Which Writers Have Influenced Stephen King?

Stephen King, the contemporary horror, science-fiction and fantasy author, says that Richard Matheson is the writer who has influenced him the most.

Authors Who Have Influenced Stephen King

Richard Matheson is, according to King, "the author who influenced [him] most as a writer." There are several similarities between their writing styles, including the integration of the main character's thoughts into a third-person narrative.

Ray Bradbury: Known for works such as I Am Legend and The Incredible Shrinking Man.

H. P. Lovecraft: In several of his novels and short stories, Stephen King makes reference to the characters of horror, fantasy and sci-fi author H P. Lovecraft

John D. MacDonald: King has expressed his admiration for Macdonald on numerous occasions, and dedicated the novella Sun Dog to him.

- Don Robertson: In the forenote that King wrote for Robertson's novel The Ideal, Genuine Man he names Robertson as one of the three authors who influenced him the most in his quest to become a novelist.

Other Influences

Stephen King names horror comics, specifically Tales from the Crypt of EC Comics, as one of his early influences.

Much of King's work is set in his home state of Maine, New England.

There are a number of people by going through their work, Stephen King got influenced. The prime names that include in his influences are Robert Bloch, William Golding, Fritz Leiber, Richard Matheson, Edgar Allan Poe, Stanley G. Weinbaum, Daphne du Maurier, Ray Bradbury, Shirley Jackson, H. P. Lovecraft, John D. MacDonald and J. R. R. Tolkein.

All the writers that are being described in the abovementioned paragraph are considered as masters in their respective area of expertise and influenced Stephen King in different ways. If you take the case of J. R. R. Tolkein, you can say that he must have influenced King in his imagination of stories and how things can be related to each other.

Though there were some influences, the stories from his pen are all original and it is for this reason that he got wide spread recognition.