What is the title of Stephen King's novella that inspired The Shawshank Redemption?

The novella that inspired The Shawshank Redemption is Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption.

Stephen King published Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption in the 1982 collection Different Seasons. It tells the story of Andy Dufresne, a banker imprisoned for murder, and his long friendship with fellow inmate Ellis “Red” Redding at Shawshank State Penitentiary.

Frank Darabont adapted the novella into the 1994 film The Shawshank Redemption. The movie expanded and reshaped some details, including making Red an Irishman in the original story but casting Morgan Freeman, whose performance became one of the film’s defining features.

The title can cause confusion because Rita Hayworth is not the protagonist. Her image is important to the story, particularly through the posters associated with Andy’s cell. The work is a prison drama rather than a supernatural horror story, although it remains one of King’s best-known adaptations.