We have sad news to report this afternoon, as it has been announced that author Peter Straub – whose best known works include the 1979 novel Ghost Story (which served as the basis for the 1981 film of the same name) and his Stephen King collaborations The Talisman and Black House – has passed away at the age of 79.
Born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in March of 1943, Straub was a voracious reader as a child and said he became aware of his own mortality at an early age, as he survived being hit by a car when he was just seven years old. Although his father wanted him to be a professional athlete and his mother was hoping he would become a Lutheran minister, Straub was more interested in becoming a writer – and after earning an MA degree in English and working as an English teacher for a while, he began his professional writing career with the novel Marriages, published in 1973.
Straub’s work includes the following novels: Under Venus, Julia, If You Could See Me Now, Ghost Story, Shadowland, Floating Dragon, Koko, Mystery, The Throat, The Hellfire Club, Mr. X; Lost Boy, Lost Girl; In the Night Room, A Dark Matter, and of course the two previously mentioned King collaborations. Several years ago, it was said that Straub and King would be writing a third book in the Talisman series together, and they knew exactly what it was going to be. Something related to a famous real world story that both authors kept scrapbooks about when they were young. Unfortunately, Straub and King were never able to get that book written.
Straub also wrote several novellas and short story collections over the course of his career. His novel Julia inspired the 1977 film Full Circle, which is better known under the title The Haunting of Julia. Stranger Things creators The Duffer Brothers will be producing a series adaptation of The Talisman, which is currently in development.
Peter Straub is survived by his wife Susan and their two children, Benjamin and Emma. Emma Straub is also an author.
Our sincere condolences go out to Peter Straub’s family, friends, and fans.