1947–, American writer, b. Portland, Maine. He writes horror stories influenced by the 19th-century Gothic tradition, especially that of Edgar Allan Poe. His novels, short stories, screenplays, and essays have made him one of the best-selling authors in the world. King takes everyday situations and experiences and reveals their macabre and horrific potential. Noted for their cinematic style, several of his novels and stories have been turned into successful motion pictures, some with screenplays by King, e.g., Pet Sematary (1989). His novels include Carrie (1974), The Shining (1977), Misery (1987), Needful Things (1991), Dolores Claiborne (1992), Rose Madder (1995), Bag of Bones (1998), Dreamcatcher (2001), and From a Buick 8 (2002). His novella Riding the Bullet (2000) was released as an electronic entity, to be read on an e-book reader, personal digital assistant, or computer, and a subsequent novel, The Plant, was electronically self-published and released in installments on the Internet beginning in 2000. In his nonfiction On Writing (2000), King describes his life, his craft, and a near-fatal accident.

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