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Stephen King - Coração Assombrado - A Biografia

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Nesta obra indicada ao Prêmio Edgar Allan Poe de Melhor Biografia, a jornalista Lisa Rogak nos conduz, com rigor e pesquisa, pelo universo peculiar de Stephen King. Reconstitui sua infância difícil - marcada pela ausência do pai, que estranhamente se conecta com o Brasil -, revela suas angústias e seus medos mais profundos como autor, resgata os primeiros contatos do jovem King com a escrita e sua luta contra a dependência química.

Uma saga impressionante da pobreza à fortuna, da solidão à consagração. STEPHEN KING - A BIOGRAFIA: CORAÇÃO ASSOMBRADO é uma aula sobre como encarar os monstros da vida real e dominá-los na ficção.

320 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2009

83 people are currently reading
6755 people want to read

About the author

Lisa Rogak

51 books136 followers
My new book Propaganda Girls: The Secret War of the Women in the OSS will be published on March 4, 2025.

Lisa Rogak is the New York Times bestselling author of more than 40 books, which have been published in more than two dozen languages. Her books Barack Obama: In His Own Words, and Angry Optimist: The Life & Times of Jon Stewart, hit the New York Times bestseller lists. Haunted Heart: The Life & Times of Stephen King was nominated for both the Edgar and Anthony Awards.

Her books have been reviewed and otherwise mentioned in the Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, USA Today, and hundreds of other publications. She appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show as the featured guest in a show about small towns to promote her book, Moving to the Country Once and For All.

She lives in New Hampshire and is currently at work on a memoir.

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5 stars
1,699 (48%)
4 stars
949 (27%)
3 stars
640 (18%)
2 stars
140 (3%)
1 star
74 (2%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 190 reviews
Profile Image for Reading .
496 reviews263 followers
January 14, 2023
This is a brilliantly detailed history of Stephen King's life from his childhood experiences of a disrupted and lonely life to his rallying days at college, right up to the release date of this book, 2010.

There were lots of trivia and things I never knew, it was a fun read and I learned quite a bit about the man and his books.

Essential reading for King fans!
Profile Image for Trudi.
615 reviews1,702 followers
March 3, 2009
Booooo!!!! Hisssss!!!!! and shame on Lisa Rogak! Through countless interviews, personal essays, and a best-selling memoir, Stephen King has been quite transparent over the years about his personal life and his vices, his fears and his passions, his writing and that of others. I cannot imagine what a third-person biography would have to offer that we haven't already heard from the man himself. In short, nothing, that's what. This effort by Lisa Rogak smacks of a cheap sensationalist ploy to cash in on King's gargantuan fame.

But maybe I'm being too cynical. For King novices and general interest readers, a general biography isn't the worst thing, is it? Having said that, Rogak's superficial treatment of her subject (drawing exclusively upon previously published material) offers no insight and fails to present anything original about the man, the times in which he lives, and the storytelling that has captivated millions of readers from all around the world. Don't waste your time with this classless piece of shite; read King's memoir On Writing -- it is much more rewarding, informative, and inspiring.
Profile Image for Kelly.
542 reviews75 followers
November 24, 2015
While I didn't find this book particularly original or informative, I did enjoy reading things I already knew about King and a few tidbits that were new to me. An unexceptional biography but entertaining nonetheless, and this would be great for someone who may not know much about King's background or attitude.
Profile Image for Pam Baddeley.
Author 2 books64 followers
September 3, 2019
A quite interesting summary of King's early life and career up to 2008, although it is a little confusing at times, not making it clear which date is meant, as the narrative tends to dart around. For example, at one point, the book talks as if King's novel 'IT' was already published, and then, some pages later on, deals with that as an event a few years afterwards.

