On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft - Tapa dura

This is the book that Stephen King fans have been waiting for: a fascinating combination of autobiography and personal voyage through the books and films that have inspired this phenomenally successful author. Actually, King has attempted something like this before, with the equally fascinating Danse Macabre, and the new book shares the same clear-eyed view of what makes a reader's blood chill, be it literary fiction or the pulp horror that is equally dear to King's heart. Horror writers are not the only grist to his mill - he is equally interesting on Raymond Chandler and John Grisham, as well as providing an invaluable insight into his working methods that will no doubt be pored over by aspiring authors throughout the world in the hope of replicating his success. There is also a subtle and revealing portrait of his home life and the recent traumatic car accident that nearly ended his career. But, most of all, it is King's vaunting enthusiasm for the genre he loves so dearly that communicates itself on every page.

This text offers a unique insight into the life of Stephen King. It explores what books and films influenced him as a young writer, his first idea for a story and the true-life tale that inspired Carrie. The book also takes the reader through all the basic skills of writing.