Thomas Michael Keneally, AO (born 7 October 1935) is an Australian

novelist A novelist is an author or writer of novels, though often novelists also write in other genres of both fiction and non-fiction. Some novelists are professional novelists, thus make a living writing novels and other fiction, while others aspire to ...

playwright A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes plays. Etymology The word "play" is from Middle English pleye, from Old English plæġ, pleġa, plæġa ("play, exercise; sport, game; drama, applause"). The word "wright" is an archaic English ...

, essayist, and

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...

. He is best known for his

non-fiction novel The non-fiction novel is a literary genre which, broadly speaking, depicts real historical figures and actual events woven together with fictitious conversations and uses the storytelling techniques of fiction. The non-fiction novel is an otherwi ...

Schindler's Ark ''Schindler's Ark'' is a historical novel published in 1982 by the Australian novelist Thomas Keneally. The United States edition of the book was titled ''Schindler's List;'' it was later reissued in Commonwealth countries under that name as we ...

'', the story of

Oskar Schindler Oskar Schindler (; 28 April 1908 – 9 October 1974) was a German industrialist, humanitarian and a member of the Nazi Party who is credited with saving the lives of 1,200 Jews during the Holocaust by employing them in his enamelware and amm ...

's rescue of Jews during

the Holocaust The Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europe; a ...

, which won the

Booker Prize The Booker Prize, formerly known as the Booker Prize for Fiction (1969–2001) and the Man Booker Prize (2002–2019), is a Literary award, literary prize awarded each year for the best novel written in English and published in the United King ...

in 1982. The book would later be adapted into

Steven Spielberg Steven Allan Spielberg (; born December 18, 1946) is an American director, writer, and producer. A major figure of the New Hollywood era and pioneer of the modern blockbuster, he is the most commercially successful director of all time. Spie ...

's 1993 film '' Schindler's List'', which won the

Academy Award for Best Picture The Academy Award for Best Picture is one of the Academy Awards presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) since the awards debuted in 1929. This award goes to the producers of the film and is the only category ...

Early life

Both Keneally's parents (Edmund Thomas Keneally and Elsie Margaret Coyle) were born to Irish fathers in the timber and dairy town of

Kempsey, New South Wales Kempsey is a town in the Mid North Coast region of New South Wales, Australia and is the council seat for Kempsey Shire. It is located roughly 16.5 kilometres inland from the coast of the Pacific Ocean, on the Macleay Valley Way near where the P ...

, and, though born in

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

, his early years were also spent in Kempsey. His father, Edmund Thomas Keneally, flew for the

Royal Australian Air Force "Through Adversity to the Stars" , colours = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = RAAF Anniversary Commemoration ...

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, then returned to work in a small business in Sydney. By 1942, the family had moved to 7 Loftus Crescent,

Homebush Homebush is a suburb in the Inner West of Sydney in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is located 12 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district, in the Local government in Australia, local government area of the Municipali ...

, a suburb in the

inner west The Inner West of Sydney is an area directly west of the Sydney central business district, New South Wales, Australia. The suburbs that make up the Inner West are predominantly located along the southern shore of Port Jackson (Parramatta River) ...

of Sydney and Keneally was enrolled at Christian Brothers St Patrick's College, Strathfield. Shortly after, his brother John was born. Keneally studied Honours English for his

Leaving Certificate A secondary school leaving qualification is a document signifying that the holder has fulfilled any secondary education requirements of their locality, often including the passage of a final qualification examination. For each leaving certifica ...

in 1952, under Brother James Athanasius McGlade, and won a Commonwealth scholarship. Keneally then entered

St Patrick's Seminary St Patrick's Seminary, Manly is a heritage-listed former residence of the Archbishop of Sydney and Roman Catholic Church seminary at 151 Darley Road, Manly, Northern Beaches Council, New South Wales, Australia. The property was also known as ...

, Manly, to train as a

Catholic priest The priesthood is the office of the ministers of religion, who have been commissioned ("ordained") with the Holy orders of the Catholic Church. Technically, bishops are a priestly order as well; however, in layman's terms ''priest'' refers only ...

. Although he was ordained as a deacon while at the seminary, after six years there he left in a state of depression and without being ordained to the priesthood. He worked as a Sydney schoolteacher before his success as a novelist and was a lecturer at the University of New England (1968–70). Keneally was known as "Mick" until 1964 but began using the name Thomas when he started publishing, after advice from his publisher to use his real first name.

