Stephen King
Author
Stephen made his first professional short story sale (The Glass Floor) to Startling Mystery Stories in 1967.
In the spring of 1973, Doubleday & Co accepted the novel Carrie for publication.
Carrie was published in the spring of 1974, The Shining, was written in 1975 and in the following year The Dead Zone was completed.
Stephen wrote Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption (published in his 1982 collection Different Seasons) to break away from his image as a pure horror writer and explore dramatic themes of hope, patience, and the human spirit. He was inspired to write a classic prison-escape story that honored traditional storytelling.
Stephen is the 2003 recipient of the National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters.