Monday, September 14, 2015

Two of my favorite people. President Obama honors Stephen King with the National Medal of the Arts.

Courtesy of Bloody Disgusting:

Prolific horror author Stephen King has been awarded the 2014 National Medal of the Arts for, “…his remarkable storytelling with his sharp analysis of human nature.” The award was created in 1984 by the United States Congress and is the highest honor that can be given to an individual in the arts on behalf of the people of the United States. Below is a video of King being given the medal by President Barack Obama.

Well that puts a smile on my face.

I have had people criticize my love of Stephen King books by suggesting that they are beneath my intellect, but my response is always that I don't read Stephen King books to challenge my mind, I read them to challenge my nerve.

And if you don't think that Stephen King is a talented author than you are allowing your prejudice against certain genres affect your judgement.

When it comes to creating worlds filled with horrifying escapism, Mr. King is in a league of his own.

44 comments:

  1. Anonymous6:31 AM

    Stephen King is awesome and I read many of his books when I was younger. However be aware that he also did use the "F" word but not like Dakota Meyer did:

    http://img0.joyreactor.com/pics/post/auto-9gag-1290713.jpeg

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    1. Ha! I love it. Where can I "like" it? lol

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    2. Anonymous9:09 AM

      6:31 AM

      HA! Funny!

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  2. One of my favorite King books is 'Salem's Lot. To this day I cannot read that book at night, especially near an uncovered second-floor window. {shudder}

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    1. Yeah that was a good one.

      However the one that jacked me up was "Pet Sematary."

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    2. The Mist (not the movie version) because, imho, somewhat plausible.

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    3. Anonymous10:22 AM

      Parts of "It" would make my hair stand up.

      Until the end, when it turned to shit unfortunately.

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    4. Anonymous11:37 AM

      Misery kept me up at night.

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    5. Anonymous12:20 PM

      The Stand. Both the shorter and longer version. I will always love that book. Followed close by the Shining.

      To my left stands the bookcase that holds almost everything he has written. Even his picture book on gargoyles Nightmares In The Sky.

      Also in there are several of Tabitha's and his son "Joe Hill."

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  3. Randall6:50 AM

    I was visiting with some elderly relatives (not that I'm a spring chicken) recently, and one of the ladies was going on about what a wonderful story "The Green Mile" was.
    And I said, "Yes, I agree: Stephen King is a great writer."

    Stunned, she said, "Stephen King wrote that?"
    yup

    Also, a couple months back, my older sister was talking about how much she enjoyed the movie "Stand By Me".
    I said, "Yes, I agree: Stephen King is a great writer."
    Amazed, she said, "Stephen King wrote that?"

    yup.

    I've read many, many books by Stephen King and have enjoyed just about every one of them.

    I discovered King wayyyyy back in the 70's when I picked up a paperback at the check-out counter in a grocery store: I liked the cover. It was "Salem's Lot".
    So next I picked up a book with a really cool cover: "The Shining."

    ...I was hooked!

    People who sneer or turn up their noses at the mention of Stephen King . . . haven't read Stephen King.

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    1. Anonymous7:25 AM

      The ending in his book "The Shining" was so much better than the movie. The movie was good but I was SO mad about the ending!

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    2. Anonymous7:58 AM

      I don't like the Jack Nicholson version. I do like the newer version ( it however is hard to find) it sticks closer to the book.

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    3. Randall, Thank you for your comments. I have to tell you, the first Stephen King book I read was Salem's Lot. It was 1977, and I read that book while I was working, on my break and while I was cooking dinner at night. It scared the hell out of me, and I locked every window and door!!!!
      I was hooked, as well!

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    4. Anonymous10:23 AM

      Also too, "Misery", book and movie!

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  4. One of the best baseball stories I've ever read was the short story "Head Down" (Nightmares and Dreamscapes) he wrote about his son Owen's Little League team. The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon is also excellent.

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    1. Anonymous12:32 PM

      Yes, his short stories are just excellent. There is one called "Big Fish" which turns out to be about the devil in disguise, and it is just terrifying in such a creepy, eerie way.

      Definitely not "best-seller" style though, so if someone is snobbish enough to disdain his (great, IMO) books, point them to the stories.

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  5. The Stand. Holy crow was that a good book. Totally changed my opinion about Stephen King. And made me start to wonder about how it's all going to go.
    And how on earth could this author ever be considered "beneath you?" He is a genius.

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    1. Anonymous8:56 AM

      Totally one of the best. An ultimate fight between good and evil. I was even impressed with the tv version. Some changes - but was still good.

      Pat Padrnos

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    2. Yes! I like the uncut version; so many details added.

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  6. Anonymous8:05 AM

    President Obama always seems to be so at ease at these events. He likes celebrating people who deserve to be celebrated.
    Beaglemom

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  7. Anonymous8:08 AM

    King wore his medal on the Colbert show Friday night. He was so adorably excited about receiving it. He was also interesting and very funny. I've never read any of his books but will order the new collection of short stories.

