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 wage, living writing novels and other fiction, while other ...

playwright A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes play (theatre), plays, which are a form of drama that primarily consists of dialogue between Character (arts), characters and is intended for Theatre, theatrical performance rather than just Readin ...

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 (message), letter, a term paper, paper, an article (publishing), article, a pamphlet, and a s ...

, and

actor An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...

. He is best known for his historical fiction novel ''

Schindler's Ark ''Schindler's Ark'' is a historical fiction published in 1982 by the Australian novelist Thomas Keneally. It is based on the fictionalized story of the historical figure, Oskar Schindler. The United States edition of the book was titled ''Schin ...

'', the story of

Oskar Schindler Oskar Schindler (; 28 April 1908 – 9 October 1974) was a German industrialist, humanitarian, and 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 (), known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as the (), was the genocide of History of the Jews in Europe, European Jews during World War II. From 1941 to 1945, Nazi Germany and Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy ...

, which won the

Booker Prize The Booker Prize, formerly the Booker Prize for Fiction (1969–2001) and the Man Booker Prize (2002–2019), is a prestigious literary award conferred each year for the best single work of sustained fiction written in the English language, wh ...

in 1982. The book would later be adapted into

Steven Spielberg Steven Allan Spielberg ( ; born December 18, 1946) is an American filmmaker. A major figure of the New Hollywood era and pioneer of the modern blockbuster, Spielberg is widely regarded as one of the greatest film directors of all time and is ...

'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 historical novel '' Schindler's Ark'' (1982) by Thomas Keneally. The film follows ...

'', which won seven

Academy Awards The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence in ...

, including Best Picture.

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 States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

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

Royal Australian Air Force The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) is the principal Air force, aerial warfare force of Australia, a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Australian Army. Constitutionally the Governor-Gener ...

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, 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 o ...

, a suburb in the Inner West 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 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 register, heritage-listed former clergy house, residence of the Archbishop of Sydney and Roman Catholic Church in Australia, Roman Catholic Church seminary at 151 Darley Road, Manly, New South Wales, ...

, 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 common English usage ''priest'' refe ...

. Although he was ordained as a deacon while at the seminary, after six years there he left in a state of depression and without ordination in 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 ''

'' (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 West End theatre#London's non-commercial theatres, non-commercial theatre in Sloane Square, London, England, opene ...

, 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 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 ( ;Pauline Kael, 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 Cha ...

'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 ...

'' (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 Creative Australia, formerly known as the Australia Council for the Arts and 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 announ ...

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 university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Irvine, California, United States. One of the ten campuses of the University of California system, U ...

(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 not-for-profit or non-for-profit organization (NFPO) is a Legal Entity, legal entity that does not distribute surplus funds to its members and is formed to fulfill specific objectives. While not-for-profit organizations and Nonprofit organ ...

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 Margaret is a feminine given name, which means "pearl". It is of Latin origin, via Ancient Greek and ultimately from Iranian languages, Old Iranian. It has been an English language, English name since the 11th century, and remained popular thro ...

and Jane. 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 rugby league in English-speaking countries and rugby 13/XIII in non-Anglophone Europe, is a contact sport, full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular Rugby league playin ...

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. They compete in the National Rugby League (NRL). The Manly club debuted in the 1947 New South Wales Rugby Football League sea ...

club of the

NRL The National Rugby League (also known as the NRL Telstra Premiership for sponsorship reasons) is a professional rugby league competition in Oceania which contains clubs from New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria (state), Victoria, the Austral ...

. 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 (historian), Tom Brock. The topic of the lecture is the history of rugby league fo ...

. He made an appearance in the 2007 rugby league drama film '' The Final Winter''. 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 is the chair of the Cabinet of Australia and thus the head of the Australian Government, federal executive government. Under the pr ...

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

, 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 was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...

as a state gift. Keneally's nephew

Ben Ben is frequently used as a shortened version of the given names Benjamin, Benedict, Bennett, Benson or Ebenezer, and is also a given name in its own right. Ben meaning "son of" is also found in Arabic as ''Ben'' (dialectal Arabic) or ''bin ...

is married to the former senior

Australian Labor Party The Australian Labor Party (ALP), also known as the Labor Party or simply Labor, is the major Centre-left politics, centre-left List of political parties in Australia, political party in Australia and one of two Major party, major parties in Po ...

