Stephen E. King: The Most Successful Horror Writer

Stephen E. King was born in Portland, Maine on on September 21, 1947. King is one of the most successful horror writers of all time. His parents, Donald and Nellie Ruth Pillsbury King, divorced when King was a kid. King and his brother traveled to Indiana and Connecticut for a while. After a while the traveling became a hassle, so he moved to Maine with his mother and brother . Eventually, he graduated in 1966, from Lisbon Falls High School. King attended the University of Maine at Orono. He wrote for the school's newspaper and participated in the student government there. King published his first short story while he was attending school, this story published in Startling Mystery Stories. King graduated with a degree in English in 1970. He attempted to find a teaching job, but he did not have any luck. King worked in a laundry mat while writing his stories when he could until 1971, when he started working at Hampden Academy as an English teacher at (“Stephen King.”). …show more content…
Some people believe that he writes his terrifying stories because of incidents in his past. His parents are divorced, but that is not the only life changing event that happened to him. When King was a young child he witnessed his friend die a horrific death. They had been playing next to train tracks when a train ran over King’s playmate. Many people speculate that his dark stories come from repressed memories of this tragic accident. This could have a major impact on King’s writing along with the schools he has attended. King graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Maine. While his past and education have impacted him, King has always had a fascination with horror stories. Because of this it is not a surprise that King choice horror as the genre he writes in. (“The Truth behind Why Literary Icon Stephen King Started Writing Horror