William Peter Blatty’s Oeuvre - Body of Work

William Peter Blatty authored sixteen books—twelve novels, three non-fiction works, and one autobiography. His first published book, Which Way to Mecca, Jack? (1959), was a comedic, semi-autobiographical reflection inspired by his two years in Lebanon with the United States Information Agency, originally penned for The Saturday Evening Post. In the late 1950s, Blatty worked in university public relations before turning to writing full-time, producing several comic novels and screenplays for Hollywood comedies alongside director Blake Edwards.

His most famous work, The Exorcist (1971), came twelve years later, becoming a cultural phenomenon that earned him an Academy Award and redefined modern horror. Blatty continued to explore themes of faith and the existence of God through The Ninth Configuration (1980) and Legion (1983), and later, after the death of his son, he wrote Finding Peter (2015), a poignant meditation on grief and the afterlife. His legacy endures through The Exorcist’s lasting influence across literature, film, stage, and television.