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The Shawshank Redemption
This stand-alone edition of King's novella, retitled The Shawshank Redemption, like the film, celebrates the 30th anniversary of the Best Picture Academy Award nominee. A mesmerising tale of unjust imprisonment and offbeat escape, The Shawshank Redemption is a Stephen King classic. Suspenseful, mysterious, heart-wrenching and populated by a cast of unforgettable characters, it is about a fiercely compelling convict named Andy Dufresne who is seeking a strangely satisfying revenge. Originally published in 1982 as 'Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption' in the collection Different Seasons (alongside 'The Body', 'Apt Pupil' and 'The Breathing Method'), it was made into the film The Shawshank Redemption in 1994. Starring Morgan Freeman and Tim Robbins, this modern classic was nominated for seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture, and is among the most beloved films of all time.
144 pages, Paperback
Published October 24, 2024
About the author
Stephen King
2,237 books894k followersStephen Edwin King was born the second son of Donald and Nellie Ruth Pillsbury King. After his father left them when Stephen was two, he and his older brother, David, were raised by his mother. Parts of his childhood were spent in Fort Wayne, Indiana, where his father's family was at the time, and in Stratford, Connecticut. When Stephen was eleven, his mother brought her children back to Durham, Maine, for good. Her parents, Guy and Nellie Pillsbury, had become incapacitated with old age, and Ruth King was persuaded by her sisters to take over the physical care of them. Other family members provided a small house in Durham and financial support. After Stephen's grandparents passed away, Mrs. King found work in the kitchens of Pineland, a nearby residential facility for the mentally challenged.
Stephen attended the grammar school in Durham and Lisbon Falls High School, graduating in 1966. From his sophomore year at the University of Maine at Orono, he wrote a weekly column for the school newspaper, THE MAINE CAMPUS. He was also active in student politics, serving as a member of the Student Senate. He came to support the anti-war movement on the Orono campus, arriving at his stance from a conservative view that the war in Vietnam was unconstitutional. He graduated in 1970, with a B.A. in English and qualified to teach on the high school level. A draft board examination immediately post-graduation found him 4-F on grounds of high blood pressure, limited vision, flat feet, and punctured eardrums.
He met Tabitha Spruce in the stacks of the Fogler Library at the University, where they both worked as students; they married in January of 1971. As Stephen was unable to find placement as a teacher immediately, the Kings lived on his earnings as a laborer at an industrial laundry, and her student loan and savings, with an occasional boost from a short story sale to men's magazines.
Stephen made his first professional short story sale ("The Glass Floor") to Startling Mystery Stories in 1967. Throughout the early years of his marriage, he continued to sell stories to men's magazines. Many were gathered into the Night Shift collection or appeared in other anthologies.
In the fall of 1971, Stephen began teaching English at Hampden Academy, the public high school in Hampden, Maine. Writing in the evenings and on the weekends, he continued to produce short stories and to work on novels.
Stephen attended the grammar school in Durham and Lisbon Falls High School, graduating in 1966. From his sophomore year at the University of Maine at Orono, he wrote a weekly column for the school newspaper, THE MAINE CAMPUS. He was also active in student politics, serving as a member of the Student Senate. He came to support the anti-war movement on the Orono campus, arriving at his stance from a conservative view that the war in Vietnam was unconstitutional. He graduated in 1970, with a B.A. in English and qualified to teach on the high school level. A draft board examination immediately post-graduation found him 4-F on grounds of high blood pressure, limited vision, flat feet, and punctured eardrums.
He met Tabitha Spruce in the stacks of the Fogler Library at the University, where they both worked as students; they married in January of 1971. As Stephen was unable to find placement as a teacher immediately, the Kings lived on his earnings as a laborer at an industrial laundry, and her student loan and savings, with an occasional boost from a short story sale to men's magazines.
Stephen made his first professional short story sale ("The Glass Floor") to Startling Mystery Stories in 1967. Throughout the early years of his marriage, he continued to sell stories to men's magazines. Many were gathered into the Night Shift collection or appeared in other anthologies.
In the fall of 1971, Stephen began teaching English at Hampden Academy, the public high school in Hampden, Maine. Writing in the evenings and on the weekends, he continued to produce short stories and to work on novels.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
March 16, 2026
This short story was perfectly fine.
As I am someone who has the movie in their top five favourites of all time I had to give the novella a go.
If you haven't watched the movie I would suggest reading the book first! because it just doesn't compare in my opinion.
I understand that it is a short story that was written solely from Reds perspective but it does lack in character development and descriptors/plot points.
Which I guess is the charm of the book, leaving many things open to speculation as you only hear stories one sided.
I still enjoyed it! and obviously it was a great short story for them to work off and expand.
As I am someone who has the movie in their top five favourites of all time I had to give the novella a go.
If you haven't watched the movie I would suggest reading the book first! because it just doesn't compare in my opinion.
I understand that it is a short story that was written solely from Reds perspective but it does lack in character development and descriptors/plot points.
Which I guess is the charm of the book, leaving many things open to speculation as you only hear stories one sided.
I still enjoyed it! and obviously it was a great short story for them to work off and expand.
Displaying 1 of 1 review