Age: 78
male
Stephen Edwin King (born September 21, 1947) is an American author. He is widely known for his horror novels and has been crowned the "King of Horror". He has also explored other genres: 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. His debut, Carrie (1974), established him in horror. Different Seasons (1982), a collection of four novellas, was his first major departure from the genre. Among the films adapted from King's fiction are Carrie (1976), The Shining (1980), The Dead Zone and Christine (both 1983), Stand by Me(1986), Misery (1990), The Shawshank Redemption (1994), Dolores Claiborne (1995), The Green Mile (1999), The Mist (2007), and It (2017). He has also published under the pseudonym Richard Bachman and has co-written works with other authors, notably his friend Peter Straub and sons Joe Hill and Owen King. He has also written nonfiction, notably Danse Macabre (1981) and On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft (2000). Among other awards, he has won the O. Henry Award for "The Man in the Black Suit" (1994) and the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Mystery/Thriller for 11/22/63 (2011). He has also won honours for his overall contributions to literature, including the 2003 Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters, the 2007 Grand Master Award from the Mystery Writers of America and the 2014 National Medal of Arts. Joyce Carol Oates called King "a brilliantly rooted, psychologically 'realistic' writer for whom the American scene has been a continuous source of inspiration, and American popular culture a vast cornucopia of possibilities." Description above from the Wikipedia article Stephen King, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
The intersection of real-world atrocities and fictional horror has created a vast ecosystem of media that explores the darkest depths of human history and mythology. Figures like Vlad the Impaler and Elizabeth Bathory serve as the genetic blueprint for vampire lore, while Mary I (Bloody Mary) is immortalised in urban legends and supernatural horror. The Haitian dictator François Duvalier (Papa Doc) as a voodoo practitioner who turned the living population of Haiti into zombies with poison by the secret police, the Tonton Macoutes (VSN). Serial killers like Ted Bundy, Jeffrey Dahmer, and John Wayne Gacy. The English singer Ozzy Osbourne who is known for his "Prince of Darkness" persona, his work—including tracks like Mr. Crowley—is steeped in occultism and horror themes, while the other band groups such as Sisters of Mercy titled "Dominion" has a gothic imagery that aligns with the "darker side of reality" often explored in horror aesthetics, including Meat Loaf which titled of the song "Rock and Roll Dreams Come Through," often utilized gothic and operatic horror elements. Authors like Stephen King and Clive Barker (creator of Hellraiser) have bridged the gap between literature and visual media.
