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Stephen King

Kirsty Young's castaway is writer Stephen King.

Kirsty Young's castaway this week is the author Stephen King. He's written more than 40 novels, won 23 major awards and sold hundreds of millions of books worldwide. He is best known for his tales of small-town America corrupted by the supernatural and macabre; with novels such as The Shining, Misery, Salem's Lot and Carrie making him a household name.

His first success came with Carrie - at the time he was scraping a living as a teacher, living with his young family in a trailer and writing short stories to supplement his income. He threw the first draft of Carrie in the bin and it was his wife Tabitha who fished it out and urged him to finish it. But with success came drug and alcohol abuse - and again it was his wife who intervened and encouraged him to stop. He nearly gave up writing after a road accident in 1999 which nearly killed him. But, to the delight of his legions of fans, he took up his pen again and the stories keep on coming.

[Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs]

Favourite track: Desolation Row by Bob Dylan
Book: Collected poetry by W H Auden
Luxury: Water hammock

Available now

45 minutes

Last on

Fri 24 Nov 2006 09:00
Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Radio 4

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Music Played

  • The Beatles

    She Loves You

    • One.
    • Apple.

  • Castaway's Favourite

    • Bob Dylan

      Desolation Row

      • Highway 61 Revisited.
      • Columbia.

  • James McMurtry

    Choctaw Bingo

    • Saint Mary of the Woods.
    • Sugar Hill Records.

  • Pretenders

    Middle of the Road

    • Learning to Crawl.
    • Real.

  • Old 97's

    Barrier Reef

    • Alive and Wired.
    • New West Records.

  • Bruce Springsteen

    Ramrod

    • The River.
    • CBS.

  • Rihanna

    Pon De Replay

    • Pon De Replay.
    • Def Jam.

  • Ryan Adams

    When the Stars Go Blue

    • Gold.
    • Lost Highway.

  • Book Choice

    • Collected poetry - W H Auden

  • Luxury Choice

    • Water hammock

Credits

Presenter Kirsty Young
Interviewed Guest Stephen King

Broadcasts

  • Sun 19 Nov 2006 11:15
    Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Radio 4
  • Fri 24 Nov 2006 09:00
    Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Radio 4

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