William Peter Blatty

William Peter Blatty was born in 1928 in New York City. His parents were Lebanese and his very religious mother sent him to Catholic schools. He got his first degree at Georgetown University and his M.A. in English literature at George Washington University. Afterward, he went into the Air Force; it was during his time that he began his career as a writer.

He is perhaps best known as the author of The Exorcist and the writer/producer of the 1973 film based on that novel (he won an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay). An accomplished screenwriter and novelist, he has authored books such as The Ninth Configuration, Legion, and Demons Five, Exorcists Nothing. He also directed the film versions of Legion (aka “Exorcist III”) and The Ninth Configuration. His short novel Elsewhere appears in the 999 anthology.

Partial Bibliography for William Peter Blatty

Awards:

• Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay (1973)
• Golden Globe Award (1973, 1980)
• British Fantasy Award (1975)
• Academy of Fantasy, Science Fiction and Horror Award (1980)
• Bram Stoker Award for Lifetime Achievement (1997)

Novels

• Which Way to Mecca, Jack? (1959)
• Twinkle, Twinkle, “Killer” Kane (1966)
  • This novel was revised and republished as The Ninth Configuration in 1978 (this edition was greatly rewritten and Blatty produced, wrote and directed the film of the same title in 1980).
• The Exorcist (1971)
• I’ll Tell Them I Remember You (1973)
• The Ninth Configuration (1978)
• Legion (1983)
• Demons Five, Exorcists Nothing: A Fable (1996)
• Elsewhere (1999)

Screenplays

• The Man From the Diner’s Club (1963)
• A Shot in the Dark (1964)
• I Billy Shakespeare (1965)
• John Goldfarb, Please Come Home (1965)
• What Did You Do in the War, Daddy? (1966)
• Gunn (1967)
• The Great Bank Robbery (1969)
• Darling Lily (1970)
• The Exorcist (1973)
• Mastermind (1976)
• The Ninth Configuration (1980)
• The Exorcist III (1990)