This week saw the astonishing sight of Donald Trump marketing Bibles at approximately £43. Trump, the Ex-US president, has cooperated with country music artist Lee Greenwood to endorse “God Bless the USA Bible”. This version combines the King James Bible with the US Constitution and Declaration of Independence and is being sold at £43.99. Amidst various court proceedings and establishing his own social media company, Trump managed to publicise his customised version of the sacred text, evoking not only indignation from Christian communities but also natural jesting from critics and satirists. This strategy is oddly reminiscent of the beginning of The Dead Zone, a 1979 Stephen King novel which depicts the ascension of a right-leaning political storyteller with a saviour complex.
In the initial pages of King’s literary piece, the readers encounter Greg Stillson busy in a quintessential American pursuit: travelling across towns and marketing Bibles. “He’s a travelling salesman – a trickster right from the start, and this part of him closely mirrors Trump,” King commented in an interview conducted a few years earlier. King remains unstoppable, not hindered by substance abuse, nor the incident in 1999 in which he was hit by a van while strolling near his house in Maine, almost resulting in his death. His writing speed surpasses most people’s reading speeds.
This week also marked the occasion for the US culture industry to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the publication of King’s first novel, Carrie. The narrative focuses on a peculiar, socially excluded girl who uses her telekinetic abilities to create a horrifying impact, compellingly portrayed in Brian De Palma’s 1976 film.
Ever since his debut, there has been no halting Stephen King. He has managed to overcome personal hurdles, such as substance addiction and a near-death experience in 1999. A van hit him near his house in Maine, but this did not deter him. King has penned 65 novels and novellas at a speed faster than most can read, selling a colossal 400 million copies worldwide. This tenacious drive and his uniquely vivid imagination have earned him recognition from even the most aloof circles in the literary world. Despite this, King remains humble, unconcerned with more prestigious awards.
At the age of 76, King retains a fervour for writing and is one of the few authors known globally. He is equally recognisable for his slender frame, laid-back style, signature glasses and friendly voice. His noteworthy contributions to American culture, however, are still being fully grasped. King has shaped how both local and international audiences perceive the US through his books and their subsequent screen adaptations.
Since the time Richard Nixon resigned, King’s creative voice has resonated powerfully and consistently. Try recollecting, if you were around at the time, the terrifyingly vivid posters of his cinematic adaptations like Christine, The Dead Zone, Cujo, The Shining, Stand By Me, Misery, and IT. All his tales powerfully portrayed Americana throughout the years, painting a mix of charm and hidden dangers of small towns. These narratives often featured the joys and threats tied to childhood, a recurring theme of his.
Regardless of personal opinions about King’s tales, their influence cannot be denied. His novels have birthed characters and storylines that depict various eras uniquely. Over two decades ago, the late critic Leslie Fiedler predicted out loud that no one among contemporaries would be remembered as long or admired as deeply as Stephen King, indicating his lasting impact.
King, with reference to his novel The Dead Zone, mentioned a personal nightmare becoming a reality – the current president of the United States resembling the fictional character Greg Stillson.
Several careful analyses have been undertaken regarding Stephen King’s influence as a political entity; his literature reflects intense political shifts within the previous five decades, as Michael J Bluin outlines in the preface to Stephen King and American Politics. His narrative portrays a variety of historical movements, such as disillusionment in international conflicts, dissatisfaction with the welfare system, and a gradual edging towards theocracy.
Currently, a significant number of Americans worry about the hastening of this very shift. In a recent reflection on The Dead Zone during the previous government reign, King suggested that he hadn’t necessarily foreseen Donald Trump’s rise, but merely penned a character, Greg Stillson, who unfortunately manifested in real-life politics. King added that he can’t apologise if the character, reminiscent of Trump, resonates with people because it was his creation – one he never wished to see in American politics.
King, known for his vivid descriptions of nightmares and late-night cinema horrors for half a century, remains a vocal critic of Trump. Interestingly, this author who spent 50 years uniquely portraying the American subconscious has emerged as a stable and comforting voice in a rapidly evolving nation amid concerns that “the ice is gonna break”. This position has been particularly notable in recent times, as political life took a turn eerily reminiscent of King’s works with the transformation of Trump into a Bible distributor.