Stephen King turns 75, being both a literary and cinematic icon

Fans of horror literature are celebrating their anniversary, as the American writer, Stephen King, turns 75 this Wednesday 21 September. On Twitter he is quite an influencer, recommending series like “The paper house” or the recent “The devil in Ohio”. And to those who see little desire to retire, since he has just recently published his latest work ‘Fiaba’.

Born on September 21, 1947 in Portland, Maine, already in his first short stories, which he publishes in the school newspaper, he was shaping his literary vocation, which the writer defined as a craft made by instinct “We storytellers do not have much ideas clear about what we are doing “, declares the author, who won the world title of king of horror literature.

Greg Howard, professor of contemporary American fiction at the University of Maine, credits him with having impregnated his stories “Real” fears and emotions.to brilliantly mix genres and take us readers to extremes that make us wonder what would happen if what happens in the story actually happened.

Stephen King’s literary success and his relationship with cinema

His bibliography includes novels, short stories, screenplays and even comics, and it was with “Carrie”, his first novel, that he caught the attention of the film world, as it was adapted for the big screen by Brian De Palma in 1976 This was followed by endless adaptations of his later stories, opening a relationship with the world of the seventh artwhich would be a constant in the author’s professional career.

Not only did Brian de Palma dare to adapt one of his stories, it is also the case with another creative genius like Stanley Kubrickwho in 1980 adapted one of Stephen King’s novels for the big screen, ‘The Shining’, which, despite being a classic of the genre, King has proclaimed without hesitation that he hates it.

‘It’ is another of his great classics, and the one that popularized the sinister clown Pennywise. This novel has been adapted twice for the screen, first as a television miniseries in the 1990s, also released as a home-format movie, starring the infallible Tim Curry as the evil clown. As well as the recent long-running two-part adaptation with actor Bill Skarsgard.

“Writing is not about making money, becoming famous, flirting a lot or making friends. Ultimately, it’s about enriching the lives of the people who read what you do, and at the same time enriching yours,” said Stephen King. , who as early as 2019 declared that he would write until God gave him a divine sign to retire.