Loved, but also criticized
King is the unbeatable bestseller in the horror genre. No other author has sold as many books as he has: over 350 million copies worldwide. According to fans, the writer’s success lies in his writing style and the dynamic characters the reader can identify with.
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Yet he has always been criticized by fellow authors. According to critics, King’s work has no artistic or literary value. He is dismissed as a “genre writer”, someone who only writes horror. That’s not true; the author’s body of work includes science fiction, fantasy, thriller and historical fiction. King’s response to criticism has always been the same: he continues to write.
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Getting a lot of strength from King’s work
Author Lauren Groff (Fates and Furies, Matrix) said in a previous interview that she was very inspired by King’s pleasure of writing and the gratitude he radiates. “I see in other authors who see their work primarily as a source of pain and who are full of self-pity.”
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“When the Losers Club (a group of teenagers from It who is the target of bullying, ed.) If I could win over the bullies and a monstrous clown, I could definitely survive my high school years, “says author Robin Wasserman (Chasing yesterday, The seven deadly sins), who got a lot of strength from reading the book.
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According to experts, this characterizes King’s work. He does not shy away from social issues and writes his books not only on bullying, but also on religious fanaticism and the problem of drinking and drugs.
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King launched the career of the Dutch author
King is also loved by writers from the Netherlands. The American author contributed to the writing ambition of Thomas Olde Heuvelt (HEX, November), Olde Heuvelt tells NU.nl. “I was about eleven when I read my first Stephen King book. My mother thought I was too young for that, but after many complaints I was allowed to choose a few books. The book Seminar for pets it had a special meaning to me. The story is about a loss and I lost my father at a young age. King’s books are like a mirror of real life. “
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Decades later, Olde Heuvelt was also greeted by King: HEX was read by the 75-year-old author and a message followed on Twitter. King described Olde Heuvelt’s book as “brilliant and completely original”. That short tweet launched the career of Olde Heuvelt, who until then was unknown to the general public.
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King’s latest book Tale, was released on September 6 this year. He recently announced in a podcast that the next book, called Holly, ready. For now, King isn’t thinking about quitting yet: “I write because it makes me happy and because it makes others happy.”
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