Thomas Keneally, also
Tom Keneally, born
October 7,
1935, is an
Australian novelist. He is perhaps most famous for his
Schindler's Ark[?] (
1982), the basis of the
film Schindler's List. Many of his novels are reworkings of historical material, although modern in their psychology and style.
He studied law and worked as a schoolteacher in Sydney, before his success as a novelist, and was a lecturer at the University of New England (1968 - 70).
- The Place at Whitton[?] (1964)
- The Fear[?] (1965), rewritten in (1989) as By the Line[?].
- Bring Larks and Heroes[?] (1967), set in an unidentified British penal colony.
- Three Cheers for the Paraclete[?] (1968), comic novel of a doubting priest.
- The Survivor[?] (1969), a survivor looks back on a disastrous Arctic expedition.
- A Dutiful Daughter[?] (1971), Keneally's personal favorite.
- The Chant of Jimmy Blacksmith[?] (1972), also filmed. Written through the eyes of an exploited Aborigine who explodes in rage. Based on an actual incident. Keneally has said he would not now presume to write in the voice of an Aborigine, but would have written the story as seen by a white character.
- Blood Red, Sister Rose[?] (1974), based on Joan of Arc.
- Gossip from the Forest[?] (1975), tells of the negotiation of the armistice thAt ended World War I.
- Season in Purgatory[?] (1976), love among Tito's partisans in World War II.
- Ned Kelly and the City of the Bees[?] (1978), a book for children[?].
- A Victim of the Aurora[?] (1978), a detective story set on an Antarctic expediton.
- Passenger[?] (1979)
- Confederates[?] (1979), with Stonewall Jackson's army.
- The Cut-Rate Kingdom[?] (1980), Australia at war in 1942.
- Schindler's Ark[?] (1982), winner of the Booker Prize, later retitled Schindler's List.
- A Family Madness[?] (1985)
- The Playmaker[?] (1987), prisoners perform a play in Australia 200 years ago.
- By the Line[?] (1989), working-class families face World War II in Sydney.
- Towards Asmara[?] (1989, the conflict in Eritrea.
- Flying Hero Class[?] (1991), Palestinians hijack an airplane carrying an Aboriginal folk dance troupe.
- Woman of the Inner Sea[?] (1993), 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)
He has also written screenplays, memoirs, and non-fiction books.
He is a strong advocate of the Australian republic, meaning the severing of all ties with the British Monarchy and has written a draft preamble for an Australian constitution. Several of his republican essays appear on the web site of the Australian Republican Movement.