cal Companion.Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press,
1999.
Simmons, Diane.Jamaica Kincaid. New York: Twayne,
1994.
Ann D. Garbett
See also African Americans;Beloved; Feminism;
Immigration to the United States; Literature in the
United States; Multiculturalism in education; Racial
discrimination.
King, Stephen
Identification American writer
Born September 21, 1947; Portland, Maine
King was an extremely popular and influential writer of su-
pernatural and horror novels. The 1980’s saw the publica-
tion of some of his best and worst books, in which he explored
both personal and cultural anxieties.
By 1980, Stephen King was already, as he put it, “a
brand name.” The author’s success and fame al-
lowed him to write what he wanted rather than tailor
his fiction to the marketplace. King moved into fan-
tasy, as well as supernatural horror in realistic set-
tings, withThe Gunslinger(1982, revised 2003) and
The Drawing of the Three(1987), the first two books in
his seven-volume Dark Tower series. He also collabo-
rated with Peter Straub on a quest novel,The Talis-
man(1984), and published a young-adult novel,The
Eyes of the Dragon(1986).
King’s best books of the decade were arguablyPet
Sematar y(1983) andMiser y(1987). The former ex-
plores the fear of death and being left behind, as well
as obsession and denial. The latter, comprising much
horror but no supernatural content, examines the
nature of writing, especially popular writing, and an
author’s relationship to his fans.
King wrote several novels under the pseudonym
Richard Bachman. Three of these were published
during the 1980’s:Roadwork(1981),The Running
Man(1982), andThinner(1984). The latter two in
particular commented upon the culture of the
1980’s.The Running Manportrays a future society in
which a popular game show involves contestants sur-
viving as long as they can before being hunted down
and murdered—an extrapolation from the pander-
ing nature of network television.Thinnerboth paro-
dies and supports America’s emphasis on slender-
ness. Late in the decade, King was “outed,” when it
became public knowledge that he and Bachman
were one and the same.The Dark Half(1989) repre-
sented King’s response to this revelation.
Many of King’s novels demonstrate his deftness
with child and adolescent characters: InFirestarter
(1980), a young girl lights fires psychically; inCujo
(1981), a boy and his mother are endangered by a ra-
bid St. Bernard; inChristine(1983), an alienated
teen loves his demoniacally possessed car; and inIt
(1986), one of King’s best-structured novels, the
protagonists are beset by a monster in their youth
and then face it again as adults.The Tommyknockers
(1987) is arguably King’s worst book, but it fascina-
tingly reflects the delights and perils of cocaine, to
which the author later admitted being addicted. As
occurs inChristine, the novel’s shifts in narrative per-
spective undermine its story. The decade also intro-
ducedDifferent Seasons(1982), featuring four novel-
las by King, andSkeleton Crew(1985), his secondThe Eighties in America King, Stephen 563
Stephen King.(Tabitha King)