experiences of seven children as they are terrorized by an evil entity that exploits the fears of its victims to disguise itself while hunting its prey. "*It*" primarily appears in the form of Pennywise the Dancing Clown to attract its preferred prey of young children. The novel won the British Fantasy Award in 1987, and received nominations for the Locus and World Fantasy Awards that same year. In 2003, "*It*" was listed at number 144 on the BBC's The Big Read poll. ---------- See also: - [IT 1/2][2] - [IT 2/2][3] [1]: https://www.stephenking.com/library/novel/it.html [2]: https://openlibrary.org/works/OL14916816W/It_1_2 [3]: https://openlibrary.org/works/OL14916818W/It_2_2
Salem’s Lot
Catholic Church, arson, Great Depression
Author Ben Mears returns to ‘Salem's Lot to write a book about a house that has haunted him since childhood only to find his isolated hometown infested with vampires. While the vampires claim more victims, Mears convinces a small group of believers to combat the undead. ([source][1]) [1]: https://stephenking.com/library/novel/_salem_s_lot.html ---------- Also contained in: - [Night Shift / Carrie / 'Salem's Lot / Shining](https://openlibrary.org/works/OL19558521W/Night_Shift_Carrie_'Salem's_Lot_Shining) - ['Salem's Lot: Illustrated Edition](https://openlibrary.org/works/OL19859438W) - [Works (Danse Macabre / Salem's Lot / Shining)](https://openlibrary.org/works/OL24233994W)
Misery
dope, pills, American Novelists
Novelist Paul Sheldon has plans to make the difficult transition from writing historical romances featuring heroine Misery Chastain to publishing literary fiction. Annie Wilkes, Sheldon's number one fan, rescues the author from the scene of a car accident. The former nurse takes care of him in her remote house, but becomes irate when she discovers that the author has killed Misery off in his latest book. Annie keeps Sheldon prisoner while forcing him to write a book that brings Misery back to life. [Source][1] [1]: https://stephenking.com/library/novel/misery.html
Skeleton Crew
American Horror tales, nested narrative, Novellas
From the Flap: The Master at his scarifying best! From heart-pounding terror to the eeriest of whimsy--tales from the outer limits of one of the greatest imaginations of our time! Evil that breathes and walks and shrieks, brave new worlds and horror shows, human desperation bursting into deadly menace--such are the themes of these astounding works of fiction. In the tradition of Poe and Stevenson, of Lovecraft and The Twilight Zone, Stephen King has fused images of fear as old as time with the iconography of contemporary American life to create his own special brand of horror--one that has kept millions of readers turning the pages even as they gasp. In the book-length story "The Mist," a supermarket becomes the last bastion of humanity as a peril beyond dimension invades the earth. . . Touch "The Man Who Would Not Shake Hands," and say your prayers . . . There are some things in attics which are better left alone, things like "The Monkey" . . . The most sublime woman driver on earth offers a man "Mrs. Todd's Shortcut" to paradise . . . A boy's sanity is pushed to the edge when he's left alone with the odious corpse of "Gramma" . . . If you were stunned by Gremlins, the Fornits of "The Ballad of the Flexible Bullet" will knock your socks off . . . Trucks that punish and beautiful teen demons who seduce a young man to massacre; curses whose malevolence grows through the years; obscene presences and angels of grace--here, indeed, is a night-blooming bouquet of chills and thrills. ([source][1]) ---------- Contains: - [The Mist](https://openlibrary.org/works/OL149144W/The_Mist) - Here There Be Tygers - [The Monkey](https://openlibrary.org/works/OL149146W/The_Monkey) - Cain Rose Up - [Mrs. Todd's Shortcut](https://openlibrary.org/works/OL149148W/Mrs._Todd's_Shortcut) - [The Jaunt](https://openlibrary.org/works/OL20663554W/The_Jaunt) - The Wedding Gig - Paranoid: a Chant - The Raft - [Word Processor of the Gods](https://openlibrary.org/works/OL20666372W/The_Word_Processor) - The Man Who Would Not Shake Hands - Beachworld - The Reaper's Image - [Nona](https://openlibrary.org/works/OL20666488W/Nona) - For Owen - Survivor Type - Uncle Otto's Truck - Morning Deliveries (Milkman No. 1) - Big Wheels: a Tale of the Laundry Game (Milkman No. 2) - Gramma - The Ballad of the Flexible Bullet - The Reach [1]: https://stephenking.com/library/story_collection/skeleton_crew_flap.html
Salem’s Lot
Catholic Church, arson, Great Depression
Author Ben Mears returns to ‘Salem's Lot to write a book about a house that has haunted him since childhood only to find his isolated hometown infested with vampires. While the vampires claim more victims, Mears convinces a small group of believers to combat the undead. ([source][1]) [1]: https://stephenking.com/library/novel/_salem_s_lot.html ---------- Also contained in: - [Night Shift / Carrie / 'Salem's Lot / Shining](https://openlibrary.org/works/OL19558521W/Night_Shift_Carrie_'Salem's_Lot_Shining) - ['Salem's Lot: Illustrated Edition](https://openlibrary.org/works/OL19859438W) - [Works (Danse Macabre / Salem's Lot / Shining)](https://openlibrary.org/works/OL24233994W)
Carrie
occult & supernatural fiction, horror fiction, psychological thrillers
The story of misfit high-school girl, Carrie White, who gradually discovers that she has telekinetic powers. Repressed by a domineering, ultra-religious mother and tormented by her peers at school, her efforts to fit in lead to a dramatic confrontation during the senior prom. ([source][1]) ---------- Also contained in: - [The Shining / 'Salem's Lot / Night Shift / Carrie][2] ---------- See also: - [Selected from Carrie][3] [1]: https://stephenking.com/library/novel/carrie.html [2]: https://openlibrary.org/works/OL19558521W [3]: https://openlibrary.org/works/OL11018609W/Selected_from_Carrie
It
coming of age, thrillers, suspense
"*It*" is a 1986 horror novel by American author Stephen King. "*It*" was his 22nd book and his 17th novel written under his own name. The story follows the experiences of seven children as they are terrorized by an evil entity that exploits the fears of its victims to disguise itself while hunting its prey. "*It*" primarily appears in the form of Pennywise the Dancing Clown to attract its preferred prey of young children. The novel won the British Fantasy Award in 1987, and received nominations for the Locus and World Fantasy Awards that same year. In 2003, "*It*" was listed at number 144 on the BBC's The Big Read poll. ---------- See also: - [IT 1/2][2] - [IT 2/2][3] [1]: https://www.stephenking.com/library/novel/it.html [2]: https://openlibrary.org/works/OL14916816W/It_1_2 [3]: https://openlibrary.org/works/OL14916818W/It_2_2
The Shining
Fiction, horror fiction, demonology
The Shining is a 1977 horror novel by American author Stephen King. It is King's third published novel and first hardback bestseller; its success firmly established King as a preeminent author in the horror genre. The setting and characters are influenced by King's personal experiences, including both his visit to The Stanley Hotel in 1974 and his struggle with alcoholism. The book was followed by a sequel, Doctor Sleep, published in 2013. The Shining centers on the life of Jack Torrance, a struggling writer and recovering alcoholic who accepts a position as the off-season caretaker of the historic Overlook Hotel in the Colorado Rockies. His family accompanies him on this job, including his young son Danny Torrance, who possesses "the shining", an array of psychic abilities that allow Danny to see the hotel's horrific past. Soon, after a winter storm leaves them snowbound, the supernatural forces inhabiting the hotel influence Jack's sanity, leaving his wife and son in incredible danger. ---------- Also contained in: - [Carrie / Night Shift / 'Salem's Lot / Shining](https://openlibrary.org/works/OL14917547W) - [Works (Danse Macabre / Salem's Lot / Shining)](https://openlibrary.org/works/OL24233994W)
Misery
dope, pills, American Novelists
Novelist Paul Sheldon has plans to make the difficult transition from writing historical romances featuring heroine Misery Chastain to publishing literary fiction. Annie Wilkes, Sheldon's number one fan, rescues the author from the scene of a car accident. The former nurse takes care of him in her remote house, but becomes irate when she discovers that the author has killed Misery off in his latest book. Annie keeps Sheldon prisoner while forcing him to write a book that brings Misery back to life. [Source][1] [1]: https://stephenking.com/library/novel/misery.html

