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Conducted
by Ryan Streat, essay contributor;
www.theninthconfiguration.com
americanexorcist.theninthconfiguration.com
Benjamin. First and foremost, thank you for
taking the time to participate in this interview! It is an honor to be a
part of this publication, and an even greater honor to be able to conduct
this piece regarding it all with you.
Szumskyj: Thank you very much. I
appreciate your time and effort.
Question #1: What initially sparked your
interest in the works of William Peter Blatty, and how were you first
introduced to it all?
Szumskyj: I suspect, like many fans of William Peter
Blatty, my first exposure to his work was the cinematic adaptation of The
Exorcist novel. Sadly, I can not recall my reaction to seeing it as a
child but I suspect it was one of fear. When it was
re-released in cinemas however, while most saw it nothing
more than a horror movie, I saw a very real battle between good and evil,
God and the Devil. It represented a reality within the Christian worldview,
one that I believe in. It’s rare to find a work of art that not only
entertains, but actually affects you emotionally. Soon after seeing the
movie, I read the novel and its sequel, Legion. In my honest opinion,
The Exorcist
is both a literary and cinematic masterpiece. Since then, I have read
more of Blatty’s literary output and while I don’t care much for his earlier
works of comedy, The Exorcist,
Legion
and the sorely neglected The Ninth Configuration eclipse novels of
yesteryear and today and I question the taste of any horror fan whose
bookcase does not possess these titles (pun unintended).
Question #2: What aspect of Blatty’s work
most resonates with you? What has primarily kept you an admirer of his work?
Szumskyj: Blatty is unashamed of the
Christian gospel, something I admire in a mainstream author. While my
Christian beliefs do not align with Catholicism, I respect Blatty’s
interpretations and the manner in which he incorporates the faith into his
writings. In regards to his literary style, his post-comedy work is crisp,
engaging and realistic. You become one with his characters and endure all
their trials and jubilations.
Question #3: How do you feel about Stephen
King’s [negative] criticism regarding Blatty and The Exorcist? (See: Danse Macabre).
Szumskyj: Stephen King’s commentary of
William Peter Blatty is laughable. While King has produced some work of
merit, a majority is mediocre at best and he has no right to write
unconstructively about anyone’s fiction.
Question #4: Post-Exorcist (speaking
in terms of the novel), what effect, if any, do you believe it has had upon
horror fiction, or “theological thrillers,” as Mark Kermode calls them, in
general?
Szumskyj: It has had a great deal of
influence, but whether it has been positive or negative is debatable.
Certainly, there has been no “theological thriller”, cinematic or literary,
that has matched (let alone surpassed) The Exorcist in my opinion.
There has been a tremendous amount of hackwork created in the wake of the
novel, most of which were authored for the sole purpose of cashing in on
The Exorcist’s popularity, but very few deserve to be recognized,
studied or compared. Now, don’t get me wrong here, there are many
contemporary supernatural horror novels that are equal in terms of quality
(such as Thomas Tyron’s Harvest Home, Fritz Leiber’s Our Lady of
Darkness and Arturo Pérez-Reverte’s The Club Dumas), but
in regards to “theological thrillers,” as Mark Kermode defines them, I
struggle to cite one. However, in stating that, it is a subgenre ripe and is
eagerly awaiting an author capable of harvesting a fine novel or two from
it.
Question #5: Given the subject-matter of
Blatty’s post-comedic work, what are your personal views regarding religion,
Christianity and Catholicism?
Szumskyj: I am a devout Christian who
lives his faith daily and believes that all ‘scripture is inspired by God’
(2 Timothy 3:16) and currently live my life in accordance with the Bible.
Rather than just being a Christian who wears his faith like a pair of
clothes, my faith is my very being. Christianity consciously and
indirectly affects every aspect of my life and I am not ashamed to share the
love of God to all those around me. If you call yourself a Christian, I feel
you should live up to the mighty name you live by.
I find religions fascinating and have studied
most of them, both before and during my time as a Christian. The “what, why,
who, where and when” of religion is a spiritual odyssey which I have found
both entertaining and interesting. In my religious studies, I found
Christianity not only the one with a wealth of evidence (from textual and
oral to archaeological and scientific), but the religion that answered most
of life’s biggest questions. I feel that many people have extremely
negative, often unfair and biased perceptions of Christianity, based on
limited reading and unlimited media exposure. One can not be critical if
they have not researched the subject matter, otherwise they are a hypocrite.
In becoming a Christian, I opened not only my heart, but my mind and
learnt the mistruths and dangers of non-Christian ideologies.
While I know several Catholics and respect
some aspects of Catholicism, I have concerns regarding the denomination and
believe it best to reserve my thoughts. After all, Jesus taught us to
neither judge or condemn (Luke 6:37).
