Why Stephen King Retired in 2002 (And Why He Came Back)

Stephen King announced his retirement in 2002, but the horror king continues to write novels and short stories. So what happened?

Stephen King has been terrorizing generations of readers with his novels and short stories for decades, and while it looks like he's been working non-stop for years, he actually retired in 2002, only to eventually return. Stephen King's horror reign began with the publication of "Carrie" in 1974, and since then he has allowed readers to explore fears and encounter different creatures and Monsters (human and supernatural). King's success has expanded into other media by adapting many of his works, though not all of them have been as popular as the source material.

Stephen King has published more than 60 novels (including some under the pseudonym Richard Bachmann) and five non-fiction books, as well as approximately 200 short stories, and he continues to write with increasing horror and sometimes It is the tragic story that surprises the audience. King shows no signs of imminent retirement, and while he seems to have been working non-stop since Carrie was published, he briefly retired in 2002, but of course he eventually came back and continued writing compelling stories—but why did he first place?

Stephen King Retired Because He Was Unsatisfied With His Work

In 2002, Stephen King told the Los Angeles Times (via People) that once he finished the other five books he had lined up and wrote for ABC (Rose Red, not based on one of King's books, but written by him). King told The New York Times that he had "finished the book," explaining that "you get to the edge of the room and you can go back, back to where you've been," so you end up recycling things. King admits to seeing this in his own work, explaining that when people read his most recent novel, From the Buick Eight, they think of his 1983 novel Christine, about a car controlled by an evil supernatural force. Car. King added that he would retire by then because he was still in his prime, but this "retirement" didn't last long and he continued to write various stories.

However, Kim had other, more personal reasons for announcing her retirement in the early 2000s. In another interview in 2013 (via NPR), King explained that he was doing "a lot of OxyCotin painkillers," he said he was retiring as a result of an accident in 1999 in which he was hit by a car. With his recovery slow and "the whole thing seemed like too much work," Kim said he decided to Focused on getting better -- but once he fully recovered, the urge to write returned.

When Will Stephen King Retire?

Stephen King has been through a lot in his personal and professional life, but the urge to write has persisted and doesn't seem to be going very well Stop it. During an appearance on The Late Show (via CinemaBlend) in 2019, King was asked if he had any plans to retire, to which the writer replied "God will tell me when," but until then, he has the best work in a world where there is no pressure to retire at a certain age and he enjoys what he is doing. At the time of writing, King has a novel waiting to be published (Holly, set in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic , starring Holly Gibney, from Mr. Mercedes and other stories), this is unlikely to be the end or the beginning The end of Stephen King's career.