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 asp ...

, playwright,

essayist An essay is, generally, a piece of writing that gives the author's own argument, but the definition is vague, overlapping with those of a letter, a paper, an article, a pamphlet, and a short story. Essays have been sub-classified as formal ...

, 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 otherw ...

'' Schindler's Ark'', 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 ...

'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; ...

, which won the Booker Prize in 1982. The book would later be adapted into Steven Spielberg's 1993 film ''

Schindler's List ''Schindler's List'' is a 1993 American epic historical drama film directed and produced by Steven Spielberg and written by Steven Zaillian. It is based on the 1982 novel ''Schindler's Ark'' by Australian novelist Thomas Keneally. The film f ...

'', which won the Academy Award for Best Picture.

Early life

Both Keneally's parents (Edmund Thomas Keneally and Elsie Margaret Coyle) were born to

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

fathers in the timber and dairy town of Kempsey, New South Wales, and, though born in Sydney, 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 opposing ...

, 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 area of the Municipality of Strathfield. The name of ...

, a suburb in the inner west of Sydney and Keneally was enrolled at Christian Brothers St Patrick's College,

Strathfield Strathfield 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 and is the administrative centre of the Municipality of Strathfield. A smal ...

. Shortly after, his brother John was born. Keneally studied Honours English for his Leaving Certificate in 1952, under Brother James Athanasius McGlade, and won a Commonwealth scholarship. Keneally then entered St Patrick's Seminary, 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'' 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 '' Schindler's Ark'' (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 ''

''. 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 Royal Court Theatre, at different times known as the Court Theatre, the New Chelsea Theatre, and the Belgravia Theatre, is a non-commercial West End theatre in Sloane Square, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London, England ...

, the play ''Our Country's Good'' by

Timberlake Wertenbaker Timberlake Wertenbaker is a British-based playwright, screenplay writer, and translator who has written plays for the Royal Court, the Royal Shakespeare Company and others. She has been described in ''The Washington Post'' as "the doyenne of po ...

is based on Keneally's book '' The Playmaker''. 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 Maxwell Robert Guthrie Stewart "Max" Stafford-Clark (born 17 March 1941) is a British theatre director. Life and career Stafford-Clark was born in Cambridge, England. the son of David Stafford-Clark, a physician, and Dorothy Crossley (née Old ...

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 Frederic Alan Schepisi ( ; Kael, Pauline (1984). '' Taking It All In''. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston. p. 55. born 26 December 1939) is an Australian film director, producer and screenwriter. His credits include '' The Chant of Jimmie ...

's ''

The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith ''The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith'' is a 1972 Booker Prize-nominated Australian novel by Thomas Keneally, and a 1978 Australian film of the same name directed by Fred Schepisi. The novel is based on the life of bushranger Jimmy Governor, the su ...

'' (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 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 p ...

(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, 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 that provides personal and practical support to people seeking asylum in Australia.

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 The Australian Republic Movement (ARM) is a non-party-partisan organisation campaigning for Australia to become a republic. ARM and its supporters have promoted various models of a republic including parliamentary republic and it is, again, revi ...

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 11 ...

football, in particular the

Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles The Manly Warringah Sea Eagles are an Australian professional rugby league club based in Sydney's Northern Beaches. The team colours are maroon and white, while their namesake and logo is the sea eagle. They compete in Australia's premier rugb ...

club of the NRL. In 2004, he gave the sixth annual Tom Brock Lecture. He made an appearance in the 2007 rugby league drama film '' The Final Winter''. In March 2009, the Prime Minister of Australia,

Kevin Rudd Kevin Michael Rudd (born 21 September 1957) is an Australian former politician and diplomat who served as the 26th prime minister of Australia from 2007 to 2010 and again from June 2013 to September 2013, holding office as the leader of the ...

, 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 ...

as a state gift. Keneally's nephew Ben 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 t ...

Senator, Kristina Keneally. 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 legislatu ...

and

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newscaster.

''Schindler's Ark''

Keneally wrote the Booker Prize-winning novel in 1982, inspired by the efforts of

Poldek Pfefferberg Leopold "Poldek" Pfefferberg (March 20, 1913 – March 9, 2001), also known as Leopold Page,Holocaust survivor Holocaust survivors are people who survived the Holocaust, defined as the persecution and attempted annihilation of the Jews by Nazi Germany and its allies before and during World War II in Europe and North Africa. There is no universally accep ...

. 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 ''

'' (1993) directed by Steven Spielberg, earning his first Best Director

Oscar Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to: People * Oscar (given name), an Irish- and English-language name also used in other languages; the article includes the names Oskar, Oskari, Oszkár, Óscar, and other forms. * Oscar (Irish mythology) ...

. 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 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 Gov ...

(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 ...

, 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'' (1967), winner of the Miles Franklin Award, set in an unidentified British

penal colony A penal colony or exile colony is a settlement used to exile prisoners and separate them from the general population by placing them in a remote location, often an island or distant colonial territory. Although the term can be used to refer to ...

* '' Three Cheers for the Paraclete'' (1968), winner of the Miles Franklin Award, comic novel of a doubting priest * '' The Survivor'' (1969), a survivor looks back on a disastrous Antarctic expedition * '' A Dutiful Daughter'' (1971), Keneally's personal favourite * ''

'' (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 coronat ...

* '' Moses the Lawgiver'' (1975) * '' Gossip from the Forest'' (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'' (1976), love among Tito's partisans in

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

detective story Detective fiction is a subgenre of crime fiction and mystery fiction in which an investigator or a detective—whether professional, amateur or retired—investigates a crime, often murder. The detective genre began around the same time as specu ...

set on an Antarctic expedition * ''Passenger'' (1979) * '' Confederates'' (1979), based on Stonewall Jackson's army * ''The Cut-Rate Kingdom'' (1980), Australia at war in 1942 * '' Schindler's Ark'' (1982), winner of the Booker Prize, later released and filmed as ''

'' * ''A Family Madness'' (1985) * '' The Playmaker'' (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 * ''Flying Hero Class'' (1991), Palestinians 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'' (2003), an Australian immigration detainee tells his story * '' The Widow and Her Hero'' (2007), the effect of war on those left behind * '' The People's Train'' (2009), a dissident escapes from Russia to Australia in 1911, only to return to fight in the revolution * '' The Daughters of Mars'' (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 Desmond John Hasler (born 16 February 1961) is an Australian professional rugby league coach, and a former professional rugby league footballer who played as and . He initially played for the Penrith Panthers, and then spent most of his playi ...

* ''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 * ''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'' (1988)

Notes

References

Australian Biography website, including video interviews (and transcripts)

External links