Career

Keneally's first story was published in ''

The Bulletin Bulletin or The Bulletin may refer to: Periodicals (newspapers, magazines, journals) * Bulletin (online newspaper), a Swedish online newspaper * ''The Bulletin'' (Australian periodical), an Australian magazine (1880–2008) ** Bulletin Debate, ...

'' magazine in 1962 under the pseudonym Bernard Coyle. By February 2014, he had written over 50 books, including 30 novels. He is particularly famed for his ''

'' (1982) (later republished as ''Schindler's List''), the first novel by an Australian to win the Booker Prize and is the basis of the film '' Schindler's List''. He had already been shortlisted for the Booker three times prior to that: 1972 for ''The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith'', 1975 for ''Gossip from the Forest'', and 1979 for ''Confederates''. Many of his novels are reworkings of historical material, although modern in their psychology and style. Premièred at London's Royal Court Theatre, the play ''Our Country's Good'' by Timberlake Wertenbaker is based on Keneally's book ''

The Playmaker ''The Playmaker'' is a novel based in Australia written by the Australian author Thomas Keneally. In 1789 in Sydney Cove, the remotest penal colony of the British Empire, a group of convicts and one of their captors unite to stage a play. Gover ...

''. In it, convicts deported from Britain to the Empire's penal colony of Australia perform George Farquhar's Restoration comedy ''The Recruiting Officer'' set in the English town of Shrewsbury. Artistic Director Max Stafford-Clark wrote about his experiences of staging the plays in repertoire in his book ''Letters to George''. Keneally has also acted in a handful of films. He had a small role in Fred Schepisi's '' The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith'' (1978) (based on his own novel) and played Father Marshall in the award-winning film '' The Devil's Playground'' (1976), also by Schepisi. Keneally was a member of the Literature Board of the

Australia Council The Australia Council for the Arts, commonly known as the Australia Council, is the country's official arts council, serving as an arts funding and advisory body for the Government of Australia. The council was announced in 1967 as the Austra ...

from 1985 to 1988 and President of the National Book Council from 1985 to 1989. Keneally was a visiting professor at the

University of California, Irvine The University of California, Irvine (UCI or UC Irvine) is a public land-grant research university in Irvine, California. One of the ten campuses of the University of California system, UCI offers 87 undergraduate degrees and 129 graduate and pr ...

(UCI) where he taught the graduate fiction workshop for one quarter in 1985. From 1991 to 1995, he was a visiting professor in the writing program at UCI. In 2006, Peter Pierce, Professor of Australian Literature, James Cook University, wrote: The Tom Keneally Centre opened in August 2011 at the

Sydney Mechanics' School of Arts The Sydney Mechanics' School of Arts (SMSA) is the longest running School of Arts (also known as a " Mechanics' Institute") and the oldest continuous lending library in Australia. Founded in 1833, the school counted many of the colony's educat ...

, housing Keneally's books and memorabilia. The site is used for book launches, readings and writing classes. Keneally is an ambassador of the Asylum Seekers Centre, a

not-for-profit A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

that provides personal and practical support to people seeking

asylum in Australia Asylum in Australia has been granted to many refugees since 1945, when half a million Europeans displaced by World War II were given asylum. Since then, there have been periodic waves of asylum seekers from South East Asia and the Middle East, ...

Personal life

Keneally married Judy Martin, then a nurse, in 1965, and they had two daughters, Margaret and Janet. Keneally was the founding chairman (1991–93) of the Australian Republic Movement and published a book on the subject ''Our Republic'' in 1993. Several of his Republican essays appear on the website of the movement. He is also a keen supporter of

rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 112 ...

football, in particular the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles club of the

NRL The National Rugby League (NRL) is an Australasian rugby league club competition which contains clubs from New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, the Australian Capital Territory and New Zealand. The NRL formed in 1998 as a joint partnership ...

. In 2004, he gave the sixth annual

Tom Brock Lecture The Tom Brock Lecture is an annual scholarly lecture organised by the Australian Society for Sports History at the bequest of Australian sports historian Tom Brock. The topic of the lecture is the history of rugby league football. It has been give ...

