''Dimiter'' (also released under the title ''The Redemption'' in various parts of the world) is a novel by

William Peter Blatty William Peter Blatty (January 7, 1928 – January 12, 2017) was an American writer, director and producer. He is best known for his 1971 novel, ''The Exorcist'', and for his 1974 screenplay for the film adaptation of the same name. Blatty won ...

, released on March 16, 2010, through

Forge Books Macmillan Publishers (occasionally known as the Macmillan Group; formally Macmillan Publishers Ltd and Macmillan Publishing Group, LLC) is a British publishing company traditionally considered to be one of the 'Big Five' English language publi ...

. ''Publishers Weekly'' awarded ''Dimiter'' a starred review, calling it "a beautifully written, haunting tale of vengeance, spiritual searching, loss, and love".

History

''Dimiter'' had been in work since 1974, after Blatty read an article in William Friedkin's office, during the production of ''

The Exorcist ''The Exorcist'' is a 1973 American supernatural horror film directed by William Friedkin and written for the screen by William Peter Blatty, based on his 1971 novel of the same name. It stars Ellen Burstyn, Max von Sydow, Lee J. Cobb, Kitty ...

'', concerning the execution of a priest in the former

atheist state State atheism is the incorporation of positive atheism or non-theism into political regimes. It may also refer to large-scale secularization attempts by governments. It is a form of religion-state relationship that is usually ideologically l ...

Albania Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares ...

. The novel is dedicated to Blatty's late son, Peter Vincent Galahad Blatty. It is available in both hardcover and audiobook formats.

Feature film

According to Blatty, in his June 30, 2010 audio interview with "Authors on Tour", director

William Friedkin William "Billy" Friedkin (born August 29, 1935)Biskind, p. 200. is an American film and television director, producer and screenwriter closely identified with the " New Hollywood" movement of the 1970s. Beginning his career in documentaries in ...

was set out to make ''Dimiter'' a feature film, which would have marked this their first collaboration in almost 40 years. The two attempted to adapt Blatty's previous novel, ''Legion'', into a

feature film A feature film or feature-length film is a narrative film (motion picture or "movie") with a running time long enough to be considered the principal or sole presentation in a commercial entertainment program. The term ''feature film'' originall ...

, but Friedkin later left that production over creative differences. Blatty went on to direct the picture himself. The two nonetheless remained friends, speaking frequently. In lieu of the publication of ''Dimiter'', Friedkin interviewed Blatty for his blog in ''

The Huffington Post ''HuffPost'' (formerly ''The Huffington Post'' until 2017 and sometimes abbreviated ''HuffPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and ...

'', a few days after the author's announcement of a feature film on July 6, and compared the new novel with their previous collaboration: :Q. Do you think ''Dimiter'' measures up to ''The Exorcist'', as a piece of writing? :A. Without a doubt, it's the best writing I've produced. I can't surpass it. I know that.

Plot

The novel begins in Albania, where a spy named Paul Dimiter is tortured by the authorities. Revealed as an "agent from Hell", they try to get more from him, but before they know it, he escapes. The novel moves to Jerusalem one year later, where a half-Arab European policeman, Peter Meral, finds a murder victim who supposedly was from a mental hospital. Meral tries to find out if there is a connection between Jerusalem and Albania and the enigma of Dimiter.

References

{{Reflist

External links

TheNinthConfiguration.com - A website dedicated to William Peter Blatty, The Ninth Configuration & Legion

Forge Books
2010 American novels Novels by William Peter Blatty American thriller novels Novels set in Israel Novels set in Albania Arab-American novels Forge Books books