Misery (novel)
1987 novel by Stephen King
Misery is a psychological horror novel by U.S. author Stephen King, first published by Viking Press on June 8, 1987.
The novel hinges on the relationship between its two main characters – novelist Paul Sheldon and his self-proclaimed number-one fan, Annie Wilkes. When Sheldon is seriously injured following a car accident, former nurse Annie rescues him and keeps him prisoner in her isolated farmhouse.
Misery, which took fourth place in the 1987 bestseller list, was adapted into an Academy Award–winning film directed by Rob Reiner, in 1990, and into a theatrical production starring Laurie Metcalf and Bruce Willis in 2015.
Background
The novel's title refers to the eponymous heroine of Sheldon's book series and to King's state of mind during its writing. King outlined the creation of Misery in his memoirs, and mentioned that the character of Annie Wilkes came to him in a dream. The book was initially scheduled for release under the pseudonym Richard Bachman, but King's identity was revealed before publication.
One of King's inspirations for Misery was the reaction his fans had to his 1984 novel The Eyes of the Dragon. Many fans rejected The Eyes of the Dragon because it was an epic fantasy book, with virtually none of the horror that initially made his reputation. Paul Sheldon's feeling of being chained to the Misery books by his fans was an expression of King's feelings towards horror fiction.
“Misery (novel)” enters the record as 1987 novel by Stephen King. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Misery, novel and Stephen can confirm, complicate or overturn.
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Biographical claims are most persuasive when dates, appointments and relationships can be traced to records created close to the events described. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 5, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q596874. VIAF identifies the subject as 193687978. 2 of 2 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 1 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1987, 1990, 2015 and 1984.
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This entry incorporates text from “Misery (novel)” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.