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William Peter Blatty
Life Time
7 January 1928 - 12 January 2017
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William Peter Blatty was born on January 7, 1928 in New York (USA) in a family with Lebanese roots. The father left the family when the boy was six years old. William was educated in Catholic schools. At Georgetown University's Jesuit School, Blatty earned a bachelor's degree. In 1951, he graduated from George Washington University, where he studied English, and received a master's degree, after which he joined the United States Air Force. Blatty served in Beirut, Lebanon, at the same time began
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William Peter Blatty was born on January 7, 1928 in New York (USA) in a family with Lebanese roots. The father left the family when the boy was six years old. William was educated in Catholic schools. At Georgetown University's Jesuit School, Blatty earned a bachelor's degree. In 1951, he graduated from George Washington University, where he studied English, and received a master's degree, after which he joined the United States Air Force. Blatty served in Beirut, Lebanon, at the same time began writing - his humorous stories were published in various magazines. After military service, he returned to the United States and headed the public relations department of the University of Southern California.
In 1959, William Blatty released his debut novel Where is the Road to Mecca, Jack?, and four years later his first film was staged. Soon he became a popular screenwriter, writing for film and television. In the mid-1960s, his collaboration with director Blake Edwards began, in particular, one of their joint works was a comedy from the cycle "Pink Panther" - "Shot in the Dark" (1964). In 1971, Blatty's book The Exorcist was published - the novel became a bestseller, only in the United States sales amounted to more than 13 million copies. Glory to the author was added and triumphantly passed through the world screens of the film version of the Exorcist (1973), staged according to his script by William Friedkin. Blatty acted as the producer of the picture and the writer of the script and was awarded an Oscar for the original script. In 1980, the writer made his debut as a director, putting on his script the picture “Ninth configuration”, awarded the “Golden Globe” award. In 1983, he wrote the sequel "The Exorcist" - the novel "Legion", which Blatty later himself and filmed - this film was called "Exorcist-III" or "Exorcist". Legion. It is worth noting that William Blatty had nothing to do with the failed Exorcist II. Later he continued to work in the genre of "horror", although he does not consider himself the author of "horror". In 1998, the writer was awarded the Bram Stoker Prize for creative achievements of a lifetime. The literary and commercial success of Blatty contributed to the development of the genre of horror, among the followers of Blatty can be called such famous writers as Peter Straub, Stephen King, Dean Koontz, Ira Levine.