The Man Who Loved Flowers

Born in Portland, Maine in 1947, Stephen King is renowned for psychological thriller and horror stories, many of which have been compared to Romantic Gothic literature of the 1800s. King’s writing journey began in his youth during prolonged periods of illness, when his mother helped influence his love of the horror genre by reading him Gothic stories including those of Edgar Allan Poe and H. P. Lovecraft. Critics have frequently compared King’s own writing to these authors.

Writers such as Edgar Allan Poe, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and their contemporaries often focus on the environment, the description of which informs characters’ mindsets. The settings feature unusual or sinister locales, often confining or constricting in some way, reflecting the protagonist’s struggles. Characters often face imprisonment, either literal or figurative, and many end up capitulating to the chaos. Such is the case with many of King’s characters, who frequently experience repression in some way. Even though King’s locales are more domestic or familiar than those of the Dark Romantic writers, they are settings where characters experience loneliness, whether in the wilderness of Maine or the confines of a big city. King explores universal themes of fear, hope, pain, and evil, and instead of progressing through this pain, many of his characters submit to it, bit by bit.

The choice to use familiar settings or everyday scenarios emphasizes how King’s work “[reminds us] of how far we as a collective society and culture have strayed from a balanced moral perspective” (Magistrale, Tony. “Toward Defining an American Gothic: Stephen King and the Romantic Tradition.” Stephen King: Critical Insights. Salem Press, 2010). While Romantic authors conjured these moral evils, King, in his modern mindset, reminds readers that the “darkest evils are always those found in our own neighborhoods, in our children, in ourselves” rather than in fantastic creatures or otherworldly locations (Magistrale, Tony. “Toward Defining an American Gothic: Stephen King and the Romantic Tradition.” Stephen King: Critical Insights. Salem Press, 2010). King portrays modern life as stifling and anxiety-inducing, suggesting the pervasiveness of evil in the everyday. He creates ordinary characters in ordinary circumstances, who, due to loss, loneliness, or trauma, discover the darkness within. Such is the case of the nameless young man in “The Man Who Loved Flowers.” King sets the story in New York City, 1963. As a radio reveals the horrors that no one pays attention to, the young man grapples with the death of his first love, consumed by the combined horrors of global and personal circumstances.

King’s first published novel, Carrie (1973), focuses on the cruelty and humiliation often experienced in adolescence, highlighting the redemptive power of human connection, and also the brutality of repressed emotions and how they manifest in evil actions. King followed Carrie with a string of bestselling novels, including Salem’s Lot (1975), The Shining (1977), and The Stand (1978). His distinctive style, characterized by relatable characters and a knack for tapping into universal fears, became his signature. The author’s trend of blending supernatural horror with everyday settings resonated with readers and made his work accessible to a wide audience.

King is known for his disciplined work ethic and dedication to the craft of storytelling. He continues to produce bestselling novels, during a span of over 50 years, from It (1986) and Misery (1987) to the more recent Holly (2023). He also wrote The Dark Tower series of books under the pseudonym Richard Bachman. Many of these works were adapted into successful films and TV series.

In addition to his novels, King has produced a substantial body of short fiction, showcasing his versatility as a writer. Collections like Night Shift (1978), Different Seasons (1982), and If It Bleeds (2020) feature a wide range of horror and supernatural tales, as well as more introspective and literary pieces. His novella “Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption,” from Different Seasons (1982), was adapted into the critically acclaimed film The Shawshank Redemption.