Dedication (short story)
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| "Dedication" | |
|---|---|
| Short story by Stephen King | |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Fantasy short story |
| Publication | |
| Published in | Dark Visions (1st release), Nightmares & Dreamscapes |
| Publication type | Anthology |
| Publisher | Orion Publishing |
| Media type | Print (Paperback) |
| Publication date | 1988 |
"Dedication" is a short story by Stephen King first published as part of the 1988 short story anthology Dark Visions and reprinted in King's 1993 short story collection Nightmares & Dreamscapes.
Plot summary
Dedication tells the story of Martha Rosewall, a black housemaid working in a New York hotel; and Peter Jefferies, an eccentric alcoholic and prejudiced writer who is a frequent guest there. Martha consumes some of Jefferies' semen, which was left on his sheets, as part of what is implied to be a black magic spell. Her hope is that it will pass talent and ability along to her unborn son, who is also named Peter and later grows up to be a famous writer himself.
King's notes at the end of Nightmares & Dreamscapes state that this story turned out to be a sort of trial for his later novel Dolores Claiborne and that it was partly written to explore the idea of why famous and talented people can sometimes be horrible in real life.[1] In addition, a fellow housemaid of Martha's in "Dedication" is named Delores.
Film, TV or theatrical adaptations
This story has been adapted into short films twice under King's "Dollar Baby" program (allowing non-commercial adaptations of certain short stories for a USD$1 license fee), both directed by female filmmakers. In 2017, Tyna Ezenma made the first Dollar Baby of this story, something of a novelty as many stories on the list already had dozens of such adaptations.[2] Selina Sondermann adapted the story in the following year and set it in 2018 Berlin.[3]
See also
Notes
- ^ King, Stephen (1993). Nightmares & Dreamscapes. Viking. pp. 803–804. ISBN 0-670-85108-6.
- ^ "Dedication". IMDb.
- ^ "Dedication". IMDb. 23 April 2021.
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