One thing that became obvious from the list of quotes and their sources at the back is that a lot of it is gleaned from previous biographies, interviews, introductions by King to his books and other secondary sources. In the opening section, the author describes going to chat with his assistant for half an hour and being aware of King in the corridor outside, never entering the room. She was told that she could talk to his friends and they could tell her things if they wanted, but it was not an authorised biography. So there certainly aren't any big revelations though it is clear that one or two people still felt sore about the way they felt King had treated them, especially one person who felt a story of his had been entirely ripped off (they had shared an apartment at one point and he had also been writing and had discussed a story of his). It was also interesting that he had professional relationships with certain people, such as his agent, and then dropped them with no reason given in the book.

There are probably better biographies available, but as an introduction for the general reader as opposed to dedicated fan who has already read a lot of other books about King, it is certainly adequate. So a 3 star rating for me.

Profile Image for Philk81.
96 reviews
January 11, 2010
I agree with reviewer Mike Martin; the prose strictly pedestrian here but she certainly used lots of sources and notes so ultimately a very informative bio. Steve chugging Nyquil and doing coke is not a pretty image of his early years, despite him writing prolifically and well.
Steve definitely comes off as down to earth; the only drama in the book occurred in the recounting of his serious 1999 accident.
I know more about Steve now so thanks! The time line at the end is helpful as the author does jump around a bit at times.
Profile Image for Jim.
983 reviews2 followers
November 20, 2010
With Google, and a bit of cut and paste (plus a few months free to research) I could have written this. A chronological re-hash of King's life and writing, there was hardly an original thought or notion on display. I bought this because of a good review in The Sunday Times. Did they even read it? This should have been straight to paperback and then bought in Just Books for 99p - no doubt that's where I'll see it next.
Profile Image for Nikki Spencer.
Author 9 books6 followers
February 10, 2009
I enjoyed reading about a sucessful author and what it took for him to apply himself in his writing. He may be a strange man, but underneath his phobias he has very basic, true values, such as monogamy, supporting his family as a teacher even though he really wanted to be paid for writing, thrift, hard work and perseverence, dedication to his craft, always bettering himself through continual learning, humility, ect.

Of course he had some really bad habits, too, like drug and alcohol abuse.
Profile Image for Reading .
496 reviews263 followers
January 13, 2023
This is a brilliantly detailed history of Stephen King's life from his childhood experiences of a disrupted and lonely life to his rallying days at college, right up to the release date of this book, 2010.

There were lot's of trivia and things I never knew, it was a fun read and I learned quite a bit about the man and his books.
Profile Image for Scott Woods.
Author 7 books67 followers
December 18, 2011
There have probably been as many biographies about Stephen King on the market as there are Stephen King books on the market, which is to say about twenty too many. Most of these exercises come off as attempts to cash-in on the author's name with an overly-engrossed fan base, and for those of you who've tried your hand at one of these, this one won't bowl you over either.

Serial biographer Lisa Rogak has done the legwork that any dedicated fan has done, and conversely turns in an effort that any fan could have written. No one should be overly offended by this; it's a great first book for, say, a new fan. And, not to put too fine a point on it, Rogak is a professional biographer. She isn't dedicated to her subjects - and there have been many - she merely stomps through whatever can be had about them handily, then turns in her homework. You can see this shark attack approach in this book with lazy, repeated refrains from chapter to chapter and in the occasional gaff in her timelines. When she relates her investigative process in the introduction (p. 6) this becomes glaringly obvious. She is a hack, but she is a moderately good hack.

Longtime fans of King will find nothing new here, as much of the meat has been culled from previously released interviews, books and assorted sources. There are some new tidbits from recent interviews of his peers and friends, but it all still comes off a little facile to people who have been following him for more than a few books.

King's oeuvre expands with such frequency that a person could release a new biography of the man every couple of years to keep up. At the same time, one could find the best biography out there and just tack new endings on in subsequent years to keep it new and improved and we'd have as much as we do here. Until the man writes his own life story - and I think the first half of "On Writing " is about as close as he's apt to get - we will simply never get any new information, which makes this book just another edition in the King biographical serialization exercise.

