Stephen Edwin King, one of the best-selling authors of all time, has inked numerous novels. He once received the ‘National Medal of the Arts’ from the US President Barack Obama and was called “one of the most popular and productive writers of our time”
His carrier as a novelist began with the creation of ‘Carrie’. At that time he was a teacher and during the summer vacation he did part-time work to earn a little money to make his ends meet. However, the publication of ‘Carrie’ was a milestone in his life and it also helped to better his standard of living.
His books earned him fame and money and not being able to deal with the sudden success that he turned to alcohol. His book ‘Cujo’ was written around that time and according to him, he does not remember having written it. The character of Jack Torrance in the novel ‘The Shining’ is a reflection of King himself, but after his family took to questioning him about his drinking habits, he quit and never went back to it.
His book ‘Rage’ was about a school shooter and his violent doings, which the author wrote under the penname Richard Bachman. Years later, some school kids did such horrible crime and said they had read the book ‘Rage’. For the greater good of the society, the author suggested the book not be printed any longer.
All knows him as an author but very few know that King, together with contemporary writers Mitch Albom, Amy Tan and cartoonist Matt Groening forms the band ‘Rock Bottom Remainders’ and they even perform once in a while.
Though creating horror stories, King often skips 13 as it petrifies him. In an interview he said, “When I’m writing, I’ll never stop work if the page number is 13 or a multiple of 13; I’ll just keep on typing till I get to a safe number.”
【小题1】Which book had a great effect on King’s life?| A．Carrie | B．Cujo |
| C．The Shining | D．On Writing: A Memoir ofthe Craft |
| A．hates | B．excites |
| C．frightens | D．comforts |
| A．He is addicted to alcohol. |
| B．He has a sense of social responsibility. |
| C．He is also famous for his music talent. |
| D．He does part-time jobs to experience life. |
