Over the long weekend, I saw that Stephen King, among others, will be awarded the National Medal of Arts later this week. According to a White House press release, King will be honored "for his contributions as an author. One of the most popular and prolific writers of our time, Mr. King combines his remarkable storytelling with his sharp analysis of human nature. For decades, his works of horror, suspense, science fiction, and fantasy have terrified and delighted audiences around the world."
I doubt the president has too much input on this decision, but I can say without hesitation that this is easily the most-right this administration has been on any issue. Stephen King may not be the most literary writer, and a certain class of critic will always sneer at his efforts. But I can't think of another writer as successful or bountiful as King over the last forty-plus years.
Just speaking for myself, I don't think there's another author whose bibliography I've dipped into as deeply as King's. I find his work, especially his output from the 1970s and 1980s, to be compulsively readable. More than that, though, it paints a rather striking portrait of a time and place, an America mired in economic decline and racked by self-doubt. From his portrait of a dying town in 'Salem's Lot or a struggling writer in The Shining to the alternate realities he created of an America in chaos in The Stand or one that has slid into a junta-style dictatorship in The Long Walk, King conjured up a very real sense of national angst and ennui wrapped up in entrancing fantasy and horror.
His more recent work hasn't gotten the same kind of love that those earlier books received, but I've been quite happy with his output since 2000. Cell is an underrated entry in zombie canon, while 11/22/63 is both gripping and a bit sad, a tale of love lost seen through the lens of a time travel adventure. Doctor Sleep, his sequel to The Shining, was a pleasant surprise: what seemed certain to be a lazy cash-in on a long-dormant property instead turned out to be his best book in almost a decade. I was also pleased to see him return to the Dark Tower series with 2012's The Wind Through the Keyhole: the adventures of Roland and his Ka-tet have always had a special place in my heart. (Do yourself a favor and read The Gunslinger some time. You won't regret it.)
Anyway. Congrats to Stephen King, America's greatest living novelist. You deserve this.