If you know nothing about King and you like whatever you may have read or seen from him, this book will be compelling to you, and it reads quick enough (the last fifty pages out of 310 are notes, index and bibliography...again, the author is a strong, well-rehearsed investigator). If you've been following him for some time you probably already know this stuff.
Profile Image for chhaya.
192 reviews22 followers
July 23, 2020
Félve álltam neki az olvasásnak, mert alapvetően nem érdekelnek az életrajzok… Viszont abból kiindulva, hogy mennyire hidegen hagy mások élete (már ha nem kitalált karakterről van szó), nagyon is tetszett. King bácsi eddig is szimpatikus volt, Rogak most ehhez hozzáadott egy kicsit.

A gyerekkor és az iskolaévek bemutatása kissé szárazra sikerült és nyúlik, mint a rétestészta… Ezen túljutva áthelyeződik a hangsúly King személyéről a szakmai pályafutására, így a könyv java része az írói munkásságán és a könyvei megfilmesítésével kapcsolatos momentumokon alapszik. Közben elszórva akadnak új infók és érdekességek is, bár azt hiszem semmi olyan, amit egy vérbeli rajongó ne tudna innen-onnan (pl. interjúkból) összeszedegetni. Sőt, többet is… De összefoglalónak nem rossz, jó volt egyben látni King élettörténetét.
Profile Image for Du.
2,070 reviews16 followers
April 8, 2012
This was a basic Steven King biography. Nothing in depth or overly shocking. It has some interesting information about his charitable activities but slides to the paparazzi side of life. I found it odd that a book published in 2008, with numerous notes about King's love of the Red Sox failed to mention his book about the 2004 season.

Anyhow, this book is not one of those you can't miss, but it also isn't' one you'll knock yourself for reading.
Profile Image for Ellis.
1,216 reviews167 followers
November 19, 2014
This book was kind of interesting, but about halfway through I started realising that the author didn't actually talk to Stephen or Tabitha King, just recycled bits of other interviews & things that had already been cited elsewhere, so what's the point? Why write a book about someone you don't even speak to, or even thank in the thank yous?
Profile Image for Puffer T.
49 reviews
June 30, 2009
This book was enlightning. I actually read some interesting facts about one of my fave authors. He was a big coke head and like to drink cheap beer! The writer of this book seemed to skip around though, would leap off to different times instead of keeping the book consistent with King's work. Maybe she was sippin her 40 oz while writing? Other than that...now I want to read more Tabitha King!
Profile Image for Michelle.
57 reviews20 followers
January 8, 2010
Stephen King is one of my favorite authors. After reading this book, I have a better understanding of his life and respect for his privacy. He is an amazing writer who's mind is writing non-stop. He wants his fans to read his books, not worry about a "broken spine". Great for any Stephen King fan.
6 reviews
May 5, 2010
to writing about biography,storytelling about Mr. King and his family left behind the ancester of parents are divorce. His life must move on to rest of his writing many fiction stories. someone whose didn't know his life of his family's life, but orginally fans loves Stephen King's books. and i also started this book of 'haunting heart' if it good, i will put four and a half stars.
Profile Image for NoOnesNME.
52 reviews1 follower
November 15, 2010
Seems like those who didn't like this book already knew about Stephen King. Since this is the first book I read about him, I thought it was great. Quite an interesting guy! But he wouldn't be my first choice to tell me a bed time story!
Profile Image for Nancy.
6 reviews
September 29, 2012
OK book. Everything in this book, I have read somewhere else before. It is obvious that this author can use Google and the cut/paste tool on her computer. SK's own non-fiction "On Writing," is a much better read.
Profile Image for Rachel.
48 reviews11 followers
August 24, 2010
Congratulations, pretty much everything in this biography was published elsewhere first. Sometimes many elsewheres. Not very informative, unless one perhaps has no idea of who Stephen King may be.
Profile Image for Bruna Rangel.
153 reviews6 followers
April 11, 2021
3,5.