. He made an appearance in the 2007 rugby league drama film ''

The Final Winter ''The Final Winter'' is an Australian drama film released in 2007. It was directed by Brian Andrews and Jane Forrest and produced by Anthony Coffee, and Michelle Russell, while independently produced it is being distributed by Paramount Pictur ...

''. In March 2009, the

Prime Minister of Australia The prime minister of Australia is the head of government of the Commonwealth of Australia. The prime minister heads the executive branch of the Australian Government, federal government of Australia and is also accountable to Parliament of A ...

, Kevin Rudd, gave an autographed copy of Keneally's biography ''Lincoln'' to President

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...

as a state gift. Keneally's nephew

Ben Ben is frequently used as a shortened version of the given names Benjamin, Benedict, Bennett or Benson, and is also a given name in its own right. Ben (in he, בֶּן, ''son of'') forms part of Hebrew surnames, e.g. Abraham ben Abraham ( he, � ...

is married to the former senior

Australian Labor Party The Australian Labor Party (ALP), also simply known as Labor, is the major centre-left political party in Australia, one of two major parties in Australian politics, along with the centre-right Liberal Party of Australia. The party forms the f ...

Senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

Kristina Keneally Kristina Marie Kerscher Keneally (born 19 December 1968) is an American-born Australian politician who was a Labor Senator for New South Wales from February 2018 until April 2022, when she resigned to unsuccessfully contest the House of Represe ...

. She is also a former

Premier of New South Wales The premier of New South Wales is the head of government in the state of New South Wales, Australia. The Government of New South Wales follows the Westminster Parliamentary System, with a Parliament of New South Wales acting as the legislature. ...

and Sky News Australia newscaster.

''Schindler's Ark''

Keneally wrote the

-winning novel in 1982, inspired by the efforts of Poldek Pfefferberg, a Holocaust survivor. In 1980, Keneally met Pfefferberg in the latter's shop, and learning that he was a novelist, Pfefferberg showed him his extensive files on

, including the original list itself. Keneally was interested, and Pfefferberg became an advisor for the book, accompanying Keneally to Poland where they visited Kraków and the sites associated with the Schindler story. Keneally dedicated ''Schindler's Ark'' to Pfefferberg: "who by zeal and persistence caused this book to be written." He said in an interview in 2007 that what attracted him to Oskar Schindler was that "it was the fact that you couldn't say where opportunism ended and altruism began. And I like the subversive fact that the spirit breatheth where it will. That is, that good will emerge from the most unlikely places". The book was later made into the movie '' Schindler's List'' (1993) directed by

, earning his first Best Director Oscar. Keneally's meeting with Pfefferberg and their research tours are detailed in ''Searching for Schindler: A Memoir'' (2007). Some of the Pfefferberg documents that inspired Keneally are now housed in the

State Library of New South Wales The State Library of New South Wales, part of which is known as the Mitchell Library, is a large heritage-listed special collections, reference and research library open to the public and is one of the oldest libraries in Australia. Establish ...

in Sydney. In 1996 the State Library purchased this material from a private collector.

Honours

In 1983, he was made an Officer of the

Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of the Australian Gove ...

(AO). He is an Australian Living Treasure. Keneally has stated that he was once offered the title of

Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

, and that he refused it. "I said I pitied any empire of which I was a commander". Keneally has been awarded honorary doctorates including one from the National University of Ireland.

Bibliography

Novels

* * '' The Fear'' (1965), rewritten in (1989) as ''By the Line'' * ''

Bring Larks and Heroes ''Bring Larks and Heroes'' is a 1967 novel by Australian author Thomas Keneally which won the Miles Franklin Award in 1967. Plot summary The novel is set in an unidentified Penal colony in the South Pacific, which bears a superficial resembla ...

'' (1967), winner of the

Miles Franklin Award The Miles Franklin Literary Award is an annual literary prize awarded to "a novel which is of the highest literary merit and presents Australian life in any of its phases". The award was set up according to the will of Miles Franklin (1879–195 ...

, set in an unidentified British penal colony * ''

Three Cheers for the Paraclete ''Three Cheers for the Paraclete'' (1968) is a novel by the Australian author Thomas Keneally. It won the Miles Franklin Award in 1968. Story outline After studying overseas for some years a young priest, James Maitland, returns to Australia to ...

