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2003 Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters



NEW YORK, NY (Monday, September 15, 2003) - The Board of Directors of the National Book Foundation today announced that its 2003 Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters will be conferred upon Stephen King, one of the nation's most popular, imaginative, and well-loved authors.

Mr. King has published more than 200 short stories (including the O. Henry Award-winning "The Man in the Black Suit") and 40 books during a career spanning three decades. He has earned the reputation among readers and booklovers as a genre-defying stylist, vivid storyteller, and master of suspense.

The Medal will be presented to Mr. King on Wednesday evening, November 19, at the 54th National Book Awards Ceremony and Benefit Dinner at the New York Marriott Marquis Hotel in Times Square. Mr. King will deliver a keynote address to an audience of more than 1,000 authors, editors, publishers, friends, and supporters of books and book publishing. The evening benefits the National Book Foundation's many educational outreach programs for readers and writers across the country.

The annual award was created in 1988 by the Foundation's Board of Directors to celebrate an American author who has enriched the literary landscape through a lifetime of service or body of work.

The previous recipients are Jason Epstein, Daniel Boorstin, Saul Bellow, Eudora Welty, James Laughlin, Clifton Fadiman, Gwendolyn Brooks, David McCullough, Toni Morrison, Studs Terkel, John Updike, Ray Bradbury, Arthur Miller, and Philip Roth.


Published in 1974, King's first novel, Carrie, is the book that launched his incomparable career.

From Carrie to Calla: King's most recent novel, the fifth book in the Dark Tower Series, will be published November 2003 by Scribner.

In making the announcement on behalf of the Board of Directors, Neil Baldwin, executive director of the Foundation, said, "Stephen King's writing is securely rooted in the great American tradition that glorifies spirit-of-place and the abiding power of narrative. He crafts stylish, mind-bending page-turners that contain profound moral truths - some beautiful, some harrowing - about our inner lives. This Award commemorates Mr. King's well-earned place of distinction in the wide world of readers and booklovers of all ages."

Mr. King will receive $10,000 along with the Medal.

"This is probably the most exciting thing to happen to me in my career as a writer since the sale of my first book in 1973," Mr. King said. "I'll return the cash award to the National Book Foundation for the support of their many educational and literary outreach programs for children and youth across the country; the Medal I will keep and treasure for the rest of my life."


King with writer John Grisham at the 1993 National Book Awards. Photo: Sandy Wavrick.

With the publication in 1974 of Carrie, his first novel, Stephen King quickly established a devout readership and cemented his reputation as America's premier horror-writer. Since then and at a pace matched by few others, Mr. King, 55, has worn many hats and has set a number of sales records along the way. More than 300 million copies of his books are in print, including The Shining (1977), Pet Sematary (1983), and Misery (1987); a memoir, On Writing (2000); a six-part novel, The Green Mile (1996); and a fantasy/Western series, The Dark Tower. The fifth installment of that series, Wolves of the Calla, will be published on November 4.

 

Mr. King's work has been translated into 33 languages, been published in 35 countries, and has been the basis for more than 70 films, television movies, and mini-series - a Guinness world record. Well known for his philanthropy, Mr. King provides scholarships for Maine high school students, in addition to making contributions to local and national charities through The Stephen and Tabitha King Foundation. He and his wife, novelist Tabitha King, have three children and three grandchildren, and divide their time between Maine and Florida.

In addition to Mr. King's recognition, the November 19th ceremony will also feature the announcement of the four Winners of the 2003 National Book Awards in Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, and Young People's Literature. The highly anticipated list of 20 Finalists in these four categories will be announced at a press conference at 8:30 a.m. Wednesday, October 15.

Updated information regarding the National Book Foundation's 2003 Gala Awards Ceremony and Dinner, as well as events in conjunction with National Book Month (October), can be found on this website.

CONTACT: Ellen Ryder Communications
(212) 226-6563

ellen@ellenrydercommunications.com

S. King press photo: Chris Buck

<< Previous Page

1974
The Boogeyman(Short Story)
Carrie (Novel)

1975

Salem's Lot (Novel)

1977

Rage (Novel)
The Shining (Novel)

1978

Battleground (Short Story)
Children of the Corn
(Short Story)
Graveyard Shift (Short Story)
Gray Matter (Short Story)
I Am the Doorway
(Short Story)
I Know What You Need
(Short Story)
Jerusalem's Lot (Short Story)
The Last Rung on the Ladder (Short Story)
The Lawnmower Man
(Short Story)
The Ledge (Short Story)
The Man Who Loved Flowers (Short Story)
The Mangler (Short Story)
Night Shift (Story Collection)
Night Surf (Short Story)
One for the Road (Short Story)
Quitters, Inc. (Short Story)
Sometimes They Come Back (Short Story)
The Stand (Novel)
Strawberry Spring
(Short Story)
Trucks (Short Story)
The Woman in the Room
(Short Story)

1979

The Dead Zone (Novel)
The Long Walk (Novel)

1980

Danse Macabre (Non-Fiction)
Firestarter (Novel)

1981

Cujo (Novel)
Roadwork (Novel)

