Stephen King, Author, Screenwriter, Columnist, Producer, Film director

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The books that touched the lives of headliners in the music industry, television, movies, law, publishing, and sports are the subject of a survey released February 22, 2001 by the National Education Association.

We asked our respondents about their favorite children's book and their favorite adult book.

Stephen King's favorite books:

1. Fieldwork: A Novel by Mischa Berlinski
   
   
   (literature and fiction, mystery and thrillers)
   
   "Stories within stories, and a surprisingly compassionate look at Christianity in conflict with anthropology. I kept expecting tirades, and instead got sweetness and thoughtful good humor. A remarkable novel."
   
   


2. Caught Stealing: A Novel by Charlie Huston
   
   
   (literature and fiction, mystery and thrillers)
   
   "Great suspense and New York ambience, headlong pace, brilliant dialogue."
   
   


3. Then We Came to the End
   
   
   (literature and fiction)
   
   "It’s hilarious in a “Catch-22” way, but with an undercurrent of sadness that works counterpoint to all the absurdity."
   
   


4. The Grapes of Wrath
   
   
   (literature and fiction, classics)
   
   "As a high school kid struggling to write fiction, some books meant more than others, and some burst upon me with the power of a thunderbolt. John Steinbeck's Grapes of Wrath was one of those."
   
   


5. Lord of the Flies
   
   
   (literature and fiction, classics)
   
   


Source:
http://www.nytimes.com
http://www.pbs.org
http://www.nea.org

Why should you listen to him?

Fiction powerhouse Stephen Edwin King was born in Portland, Maine, in 1947. As a student at the University of Maine at Orono, he wrote a weekly column for the school newspaper, became active in political causes, and met his wife, the former Tabitha Spruce. In the early years of his marriage, King augmented his meager teacher's salary by selling short stories to men's magazines. Then, in 1973 he hit pay dirt: his novel Carrie was accepted for publication, and a major paperback deal provided the means for him to leave teaching and concentrate full-time on writing. Since then, the prolific author has never looked back.

Dubbed the Master of the Macabre for his domination of the horror genre, King has also written bestselling thrillers, mysteries, fantasies, novellas, and short stories, many of which have been turned into blockbuster films and miniseries (A partial list includes Carrie, The Shining, The Stand,, Misery, It, The Shawshank Redemption, The Langoliers, Stand by Me, and The Green Mile). He also has two works of nonfiction to his credit: a gorgeously crafted memoir/scribbler's how-to (On Writing) and Faithful, a chronicle of the Boston Red Sox' stellar 2004 season, cowritten with Stewart O'Nan. In 2003, he received the National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters.

In between books, the indefatigable King performs in the Rock Bottom Remainders, a rock band that includes among its rotating personnel fellow authors Dave Barry and Amy Tan; attends as many Boston Red Sox games as is humanly possible; and contributes with his wife, Tabitha, to many local and national charities.

King is probably one of the most easily recognizable authors alive, and it's not just because of his string of bestsellers. King has appeared in a number of films based on his work, including Pet Semetary, Thinner, and The Stand.


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