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    1. Thank you for your comments. If you saw the film "Stand by Me" or the "Shawshank Redemption" (plus many others) then you know Mr. King's work. Happy reading! You will not be disappointed.

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  8. I could find no unkind word for any guy who sent Kathy Bates on her way to an Oscar.

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  9. Anonymous9:20 AM

    People who would criticize King books for not being cerebral enough are missing the point of his work entirely. He writes to provoke a visceral reaction and accomplishes just that.

    I agree that people are likely just being snobs about the genre, which is funny because King says the same thing about people who write off so-called "young adult" works because of their categorization, which he argues is mainly a function of marketing.

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    1. Anonymous10:21 AM

      He's not just about horror. Check out "1963" and his Kindle short on gun violence/control.

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    2. Anonymous4:42 PM

      I've read it. Twice, actually. It's being made into a TV series with JJ Abrams producing. I referred to a singular genre only because that's what he's known for and that's how a vast majority of his work is categorized.

      I from Maine, so I'm probably more familiar with the breadth of his work than most, since he's a local hero. ;-)

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  10. Anonymous9:57 AM

    But what about Dean Koontz? Left out because he's a Christian Conservative and donates to SarahPac? More proof that the liberals run this country. Right into the abyss.

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    1. Anonymous10:20 AM

      Koontz isn't half as talented a writer as King. King has branched out from horror to historical fiction and has written a very timely piece on gun violence. He's much more well-rounded than Koontz, thus the medal.

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    2. Anonymous11:24 AM

      There's a reason they call Koontz the poor man's Stephen King.

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    3. Anonymous11:44 AM

      I got into Koontz for awhile but honestly a lot of his books are the same story just different subjects. It got boring.

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    4. Anonymous12:41 PM

      9:57--Oh, please. Can it.

      Dean Koontz was "left out" because, as 10:20 pointed out, Stephen King is a much better writer and at this point, a national institution as well.

      Only in conservative eyes does politics have anything to do with literary merit.

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    5. Anonymous1:02 PM

      I stopped reading King years ago because his stories (the horror ones anyways) all started sounding the same too. Think it was around 'Tommyknockers' if I got the name right.

      His early stuff was really good though, I thought his short story books were some of his best work.

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    6. Anonymous1:59 PM

      I've read a few Koontz books; I had no idea about his background at all. They were lent to me by a friend (who I'm also sure didn't, since he is less plugged into that kind of thing than I am), and I read them because, well, my friend wanted me to. He was a fan of that kind of book. I wasn't, but I made it through the books. They were OK, but I had no desire to ever read another one. Koontz, IMO, was definitey not in any way in King's class. None of them have become classics, as King's books have.

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  11. False comparison. Mr. King's body of work far exceeds that of Mr. Koontz. But, whatever floats yer boat.

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  12. Anonymous10:43 AM

    I always keep water in my car now.

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  13. I regret I have never read his work. The scary stuff I KNOW would come after me in my sleep. (Seeing Night of the Living Dead messed me up when i was 14.) But please recommend some none scary stuff.

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    1. Anonymous12:39 PM

      The Green Mile is a must.
      As someone said above, Stand By Me. The pie eating scene from the movie still makes me laugh myself breathless.

      The Long Walk, I wouldn't consider scary.

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    2. Anonymous5:40 PM

      Thanks. I still remember an article I read in the Washington Post about what made King such an effective writer of horror. In it, the writer described a scenario in a King story - in which a couple go to an isolated cabin for some fun, but then the woman dies and that leaves the man still tied to the bed. Meanwhile, animals start coming into the cabin... The writer pointed out that by using a possible scenario that could actually happen, King created a scene of genuine nightmarish horror.
      And succeeded in scaring me away from King yet again, but I will look up those stories you mentioned.
      He also wrote an excellent essay about writing that I still have.
      Thanks.
      M from MD

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    3. Anonymous4:48 AM

      That book was Gerald's Game, from 1992.

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  14. Anonymous12:20 PM

    Beneath your intellect? Why not just point out that if they believe that,they have either never read Steven King,or they lack the intellect to understand what the nuances in what he writes.

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  15. TwoBlueJays12:36 PM

    Just finished 'Doctor Sleep' and 'The Long Walk'. Both are amazing books.

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  16. Anonymous1:52 PM

    Stephen King is one hell of a kickass author and I say this as one who is not a fan of his usual genre. I have read a few of his books, though, and was totally impressed by his writing ability on every level. "The Stand" remains one of the most memorable books I've ever read (and I mostly read classic English literature, because I'm an Anglophile). It's spectacular, King's a spectacular author, and he richly deserves this award, IMO.

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  17. Sounds like those people are literary snobs.

    Horror is the new SciFi, getting no respect, just like SciFi was belittled as pulp in the first half of the 20th century.

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