Stephen King is one of the greatest authors of our time, and it was his novel Carrie that set him on the path to fame. Over the years, he has published several works that have won him critical acclaim. Some of his works have also been adapted into films, which speaks volumes about his skills.
King has been in this profession much longer than other writers of this genre have been alive. As morbid as it might sound, Carrie has reached a special milestone this year, and the author could not have been prouder.
Stephen King celebrates Carrie turning 50 years old this year
Stephen King is a decorated author, with 75 published works so far. He has maintained the quality of his writing throughout his career, and all his novels have been successful.
His debut novel, Carrie, holds a special place in his heart, though. It shoved him into the spotlight, and he went through an intense time in his life after the Sissy Spacek film of the same name.
Since the book hit the shelves, the story detailing the scary experience of a young girl has always been relevant to readers. Carrie deals with the themes of social ostracism and public humiliation. This prompts the character to go on a brutal rampage after her patience to deal with them runs out. And now, the book has struck a major milestone, as it can celebrate 50 years since it was first published.
The author took to social media to share the wonderful news with his followers. It was a surreal moment for him, and he could hardly believe that he was still alive to see it.
Tomorrow, CARRIE turns 50. Hard to believe I’m alive to see it.
— Stephen King (@StephenKing) April 4, 2024
The novel changed the trajectory of King’s life. It was not easy to navigate the sudden fame that came his way, and he struggled with alcoholism for years. He wrote his experiences into the novel Doctor Sleep, which was released in 2013.
How Stephen King’s debut novel came to be
Before his debut novel came out, he used to write stories for various men’s magazines. In an old interview with The Guardian, King revealed that if he had not published the novel in 1974, he might never have done it.
King was a teacher at Hampden Academy. He recently opened up to The Boston Globe about how he wanted to become a writer and give up teaching, as it was starting to drain him. However, writing the book from a young girl’s perspective was difficult for King. However, his wife, Tabitha King, was a source of constant support for him, as she encouraged him to go ahead with the story after reading it.
“Tabby literally picked it out of the wastebasket and brushed off the cigarette ash. She read it in bed and said, “This is good, you should go on.” I said, “I don’t know that much about girls.” She said, “I’ll help you.” And then — she could be very sharp — she said, “Use your [expletive] imagination!” he said.
Carrie boosted King’s career to unprecedented heights. He remains the top author of the horror, and dystopian fiction genres, some of which were born due to his financial troubles. He remains a very influential figure to this day.
