In Memoriam: Peter Straub

photo credit: Jennifer Calivas

Writers around the world, and horror writers, in particular, lost a legend. Peter Straub passed away on September 4, 2022, after a long illness. He was 79 years old.

A master of his craft, Peter wrote horror, dark fantasy, and psychological thrillers. His works include sixteen novels, numerous short stories, eleven novellas, four poem collections, and one collection of non-fiction essays. He won multiple Bram Stoker, World Fantasy, and August Derleth awards. In 2005, the Horror Writers Association awarded Peter Straub their Lifetime Achievement Award for his outstanding contribution to the field of horror.

Peter published his first supernatural thriller, Julia, in 1975. His fifth novel, Ghost Story, catapulted him into the bestseller lists, and a movie of the same name was made in 1981. His 1993 novel, The Throat, is widely considered one of his best works. In 1984, Straub teamed up with Stephen King to write The Talisman, and the two followed up seventeen years later with the sequel, Black House.

The Horror Writers Association owes an unending debt of gratitude to Peter Straub, not only for his work, but his ever-present kindness to fellow writers, and for inspiring generations of people to create stories to entertain and frighten.

Peter is survived by his wife, Susan, and their children, Ben and Emma.

The HWA Officers and Board of Trustees