Question #6: Which element of Blatty’s work,
be it textual or cinematic, do you feel is the most important from a
spiritual standpoint?
Szumskyj:
The rationale of his discourses on God. Blatty is not an
author who simply writes “There is a God” and expects you to just accept it.
Although he is writing fiction, it is
in accordance with his philosophical predispositions and metaphysical,
ethical, and aesthetic theories. I so happen to believe that his theories
are truths and if I were not a Christian, his works would certainly have me
considering the existence of God. Blatty, through personal experience and
exhaustive research, has created effective ministry tool beneath the veil of
entertainment. His conclusions about God are just as convincing as those
against the existence of God. In the past, I have corresponded with
agnostics who have applauded
The Ninth Configuration
and its approach to “proving” the existence of God. It is
lucky for us, that Blatty is a fine author who can write in a style that
subtly espouses a worldview worth exploring.
Question #7: How do you feel about the
prospect of (which now seems inevitable) an Exorcist remake?
Szumskyj: I have mixed feelings. I see The Exorcist
movie as a cinematic masterpiece, in which
William Friedkin
perfected the art of movie making. In reading the fascinating introduction
to the 1997 Gauntlet Publications edition of the novel, Blatty gives us an
insight into alternative versions of the story. If Blatty directed the
remake himself, then perhaps, I would be supportive. But in all honesty, I
hope it doesn’t happen and would rather see Elsewhere adapted for
cinematic release or the directors cut of Exorcist III: Legion.
Question #8: Over the years, Blatty has
experimented with the likes of Electronic Voice Phenomenon (EVP) and other
paranormal activities, citing the works of Konstantin Raudive and other
notable individuals. In some cases, he has claimed to experience things that
he still has no logical explanation for (including a bizarre event
pertaining to his deceased mother, talked about in his autobiography,
I’ll Tell Them I Remember You). Do you believe in the possibility of
such phenomena?
Szumskyj: I believe in all biblical
phenomena, from healing, resurrection and prophecy, to angelic visitations,
demonic possessions and exorcism, but do not believe in EVP or related
supernatural activities. If such activities exist, I do not believe they are
empowered by God as there is no biblical evidence to support them and they
do not appear to be glorifying God (1 Corinthians 10:31). Other Christians
are free to disagree, but that is my opinion.
Question #9: Can you tell us a little about the books you read
that influenced your own work?
Szumskyj: It would be somewhat
difficult to cite books that influenced my work as an editor and critic, but
perhaps unconsciously, it was the non-fiction of S. T. Joshi and to a lesser
degree Bruce Byfield (in particular his book Witches of the Mind: A
Critical Study of Fritz Leiber). I consider both these men fine examples
of critics, especially S. T. Joshi. He has done so much for H. P. Lovecraft
and other authors in the weird tale genre, I dread to think how the
community would have developed in his absence.
I don’t feel comfortable yet in
declaring myself an author, based off the few short stories I have
published. Even if I had a short story collection, I doubt I would be able
to cite a single author as influencing my fiction.
Question #10: On a final note, what are your
overall thoughts regarding Blatty’s work, and what would you like
prospective readers to take away from this anthology?
Szumskyj: The Exorcist is an
American classic and William Peter Blatty is one of the finest authors of
horror ever to have existed. It is my hope that the anthology is received
well amongst academics and used as a tool to study the novel within
Universities worldwide. Equally important is that readers will acknowledged
the literary genius of Blatty and the depth of his novels. It would
certainly be among my most cherished projects and would be the only project
that I would consider editing a sequel for.
Ben, thank you once again for partaking in
this interview!
Szumskyj: The pleasure is all mine!
* * * *
*
BENJAMIN SZUMSKYJ is a qualified high school
teacher (Bachelor of Arts in Education / Bachelor of Arts in Social
Sciences, minor in English) and currently teaches at a private Christian
high school. He has also achieved a graduate diploma in Christian Studies
from Tabor Bible College, Perth and a Diploma in Library and Information
Studies from Perth Central TAFE. Editor-in-chief of Studies in Fantasy
Literature and Studies in Australian Weird Fiction, he has also
written dozens of essays and articles on literary criticism for several
magazines and journals such as Notes in Contemporary Literature,
Wormwood: Writings about Fantasy,
Supernatural and Decadent Literature and
Star*Line: Journal of the Science Fiction
Poetry Association as well as editing books on critical studies
such as Two-Gun Bob: A Centennial Study of Robert E. Howard (2006),
Fritz Leiber: Critical Essays (2008), Dissecting Hannibal Lecter:
Essays on the Novels of Thomas Harris (2008) and American Exorcist:
Critical Essays on William Peter Blatty (2008). |
