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Peter Straub, author and collaborator with Stephen King died at the age of 79. The A.V. Club reports that Straub’s wife Susan confirmed the author’s death at Columbia University Irving Medical Center in New York. Straub’s death was due to complications from breaking his hip. Straub was known for novels such as Julia and Ghost Story. But his arguably best-known novels were The Talisman and its sequel Black House, which he co-wrote with Stephen King. The former will soon be adapted into a Netflix series from the Duffer Brothers. Straub’s death comes the same day that King’s newest novel Fairy Tale was released, making it a bittersweet day for the author. King paid tribute to Straub in a Tweet.
It's a happy day for me because FAIRY TALE is published.
It's a sad day because my good friend and amazingly talented colleague and collaborator, Peter Straub, has passed away. Working with him was one of the great joys of my creative life.— Stephen King (@StephenKing) September 6, 2022
Peter Straub Rose Above Obstacles to Become Author
Straub was born in Milwaukee in 1943. As a child, Straub had a stutter and was nearly killed when he was hit by a car. He had to learn to rewalk. He developed a love for reading and studied English at the University Of Wisconsin-Madison. He earned a master’s from Columbia University. In the 1960s, he went to Ireland with his wife, intending to obtain a doctorate. It was there that he wrote and published his first novel, Marriages. While he wasn’t a fan of that book, he eventually had great success with Julia and Ghost Story, both of which were adapted into movies.
Peter Straub Meets Stephen King
In the 1970s, Straub became friends with Stephen King. They collaborated in 1984 to write The Talisman, which was critically divisive. While it isn’t listed among the best Stephen King novels, The Talisman is widely considered one of the more underrated King stories. The sequel, Black House, was published in 2001 and is considered one of the central connecting novels to King’s Dark Tower series.
Peter Straub was an author who went beyond the limits of horror, which is something Stephen King admired about him. The Nerd Stash honors his memory.