Stephen Edwin King was born on September 21, 1947, to Donald Edwin King and Nellie Ruth Pillsbury King. Stephen King developed an early passion for writing, demonstrated by several published works in high school newspapers and fan magazines. King then went on to write such critically acclaimed books as Carrie, The Shining and The Green Mile. In these books, there is a fine display of supernatural occurrences, vivid storytelling and King's affinity for over-the-top grossness. When asked about his love of blood and guts, King admitted, "I have a heart of a small boy, and I keep it in a jar on my desk." Stephen King's recurring theme of empowerment of estranged young people has its roots in King's own life, such as abandonment by his father. As a fiction writer, he often weaves empowerment into plots based upon his own fears, including his fear of death and fear of others. Stephen King's own life experiences and interests are tied to his writing. When King was two years old, his father left the family, leaving King's mother to raise King and his brother alone. This personal experience of desertion and withdrawal is heavily reflected in his story lines and is arguably one of the most common themes of King's works. King's novels display a "strong moral bent, sympathy for the working class and small-town residents, and sensitivity to the extreme cruelty of the ordinary world."
             Born in Portland, Maine, King was raised in Durham, Maine and later attended the University of Maine in Orono, Maine. As such, King never left his native state and is a product of a small-town environment and upbringing. Perhaps this explains his favoring the common man. In The Shining, Jack, Wendy, and their son Danny are set to spend a winter and spring in The Overlook Hotel in remote Colorado as caretakers. This family has a complicated and dark history, a history as dark and complicated as the hotel itself. Jack is a troubled man, a recovering alcoholic wi...