| "The New Lieutenant's Rap" | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Short story by Stephen King | |||
| Country | United States | ||
| Language | English | ||
| Publication | |||
| Publication type | Chapbook | ||
| Publisher | Philtrum Press | ||
| Media type | |||
| Publication date | 1999 | ||
| Chronology | |||
| |||
"The New Lieutenant's Rap" is a short story by Stephen King. It was originally published as a limited run chapbook by Philtrum Press in 1999 and was later reworked into "Why We're in Vietnam", a short story appearing in King's 1999 book Hearts in Atlantis .
The story, set in summer 1999, opens with two American veterans of the Vietnam War, Dieffenbaker and John Sullivan, conversing after the funeral of Dick Pagano, another veteran whom they had served with. Sullivan recalls an incident in Đông Hà when Dieffenbaker, his commanding officer, had ordered him to kill another soldier, Clemson, to prevent him from massacring Vietnamese civilians. After Sullivan asks Dieffenbaker "Why were we in Vietnam to begin with?", Dieffenbaker - who has grown immensely cynical and bitter following his experiences in Vietnam - opines that their generation "had achieved little of value" and postulates that the two men are still in Vietnam - with their memories of events that have happened since the product of "a pot-bubble" - and that Vietnam is the preferable of the two competing realities. The story ends with Sullivan agreeing, thinking "We stay because it's better." [1]
"The New Lieutenant's Rap" was originally published by Philtrum Press (King's own imprint) in chapbook format, with 500 numbered copies being printed. The text of the chapbooks was in King' handwriting. The chapbooks, which were autographed by King, were gifted to attendees at a party held to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the publishing of King's debut novel Carrie that was held at Tavern on the Green in New York City. [1] [2] [3] [4] It has never been sold commercially. [5] A "substantially revised" version of "The New Lieutenant's Rap", retitled "Why We're in Vietnam", was published in King's book Hearts in Atlantis later that year. [1]
Rocky Wood states, "It is as great a pleasure to read a story in King's handwriting as it is to listen to his audio recordings." [1]
Stephen Edwin King is an American author of horror, supernatural fiction, suspense, crime, science-fiction, and fantasy novels. Called the "King of Horror", his books have sold more than 350 million copies as of 2006, and many have been adapted into films, television series, miniseries, and comic books. He has also written approximately 200 short stories, most of which have been published in book collections. His debut, Carrie, was published in 1974, and was followed by 'Salem's Lot, The Shining, The Stand and The Dead Zone. Different Seasons, a collection of four novellas, was his first major departure from the horror genre. The novellas provided the basis for the films Stand by Me and The Shawshank Redemption. King has published under the pseudonym Richard Bachman and has cowritten works with other authors, notably his friend Peter Straub and sons Joe Hill and Owen King.
Six Stories is a short story collection by Stephen King, published in 1997 by Philtrum Press. It is limited to 1100 copies, which are signed and numbered. Six Stories contains:
This is a list of short fiction by Stephen King. This includes short stories, novelettes, and novellas, as well as poems. It is arranged chronologically by first publication. Major revisions of previously published pieces are also noted. Stephen King is sometimes credited with "nearly 400 short stories". However, all the known published pieces of short fiction are tabulated below. In all, 218 works are listed. Most of these pieces have been collected in King's seven short story collections: Night Shift (1978), Skeleton Crew (1985), Nightmares & Dreamscapes (1993), Everything's Eventual (2002), Just After Sunset (2008), The Bazaar of Bad Dreams (2015), and You Like It Darker (2024); in King's five novella collections: Different Seasons (1982), Four Past Midnight (1990), Hearts in Atlantis (1999), Full Dark, No Stars (2010), and If It Bleeds (2020); and in the compilation Secret Windows: Essays and Fiction on the Craft of Writing (2000). Some of these pieces, however, remain uncollected.
Hearts in Atlantis (1999) is a collection of two novellas and three short stories by Stephen King, all connected to one another by recurring characters and taking place in roughly chronological order. The stories are loosely autobiographical; in an author's note, King writes that while the places in the book are fictionalized, "Although it is difficult to believe, the sixties are not fictional; they actually happened."
Philtrum Press is a small publishing house run by Stephen King. This small press operation, operating out of King's front business offices in Bangor, Maine, is primarily run by King's personal assistant, Marsha DeFillipo.
Richard Thomas Chizmar is an American writer, the publisher and editor of Cemetery Dance magazine, and the owner of Cemetery Dance Publications. He also edits anthologies, produces films, writes screenplays, and teaches writing.
"The Reploids" is a science fiction short story by American writer Stephen King. It was first published in the 1988 book Night Visions 5.
Joseph Hillström King, better known by the pen name Joe Hill, is an American writer. His work includes the novels Heart-Shaped Box (2007), Horns (2010), NOS4A2 (2013), and The Fireman (2016); the short story collections 20th Century Ghosts (2005) and Strange Weather (2017); and the comic book series Locke & Key (2008–2013). He has won awards including Bram Stoker Awards, British Fantasy Awards, and an Eisner Award.
"The Blue Air Compressor" is a short story by Stephen King, first published in January 1971 in Onan.
"Squad D" is the title of a short story by American writer Stephen King. Originally written in the late 1970s, the story was rejected by Harlan Ellison, who thought it needed work; the anthology The Last Dangerous Visions for which it was intended was never published.
The Plant is an unfinished serial novel by American writer Stephen King, published in 1982–1985 privately and in 2000 as a commercial e-book.
"Herman Wouk Is Still Alive" is a short story by American author Stephen King. It was originally published in the May 2011 issue of The Atlantic magazine.
"The Old Dude's Ticker" is a short story by American writer Stephen King. Written in the 1970s, it was not published until 2000. It is an homage to Edgar Allan Poe's "The Tell-Tale Heart", adapted to take place in the Vietnam War era and incorporating the slang of the time.
"The Glass Floor" is a short story by Stephen King, first published in the autumn 1967 issue of Startling Mystery Stories. It was King's first professional sale.
"The Killer" is a short story by Stephen King. Written in the early 1960s, it was first published in issue #202 of Famous Monsters of Filmland in spring 1994.
"The Little Green God of Agony" is a short story by Stephen King. It was originally published in 2011 as part of the anthology A Book of Horrors.
"I Was a Teenage Grave Robber" is a short story by Stephen King. It was first published in the fanzine Comics Review in 1965; a rewritten version was published in 1966 under the title "In a Half-World of Terror". It was King's first independently published story.
People, Places and Things is a short story collection by Chris Chesley and Stephen King, self-published in 1960.
"The Hotel at the End of the Road" is a short story by Stephen King. It was self-published by King in 1960 as part of the collection People, Places and Things.
"Jumper" is a short story by Stephen King. Originally serialized in the self-published newspaper Dave's Rag in 1959–1960, it was later collected in the 2000 work Secret Windows. It was King's first piece of fiction to be published.
