Video Interview: Stephen King on 'Under the Dome'

By PopEater Staff Posted Oct 27th 2009 07:51AM

Stephen King is back and ready to make your hair stand on end with 'Under the Dome,' a complex novel about society and humanity with that signature King touch. PopEater is proud to exclusively premiere an interview in which King discusses 'Dome.'

"There's a saying that people have in Alcoholics Anonymous, which is, 'You're only as sick as your secrets.' Some of the people in this book are pretty sick indeed, and let's put it this way -- I think readers are going to be engaged, but I don't think they're going to be totally surprised by some of the things people are holding back, because we have them in our own lives," King says in the interview.

See the clip after the jump!

"I saw it as a chance to write about the serious ecological problems that we face in the world today. I don't want to get real heavy about this ... but the fact is we all live under the dome. We have this little blue world we've all seen from outer space, and it appears that's all there is," King says in the interview.

Explaining how the book came to fruition, King says he tried to write 'Dome' in 1976, but that it went on the back burner until three years later -- but even then, King wasn't ready. "It's kind of like a baseball player saying, 'I missed a really fat pitch and I'd really like to have another chance.' "

During a plane trip to Australia three years ago, King nabbed that fat pitch, and the inspiration to revisit the 'Dome' concept returned.

"The image that caught my mind was the idea of these people giving a press conference to the outside world ... and from what you see there's nothing between them and the cameras until somebody reaches out and knocks on, you know, thin air," King explains.

Buy It: Stephen King's 'Under the Dome'

The acclaimed author of more than 50 books says it "was great to be working on a big canvas again," explaining that he ultimately writes "two kinds of books: I do books that are like murals -- they're big and they're populated with all kinds of characters -- and then [I] do the close-up books like 'Misery.' If you're going to write a book that people are going to love ... you just can't phone it in."

The world and the environment was a key factor for King's inspiration, the author says. "I saw it as a chance to write about the serious ecological problems that we face in the world today. I don't want to get real heavy about this ... but the fact is we all live under the dome. We have this little blue world we've all seen from outer space, and it appears that's all there is."

Get info on Stephen King's upcoming comic book project, 'American Vampire,' at ComicsAlliance.

Tags: misery, stephen king, StephenKing, under the dome, UnderTheDome

Comments

(94)

Friday 30 October

By Julie

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Nope, you are not the only one. I absolutely HATED it!

Tuesday 27 October

By NORMA NEWCOMB

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STEVEN KING IS THE BEST WRITER EVER I WILL ALWAYS READ HIS BOOKS.I HAVE BEEN FOR AS LONG AS I HAVE BEEN READING & THATS A LONG TIME.NORMA

By TSJ

Isn't "The Dome" basically the plot to the Simpson's big screen movie?

By Ry

Anyone who feels dissappointed by his recent books, please read the "Dark Tower" series. It will give you a taste of King from the old to the new, and it is unbelievable.

Wednesday 28 October

By Sean Rork

Whoa! Slow the *!?” down. Like TV or radio you can chose to turn a program off and not watch. Why all the static?! I thought the dream catcher
book was way more expressive and vivid than the movie ever was. The movie “The Shining” I thought way out classed the author’s miniseries adaptation and I have yet to read the book. I have choices and the author has given me a variety of formats to choose from should I choose to do so.

Sounds like “Much to do about nothing”. Of every movie or miniseries I have seen and then read the book I have overwhelmingly enjoyed the book more.

Thursday 29 October

By donna

Have all his books. Even went to Maine to see his house. I think he's forgotten how to write. I can barely finish his books. Go back to your old style Mr King
.

Sunday 01 November

By tamilee braun

I have been a fan of stephen's work for as long as I can remember and a true fan will always love and respect the work of this true genious. I truly love them all and can't wait for his latest to come out.

Thursday 05 November

By Blackjack17

A person's writing reflects who they are at the time; any work of art is a mirror of humanity. People don't like change, so when favorite author refuses to compromise him or herself for the sake of his or her own hyper-personalized genre, people get pissed. King's skill as a writer hasn't degenerated; he's just a different person 30 some years later. Get over it.

Saturday 07 November

By Ian

I adored The Tommyknockers, I finished reading it not too long ago and it really pulled me into more of Stephen King's novels, after all it's fiction and should be looked upon as a fictional piece of work that was genius. I will be picking up a copy of Under the Dome the first day of it's release. Sadly, I don't have much a collection, 5 boks at best, but I did research on others i.e. Stand by Me or Misery. I also love how he is going to portray a message of ecological problems he have because I haven't seen a lot of it through his books, but at the same time his writing style is unchanged, which I love.

By Maria Lisette

For those of y'all that aren't "King Fans" or "on the King bandwagon", or "who stopped reading after the book _IT_ ", then what the heck are you doing here??? If you DON'T like his writing and/or are offended with his "STYLE", then DON'T read the books and there is NO reason for you to even "waste your time" reading and/or commenting in this forum!!! Why don't you go join the John Grisham, Dan Brown, or J.K Rowling fan club???
*I* *am* a "fan", Stephen, and I hope that someday you'll let me take you and Tabby out to lunch. ;) Take care all, Lisette

Dear Alan,
Your comments were EXACTLY like you were reading *my* mind!!! I couldn't have said it better, and it deserves to be repearted, so here it goes.....

With all due respect, real people don't say things like, "gosh-darnit! That unpleasant woman killed my baby!' King writes as he always has, with dialogue that rings true. If this type of language offends you, there are plenty of books out there with characters who never face anything that would bring a real, visceral, emotional outburst. Just like changing the channel on the T.V. you have done the right thing to seek out more pastoral reading material. Please don't condemn an excellent author just because all of his characters weren't raised in church.

Monday 09 November

By Mark

I've never written on one of these things, but felt compelled to do so when reading through some of the responses entered regarding the upcoming release of UTD. I, for one, have been reading King since he first published Carrie back in the '70's. Yeah...I'm over 40. :-) However, I have to say, if asked, "What writer's work would you want with you on a deserted island?" I would definitely say, "King's!" Despite the fact that his stories, unlike the works of many other authors, tends to be more character-driven than plot-driven, thus sometimes giving his work an admittedly heavy feel, I still think he is one of the most gracious, giving, genrous novelists of our time. I have never regretted reading any one of his books...whether one of the shorter ones (Cujo) or one of his lengthier tomes (It). Unlike any other "horror" writer, or novelist in any other genre for that matter, King continues to inspire me on both a personal and professional level. His books are about life, and the richness, dark or otherwise, that it intails. The minute I finshed Carrie, all those years back, I remember at the ripe age of 14 thinking, I've got to do this...I've got to be a writer! I'm still not published, but each word I write has not only been influenced by the great works of King, but hopefully by his generosity of spirit as well. The day he stops writing, will be one of the darkest days I will have personally every known. Yeah, guess you could say, I'm one devoted fan! (Sorry this entry was so long...)

Tuesday 10 November

By jules

I will read anything that he writes. Anything. He drags me in and I don't come up for air until the last page is turned. I am 'Constant Reader'.

Saturday 12 December

By Faraz Nizamani

Epic. . . can't wait to read it :)

Monday 15 March

By amanda delo

Stephen King is my favorite author and my favorite story by him is Dolan's Cadillac. I recently rented this from Blockbuster and it was really good! Christian Slater stars and gives a fantastic performance. Dolan's Cadillac will be available in stores everywhere next month!

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