1982

The Dark Tower I: The Gunslinger (Novel)
The Breathing Method
(Short Story)
The Body (Short Story)
Apt Pupil (Short Story)
Creepshow I (Comic Book)
Different Seasons
(Story Collection)
Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption
(Short Story)
The Running Man (Novel)

1983

Christine (Novel)
Cycle of the Werewolf Illustrated (Novel)
Pet Sematary (Novel)

1984

The Ballad of the Flexible Cain Rose Up (Short Story)
The Talisman (Novel)
Thinner (Novel)

1985

For Owen (Short Story)
Beachworld (Short Story)
Gramma (Short Story)
Big Wheels: A Tale of the Laundry Game: Milkman #2 (Short Story)
Bullet (Short Story)
Here There Be Tygers
(Short Story)
The Jaunt (Short Story)
The Man Who Would Not Shake Hands (Short Story)
The Mist (Short Story)
The Monkey (Short Story)
Morning Deliveries: Milkman #1 (Short Story)
Mrs. Todd's Shortcut
(Short Story)
Nona (Short Story)
Paranoid: A Chant
(Short Story)
The Raft (Short Story)
The Reach (Short Story)
The Reaper's Image
(Short Story)
Skeleton Crew
(Story Collection)
Survivor Type (Short Story)
Uncle Otto's Truck
(Short Story)
The Wedding Gig (Short Story)
Word Processor of the Gods (Short Story)

1986

It (Novel)

1987

The Dark Tower II: The Drawing of the Three (Novel)
The Eyes of the Dragon (Novel)
Misery (Novel)
Tommyknockers (Novel)

1989

Dolan's Cadillac (Short Story)
The Dark Half (Novel)

1990

Four Past Midnight
(Story Collection)
The Langoliers (Short Story)
The Library Policeman
(Short Story)
Secret Window, Secret Garden (Short Story)
The Stand, The Complete and Uncut Edition (Novel)
The Sun Dog (Short Story)

1991

The Dark Tower III: The Waste Lands (Novel)
Needful Things (Novel)

1992

Dolores Claiborne (Novel)
Gerald's Game (Novel)

1993

Crouch End (Short Story)
Brooklyn August (Short Story)
The Fifth Quarter (Short Story)
Dolan's Cadillac (Short Story)
The End of the Whole Mess (Short Story)
The Doctor's Case
(Short Story)
Dedication (Short Story)
Chattery Teeth (Short Story)
Head Down
(Non-Fiction Story)
Home Delivery (Short Story)
The House on Maple Street (Short Story)
It Grows on You (Short Story)
The Moving Finger
(Short Story)
My Pretty Pony (Short Story)
The Night Flier (Short Story)
Nightmares & Dreamscapes (Story Collection)
Popsy (Short Story)
Rainy Season (Short Story)
Sneakers (Short Story)
Sorry, Right Number
(Short Story)
Suffer the Little Children (Short Story)
The Ten O'Clock People (Short Story)
Umney's Last Case
(Short Story)
You Know They've Got a Hell of a Band (Short Story)

1994

Insomnia (Novel)

1995

Rose Madder (Novel)

1996

Desperation (Novel)
The Green Mile 1: The Two Dead Girls (Serial Novel)
The Green Mile 2: The Mouse on the Mile (Serial Novel)
The Green Mile 3: Coffey's Hands (Serial Novel)
The Green Mile 4: The Bad Death of Edward Delacroix (Serial Novel)
The Green Mile 5: Night Journey (Serial Novel)
The Green Mile 6: Coffey on the Mile (Serial Novel)
The Regulators (Novel)

1997

The Dark Tower IV: Wizard & Glass (Novel)
Six Stories (Story Collection)

1998

Bag of Bones (Novel)
My Pretty Pony (Short Story)

1999

The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon (Novel)
Hearts in Atlantis
(Story Collection)
Riding the Bullet (Short Story)
Storm of the Century (Screenplay)

2000

The Green Mile (Novel)
On Writing (Non-Fiction)
The Plant (Serial Novel)
Secret Windows (Non-Fiction)

2001

Dreamcatcher (Novel)
Black House (Novel)

2002

1408 (Short Story)
From a Buick 8 (Novel)
The Death of Jack Hamilton (Short Story)
All That You Love Will Be Carried Away (Short Story)
Autopsy Room Four
(Short Story)
Everything's Eventual
(Short Story)
Everything's Eventual
(Story Collection)
In The Deathroom
(Short Story)
L.T.'s Theory of Pets
(Short Story)
Little Sisters of Eluria
(Short Story)
Luckey Quarter (Short Story)
Lunch at the Gotham Cafe (Short Story)
The Man in the Black Suit (Short Story)
Riding the Bullet (Short Story)
The Road Virus Heads North (Short Story)
That Feeling, You Can Only Say What It Is in French (Short Story)

2003

The Dark Tower V: Wolves of The Calla (Novel)

2004

The Dark Tower VI: Song of Susannah (Novel)
The Dark Tower VII: The Dark Tower (Novel)

TBD

The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon (Children's Book)


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