'' (1968), winner of the

, comic novel of a doubting priest * '' The Survivor'' (1969), a survivor looks back on a disastrous

Antarctic The Antarctic ( or , American English also or ; commonly ) is a polar region around Earth's South Pole, opposite the Arctic region around the North Pole. The Antarctic comprises the continent of Antarctica, the Kerguelen Plateau and other ...

expedition * ''

A Dutiful Daughter ''A Dutiful Daughter'' (1971) is a novel by Australian writer Thomas Keneally. Story outline The novel tells the bizarre story of the Glover family, living on the edges of a swamp somewhere in northern Australia. Daughter Barbara is the main ...

'' (1971), Keneally's personal favourite * '' The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith'' (1972), also filmed. Written through the eyes of an exploited Aboriginal man who explodes in rage. Based on an actual incident. Keneally has said he would not now presume to write in the voice of an Aboriginal person, but would have written the story as seen by a white character. * '' Blood Red, Sister Rose'' (1974), a novel based loosely on the life of

Joan of Arc Joan of Arc (french: link=yes, Jeanne d'Arc, translit= �an daʁk} ; 1412 – 30 May 1431) is a patron saint of France, honored as a defender of the French nation for her role in the siege of Orléans and her insistence on the coronati ...

* ''

Moses the Lawgiver ''Moses the Lawgiver'' is a 6-hour Italian/British television miniseries filmed in 1973/74 and starring Burt Lancaster as Moses. It was an ITC/RAI co-production filmed in Rome and on location in Israel and Morocco. Many of the writers, cast ...

'' (1975) * ''

Gossip from the Forest ''Gossip from the Forest'' is a novel by the Australian author Thomas Keneally which deals with the negotiations surrounding the ending of World War I. Subject matter "In ''Gossip from the Forest'', Keneally offered a concentrated fictional pre ...

'' (1975), tells of the negotiation of the armistice that ended

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

* ''

Season in Purgatory ''Season in Purgatory'' (1976) is a novel by Australian author Thomas Keneally Thomas Michael Keneally, AO (born 7 October 1935) is an Australian novelist, playwright, essayist, and actor. He is best known for his non-fiction novel ''Schi ...

'' (1976), love among

Tito Tito may refer to: People Mononyms * Josip Broz Tito (1892–1980), commonly known mononymously as Tito, Yugoslav communist revolutionary and statesman * Roberto Arias (1918–1989), aka Tito, Panamanian international lawyer, diplomat, and journ ...

's partisans in

* ''Ned Kelly and the City of the Bees'' (1978), a book for

children A child ( : children) is a human being between the stages of birth and puberty, or between the developmental period of infancy and puberty. The legal definition of ''child'' generally refers to a minor, otherwise known as a person younger ...

* ''A Victim of the Aurora'' (1978), a detective story set on an

expedition * ''Passenger'' (1979) * '' Confederates'' (1979), based on

Stonewall Jackson Thomas Jonathan "Stonewall" Jackson (January 21, 1824 – May 10, 1863) was a Confederate general during the American Civil War, considered one of the best-known Confederate commanders, after Robert E. Lee. He played a prominent role in nearl ...

's army * ''The Cut-Rate Kingdom'' (1980), Australia at war in 1942 * ''

'' (1982), winner of the

, later released and filmed as '' Schindler's List'' * ''A Family Madness'' (1985) * ''

'' (1987), prisoners perform a play in Australia in the 18th Century * ''Act of Grace'' (1985), (under the pseudonym William Coyle) Published as Firestorm in the US * ''By the Line'' (1989), working-class families face

in Sydney * ''Towards Asmara'' (1989), the conflict in

Eritrea Eritrea ( ; ti, ኤርትራ, Ertra, ; ar, إرتريا, ʾIritriyā), officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in the Horn of Africa region of Eastern Africa, with its capital and largest city at Asmara. It is bordered by Ethiopia ...

* ''Flying Hero Class'' (1991),

Palestinians Palestinians ( ar, الفلسطينيون, ; he, פָלַסְטִינִים, ) or Palestinian people ( ar, الشعب الفلسطيني, label=none, ), also referred to as Palestinian Arabs ( ar, الفلسطينيين العرب, label=non ...

hijack an aeroplane carrying an Aboriginal folk dance troupe * ''Chief of Staff'' (1991), (under the pseudonym William Coyle) * ''Woman of the Inner Sea'' (1993), Keneally retells a story once told him by a young woman that haunted his imagination * ''Jacko: The Great Intruder'' (1993), madness and television * ''A River Town'' (1995) * ''Bettany's Book'' (2000) * '' An Angel in Australia'' (2000), also published as ''Office of Innocence'' * ''

The Tyrant's Novel ''The Tyrant's Novel'' is a 2003 novel by Australian novelist Tom Keneally. Plot summary An unnamed country's tyrannical ruler, Great Uncle, commands author Alan Sheriff to ghost-write a novel that will have the literary circles of the wester ...

