He has also won awards for his overall contribution to literature, including the 2003 Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters, the 2007 Grand Master Award from the Mystery Writers of America and the 2014 National Medal of Arts. Several of King's works have won the Bram Stoker and August Derleth Awards. King has published under the pseudonym Richard Bachman and has cowritten works with other authors, notably his friend Peter Straub and sons Joe Hill and Owen King. The novellas provided the basis for the films Stand by Me and The Shawshank Redemption. Different Seasons, a collection of four novellas, was his first major departure from the horror genre. His debut, Carrie, was published in 1974, and was followed by 'Salem's Lot, The Shining, The Stand and The Dead Zone. He has also written approximately 200 short stories, most of which have been published in book collections. Called the ' King of Horror', his books have sold more than 350 million copies as of 2006, and many have been adapted into films, television series, miniseries, and comic books. Stephen Edwin King (born September 21, 1947) is an American author of horror, supernatural fiction, suspense, crime, science-fiction, and fantasy novels.