É um ótimo livro pra conhecer mais sobre a vida de Stephen King e suas obras, mas nada mais é do que um compilado de tudo o que ele, sua esposa, colegas de trabalho e amigos já falaram publicamente. É mais ou menos como se fosse o Sobre a escrita: a arte em memórias expandido. Dessa forma, ao ler os trabalhos comentados como O Bazar dos Sonhos Ruins e as informações que o autor já dá sobre suas obras, muitas informações serão repetidas.

A edição é linda e pra quem é fã a leitura é válida.
684 reviews27 followers
May 5, 2014
The book I read to research this post is Haunted Heart The Life And Times Of Stephen King by Lisa Rogak which is a very good book which I bought at a car boot sale. This book is only around 240 pages and is quite inciteful into King's life. It was published in 2010 & I have to admit he is my favorite author. Apparently he has lots of hang ups and is very sensitive to things which is a lot of what he writes about in his horror books. He will never stop writing on a 13th page or a multiple of 13 for example as he has a fear of the number 13 as he also does of things like flying and psychotherapy. He does live in Bangor, Maine where a lot of his novels are set and according to one of his friend's is fiercely competitive. At one stage he was writing 5 books a year and many of his books are very long although he has cut back to spend time with his family. He has had his fair share of heart break from finding his grandmother's dead body as a child to one of his children being born with serious medical problems. He became obsessive about losing his child. Also his mother before she had Stephen was told she would never have children and his parents adopted a child and it was a shock when she became pregnant with him. As a child he read comics which gave him nightmares and resulted in his mum trying to stop him reading them so he had to do so in secret. He did do a degree in English Literature and later got a job as a teacher and like a lot of students he did use drink and drugs for a while. At one stage he felt he needed coke and drink in order to write. He also whilst at university was very much opposed to the Vietnam War. None of his books has been out of print which is rare for a best selling author. The book Carrie was made into a film and in the book she destroyed the gas stations that then destroyed the town but this was left out of the film due to the budget constraints. I did really enjoy this book and am eager to read On Writing his autobiography and this book does stress a very human side to King.
Profile Image for Jim.
1,112 reviews56 followers
October 27, 2023
This Stephen King biography is unauthorised but well researched by Lisa Rogak. As a biography and not an autobiography it naturally leaves gaps as to how King feels about certain issues. A CBS crew, for example, discovered what happened to King’s absentee father, the biography states King had “mixed feelings” about the news but it would have been interesting to know more. King has written the semi-autobiographical book “On Writing” but that book just deals with one aspect of his persona.

I knew of King from 1980, when I was fifteen and an avid reader of science fiction, horror and fantasy. I’m not sure which of King’s books I read first, it could have been “Carrie” or “The Shining” , I’ve read a lot of King. This biography makes me realise there is still much of Stephen King's prolific output I haven't read. I have added "Salem's Lot", "Lisey's Story","Dead Zone" and "Black House" to my ever large "to read" list on Goodreads.

I was reading this biography at the same time as the autobiography of another Stephen...Stephen Fry, the juxtaposition of the two amused me.
King is not just a horror writer, he has explored other literary genres, he wrote the story for “Shawshank Redemption“.

Oh no he didn’t!

Oh, yes he did.


It is clear in the autobiography that Stephen King is frustrated at not being taken seriously as a writer, seen merely as a horror writer.
"People ask me when I am going to write something serious, but questions like that always hurt."

He does take a sideswipe at another popular writer... "There'll always be a market for shit, of course. Just look at Jeffrey Archer! He writes like old people fuck."

It is also clear that writing is like a drug for King, he gave up most drugs: cocaine, cigarettes and alcohol but he could never give up writing.
Profile Image for Jennifer (JC-S).
3,541 reviews286 followers
October 3, 2010
‘So who is Stephen King, really?’