'' (2003), an Australian immigration detainee tells his story * ''

The Widow and Her Hero ''The Widow and Her Hero'' is a novel by the Australian author Thomas Keneally set in Australia during World War II. Notes * Dedication: "To the Coverdales - Alex, Rory, Craig, Margaret. With the Author's love." Awards and nominations * Miles ...

'' (2007), the effect of war on those left behind * ''

The People's Train ''The People's Train'' is a 2009 novel by Australian novelist Tom Keneally. Plot summary The novel is a fictionalised account of the Australian life of Fyodor Sergeyev, given in the book as Artem Samsurov, a Russian émigré to Australia who w ...

'' (2009), a dissident escapes from Russia to Australia in 1911, only to return to fight in the revolution * ''

The Daughters of Mars ''The Daughters of Mars'' is a 2012 novel by Australian novelist Tom Keneally. Plot summary Sally and Naomi Durance are two nurses from country New South Wales who are shipped to Egypt during World War I end up on the Red Cross hospital ship ' ...

'' (2012), two Australian sisters struggle to nurse soldiers horrifically wounded in World War I * ''Shame and the Captives'' (2014), , recounts the escape of Japanese prisoners of war in New South Wales during WWII * ''Napoleon's Last Island'' (2015) * ''Crimes of the Father'' (2016) * ''Two Old Men Dying'' (2018) * ''The Book of Science and Antiquities'' (2019) * ''The Dickens Boy'' (2020) ;The Monsarrat series, co-authored with Meg Keneally * ''The Soldier’s Curse'' (2016) * ''The Unmourned'' (2017) * ''The Power Game'' (2018) * ''The Ink Stain'' (2019)

Non-fiction

* ''Outback'' (1983) * ''Australia: Beyond the Dreamtime'' (1987) * ''The Place Where Souls are Born: A Journey to the Southwest'' (1992) * ''Now and in Time to Be: Ireland and the Irish'' (1992) * ''Memoirs from a Young Republic'' (1993) * ''The Utility Player: The Des Hasler Story'' (1993) Rugby league footballer Des Hasler * ''Our Republic'' (1995) * ''Homebush Boy: A Memoir'' (1995), autobiography * ''The Great Shame'' (1998) * * ''American Scoundrel: The Life of the Notorious Civil War General Dan Sickles'' (2002), biography of

Daniel Sickles Daniel Edgar Sickles (October 20, 1819May 3, 1914) was an American politician, soldier, and diplomat. Born to a wealthy family in New York City, Sickles was involved in a number of scandals, most notably the 1859 homicide of his wife's lover, U. ...

* ''Lincoln'' (2003), biography of

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...

* '' The Commonwealth of Thieves: The Story of the Founding of Australia'' (2005) * ''Searching for Schindler: A Memoir'' (2007) * ''Australians: Origins to Eureka'' (2009) * ''Three Famines: Starvation and Politics'' (2011) * ''Australians: Eureka to the Diggers'' (2011) * ''Australians: Flappers to Vietnam'' (2014) * ''Australians: A Short History'' (2016) * ''A Bloody Good Rant: My Passions, Memories and Demons'' (2022)

Plays

* ''Halloran's Little Boat'' (1968) * ''Childermas'' (1968) * ''An Awful Rose'' (1972) * ''Bullie's House'' (1981) * ''Either Or'' (2007)

Screenplays

* ''The Survivor'' (1972) * ''Silver City'' (1984) * ''

The Fremantle Conspiracy ''The Fremantle Conspiracy'' is a 1992 Australian mini series based on the 1876 escape by some Fenians from Fremantle Gaol.Ed. Scott Murray, ''Australia on the Small Screen 1970-1995'', Oxford Uni Press, 1996 p198 Cast * Nikki Coghill - Hanna * ...

'' (1988)

Notes

References

Australian Biography website, including video interviews (and transcripts)

External links