Cultural Kingdom

In a recent story titled "The 12 Authors Every Man Must Know" esquire included, of course, Stephen king. what they said about him is interesting:

"No writer knows more about our current cultural fears — the cold-war anxiety of The Dead Zone, the post-9/11 fearfulness of Under the Dome — than Uncle Stevie."

They then noted that the book to read by King is -- of course -- The Stand. It is King's ability to connect directly with our here and now -- our cultural bearings that makes his writing so strong. We feel like we know the characters because they know us. To read Stephen King you don't have to go to another planet, learn another langauge (Unless it's Lisey's Story) or drop into the past. King's books are about us, now.

Stephen King's ability to connect with the here and now also makes him a powerful part of history. Read the Stand, the original version, and you get a somber look at the late 70's.

http://www.esquire.com/features/essential-knowledge/top-authors-list-0310#ixzz0h2V5zkzy