In her introduction to this unauthorised biography, Lisa Rogak recounts an anecdote about her trip to Bangor, Maine and a discussion she had with Stephen King’s assistant, Marsha DeFillipo about the aim of book she was planning to write.
‘For most of that half-hour conversation, the man himself hovered just outside the doorway, listening in on our conversation but never once stepping inside.’

This anecdote could be a summary for the book itself: Stephen King’s presence within it is indirect and reflected, rather than direct and central. There’s plenty of data here, mostly drawn from secondary sources but little insight or analysis. That doesn’t mean that the data isn’t useful (although based on events detailed in the book, the timeline is incomplete) simply that a third person biography of Stephen King has little new to add to what is already publicly available.

However, for those discovering Stephen King for the first time, this book contains a lot of useful information including a bibliography. I found the notes section frustrating: there is no reference within the text to the notes; the notes themselves contain page references back to the text. So, if you read the text without exploring the notes you would not have a clear picture of how (and from where) the information was gleaned. For those who have been avidly following Stephen King’s career since ‘Carrie’ was first published in 1974, it is unlikely that this book contains anything new.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith
Profile Image for Kate.
Author 15 books899 followers
June 22, 2010
I love Stephen King, so when I saw this book at my library I knew I had to read it... someday. I still think On Writing is probably the best biography/autobiography of Stephen King out there, but this was pretty good, more readable than some of the other nonfiction books about King I've read (e.g. Kingdom of Fear: The World of Stephen King). I liked how this gave instances where King got ideas for some of his novels and the circumstances occurring in his life that led to his novels. I was most interested in circumstances surrounding his addiction, but it wasn't a major part of the book.
Profile Image for Joe  Noir.
336 reviews41 followers
January 18, 2013
This Edgar award nominated book has a great cover, the rest of the book is okay. It's very readable, and should hold your interest, but it's a "hit the high and low points" type of biography. There is quite a bit of info, known to even the casual King fan, that is left out. It's repetitious, could have used one more proofread, and I found it a little depressing. The author writes that King has lost readers since he turned away from horror. I was an early (rabid?) King fan (if you have not read SALEM'S LOT buy it and read it instead of this book), but I must admit he lost me along the way. The book is surprisingly short, and I wish better photos had been selected for the photo section. The author does a very good job dealing with some sensitive areas of King's life, and giving the reader an idea of some of the wonderful things King has been able to do for people in need.
Profile Image for Nancy.
1,428 reviews23 followers
March 13, 2023
This is a very compelling and fascinating, albeit unauthorized, biography of the horror great, Stephen King. As a King fan, I found it to be immensely readable; although I knew quite a bit about Mr. King already, I was pleased to find more than a few surprises about his life and lifestyle. Almost all of his books and stories are covered here in varying levels of detail, including details omitted from the final published version and the story's origins in the first place. The author also covers King's dealings with the paparazzi, overzealous fans, his near-death accident, and how he came to be involved with his band, the "Rock-Bottom Remainders." It stops at the end of 2008, at the publication of "Just After Sunset."
Profile Image for Khairul Hezry.
747 reviews141 followers
November 2, 2011
This biography of King is actually very interesting and coming from a so-so fan that's saying something. However, it is hardly original. Just about every quote came from a previously published interview. I for one enjoyed it because other than King's own sort-of-memoirs, Danse Macabre and On Writing, I have not read anything else about his past and what makes him tick. But to those who have, then this book is one big scam.
Profile Image for Stephanie .
689 reviews2 followers
January 21, 2009
As stated in past reviews...This book is just restated from past interviews. The best book on Stephen King is On Writing by the author himself. I did enjoy remembering all of his books and how I still get the heebie jeebies when I think of Carrie or Pennywise.
151 reviews3 followers
March 10, 2009
From a hardscrabble life to a multi-millionaire...you will find out things in this book that you didn't know about Stephen King. Although I haven't read many of his books, this biography was thoroughly enjoying.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 190 reviews

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