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

, 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 system, Westminster Parliamentary System, with a Parliament of New South Wales actin ...

and

Sky News Australia Sky News Australia is an Australian news channel owned by News Corp Australia. Originally launched on 19 February 1996, it broadcasts rolling news coverage throughout the day, while its prime time lineup is dedicated to opinion-based programs fe ...

newscaster.

''Schindler's Ark''

Keneally wrote the

-winning novel in 1982, inspired by the efforts of Poldek Pfefferberg, a

Holocaust survivor Holocaust survivors are people who survived the Holocaust, defined as the persecution and attempted annihilation of the Jews by Nazi Germany and Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy, its collaborators before and during World War II ...

. 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

, earning his first Best Director

Oscar Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to: People and fictional and mythical characters * Oscar (given name), including lists of people and fictional characters named Oscar, Óscar or Oskar * Oscar (footballer, born 1954), Brazilian footballer ...

. 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. Establis ...

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 Australian honours and awards system, Australian honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Monarch ...

(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 valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

, and that he refused it. "I said I pitied any empire of which I was a commander". In 2010 the Australian postal service issued a stamp in his honour. Keneally has been awarded honorary doctorates including one from the National University of Ireland.

Bibliography

Novels

* '' The Place at Whitton'' (1964) * '' The Fear'' (1965) Rewritten in 1989 as ''By the Line'' * '' Bring Larks and Heroes'' (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 (law), will of Miles Franklin ...

, 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 ...

* '' Three Cheers for the Paraclete'' (1968), winner of the

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

Antarctic The Antarctic (, ; commonly ) is the polar regions of Earth, polar region of Earth that surrounds the South Pole, lying within the Antarctic Circle. It is antipodes, diametrically opposite of the Arctic region around the North Pole. The Antar ...

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 ( ; ; – 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 Coronation of the French monarch, coronation of Charles VII o ...

* '' Moses the Lawgiver'' (1975) * '' Gossip from the Forest'' (1975), tells of the negotiation of the armistice that ended

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

* '' Season in Purgatory'' (1976), love among Tito's partisans in

* '' A Victim of the Aurora'' (1977), a detective story set on an

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

children A child () is a human being between the stages of childbirth, birth and puberty, or between the Development of the human body, developmental period of infancy and puberty. The term may also refer to an unborn human being. In English-speaking ...

* ''

Passenger A passenger is a person who travels in a vehicle, but does not bear any responsibility for the tasks required for that vehicle to arrive at its destination or otherwise operate the vehicle, and is not a steward. The vehicles may be bicycles, ...

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

Stonewall Jackson Thomas Jonathan "Stonewall" Jackson (January 21, 1824 – May 10, 1863) was a Confederate general and military officer who served during the American Civil War. He played a prominent role in nearly all military engagements in the eastern the ...

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

'' (1982), winner of the

, 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)Revised version of ''The Fear'' (1965). * '' Towards Asmara'' (1989), the conflict in

Eritrea Eritrea, officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in the Horn of Africa region of East Africa, with its capital and largest city being Asmara. It is bordered by Ethiopia in the Eritrea–Ethiopia border, south, Sudan in the west, and Dj ...

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

Palestinians Palestinians () are an Arab ethnonational group native to the Levantine region of Palestine. *: "Palestine was part of the first wave of conquest following Muhammad's death in 632 CE; Jerusalem fell to the Caliph Umar in 638. The indigenou ...

hijack an aeroplane carrying an Aboriginal folk dance troupe * ''

Chief of Staff The title chief of staff (or head of staff) identifies the leader of a complex organization such as the armed forces, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a principal staff officer (PSO), who is the coordinator of the supportin ...

'' (1991), (under the pseudonym William Coyle) * '' Woman of the Inner Sea'' (1992), Keneally retells a story once told him by a young woman that haunted his imagination * '' Jacko'' (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) * '' Corporal Hitler's Pistol'' (2021) * Interview: Reviews: ;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, American Civil War , Civil War veteran, and diplomat. He served in the United States House of Representatives , U.S. House of Representatives both before and after t ...

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

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was the 16th president of the United States, serving from 1861 until Assassination of Abraham Lincoln, his assassination in 1865. He led the United States through the American Civil War ...

* '' 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) * The fifth Ray Mathew Lecture, National Library of Australia, 4 September 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

Notes

References

Australian Biography website, including video interviews (and transcripts)

External links