Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption

The No. 1 bestselling author Stephen King's beloved novella, Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption - the basis for the Best Picture Academy Award-nominee The Shawshank Redemption - about an unjustly imprisoned convict who seeks a strangely satisfying revenge, is now available as a standalone book.

There's a guy like me in every state and federal prison in America, I guess - I'm the guy who can get it for you.

And new convict Andy Dufresne wants two things from fellow prisoner Red: a small rock-hammer for carving stones and a giant poster of Rita Hayworth.

So begins this mesmerising tale of unjust imprisonment, deep friendship and offbeat escape.

Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption is one of King's most celebrated stories, and it helped make Castle Rock a place readers would return to over and over again. Suspenseful, heart-wrenching and hopeful, this iconic King novella is populated by a cast of unforgettable characters, especially the fiercely compelling convict named Andy Dufresne who is seeking his ultimate revenge.

Originally published in the collection Different Seasons, it was made into the film The Shawshank Redemption. Starring Morgan Freeman and Tim Robbins, this modern classic was nominated for seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture, is one of the most beloved films of all time and is IMDb's top-rated movie of all time.

Review: One of the great storytellers of our time * GUARDIAN *
The midlength narrative suits King's talents particularly well . . . Stories that cover a surprising amount of emotional territory but can still be read in a sitting * THE WASHINGTON POST *
Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption remains one of [King's] most deeply humane and hopeful works of fiction * VARIETY *