"Herman Wouk Is Still Alive" is a

short story A short story is a piece of prose fiction that typically can be read in one sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the oldest ...

by American author

Stephen King Stephen Edwin King (born September 21, 1947) is an American author of horror, supernatural fiction, suspense, crime, science-fiction, and fantasy novels. Described as the "King of Horror", a play on his surname and a reference to his high s ...

. It was originally published in the May 2011 issue of ''

The Atlantic ''The Atlantic'' is an American magazine and multi-platform publisher. It features articles in the fields of politics, foreign affairs, business and the economy, culture and the arts, technology, and science. It was founded in 1857 in Boston, ...

'' magazine.

Synopsis

Old friends Brenda and Jasmine, along with their seven children between them, set off on a road trip in a rented Chevy Express after Brenda wins $2,700 on the Pick-3

lottery A lottery is a form of gambling that involves the drawing of numbers at random for a prize. Some governments outlaw lotteries, while others endorse it to the extent of organizing a national or state lottery. It is common to find some degree of ...

. They reflect back on their harsh childhoods and disappointing lives. Meanwhile, Phil and Pauline, two aging poets and former lovers, are on their way to a poetry festival at the

University of Maine The University of Maine (UMaine or UMO) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Orono, Maine. It was established in 1865 as the land-grant college of Maine and is the Flagship universities, flagshi ...

. They stop at a rest area to have lunch together. Soon, Brenda decides that their lives are no longer worth living and that the children are doomed to a pitiful future. Deliberately and with the consent and encouragement of Jasmine, she crashes the van into a tree near Phil and Pauline at high speed. Phil and Pauline hurry to the wreckage, but Brenda and Jasmine and all their children are dead. When a passer-by asks Pauline what happened, she finally loses her well-cultured disposition and asks him "What the fuck does it look like?"

Publication

"Herman Wouk Is Still Alive" came about as part of a bet between King and his son

Owen Owen may refer to: Origin: The name Owen is of Irish and Welsh origin. Its meanings range from noble, youthful, and well-born. Gender: Owen is historically the masculine form of the name. Popular feminine variations include Eowyn and Owena. ...

during the

NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament The NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, branded as NCAA March Madness and commonly called March Madness, is a single-elimination tournament played each spring in the United States, currently featuring 68 college basketball teams from ...

in which the loser would have to write a story based on a title supplied by the winner. Owen King came up with the title after reading in an article that

Herman Wouk Herman Wouk ( ; May 27, 1915 – May 17, 2019) was an American author best known for historical fiction such as ''The Caine Mutiny'' (1951) for which he won the Pulitzer Prize in fiction. His other major works include ''The Winds of War'' and ' ...

was still alive and writing despite being in his mid-nineties. King conceived of the story after reading about the

2009 Taconic State Parkway crash The 2009 Taconic State Parkway crash was a traffic collision that occurred shortly after on Sunday, July 26, 2009, on the Taconic State Parkway in the town of Mount Pleasant, New York, Mount Pleasant, near the village of Briarcliff Manor, New Yor ...

. "Herman Wouk Is Still Alive" was first published in ''

'' in May 2011. It was collected as part of the 2015 work '' The Bazaar of Bad Dreams''.

Reception

Rocky Wood Rocky Wood (19 October 1959 – 1 December 2014) was a New Zealand-born Australian writer and researcher best known for his books about horror author Stephen King. He was the first author from outside North America or Europe to hold the pos ...

described "Herman Wouk Is Still Alive" as "King showing once again what a clear eye he has for observing society" and "another mainstream story that illustrates the horror that lurks in real life". Tim Lepczyk described it as "an enjoyable and saddening story". Herman Wouk himself was asked about the short story in a questions and answers session published as part of his 2012 novel ''

The Lawgiver ''The Lawgiver'' is a 2012 novel by Herman Wouk depicting a fictional attempt to make a film about the biblical Moses. It is an epistolary novel, composed of traditional communications such as letters, memos, and articles, as well as utilizing ...

''; Wouk stated "I read Mr. King's short story and enjoyed it." The story won the 2011

Bram Stoker Award for Short Fiction The Bram Stoker Award for Short Fiction is an award presented by the Horror Writers Association (HWA) for "superior achievement" in horror writing for short fiction. Winners and nominees This category was previously titled "best short story". Nomi ...

References

External links

"Herman Wouk Is Still Alive"
{{DEFAULTSORT:Herman Wouk Is Still Alive Short stories by Stephen King 2011 short stories Works originally published in The Atlantic (magazine)

Synopsis

Publication

Reception

See also

References

External links