Among WRITERS

Among writers, Stephen King ranks 107 out of 7,302Before him are James Joyce, Virginia Woolf, Paulo Coelho, Abu Nuwas, Du Fu, and André Gide. After him are Maurice Maeterlinck, August Strindberg, Haruki Murakami, Apuleius, Jean de La Fontaine, and George Bernard Shaw.

Most Popular Writers in Wikipedia

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Contemporaries

Among people born in 1947, Stephen King ranks 6Before him are Hillary Clinton, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Johan Cruyff, and Paulo Coelho. After him are David Bowie, Elton John, David Letterman, Brian Johnson, Dilma Rousseff, and Florentino Pérez.

Others Born in 1947

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In United States

Among people born in United States, Stephen King ranks 81 out of 20,380Before him are Bill Clinton (1946), Theodore Roosevelt (1858), Woody Allen (1935), Al Capone (1899), Abraham Maslow (1908), and Robin Williams (1951). After him are Morgan Freeman (1937), Larry Ellison (1944), John D. Rockefeller (1839), Martin Luther King Jr. (1929), Caitlyn Jenner (1949), and Charles Manson (1934).

Among WRITERS In United States

Among writers born in United States, Stephen King ranks 10Before him are F. Scott Fitzgerald (1896), Mark Twain (1835), Robert Frost (1874), Henry David Thoreau (1817), Jack London (1876), and Toni Morrison (1931). After him are Dr. Seuss (1904), William Faulkner (1897), J. D. Salinger (1919), John Steinbeck (1902), Dale Carnegie (1888), and Ray Bradbury (1920).