Thomas Keneally facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Thomas Keneally AO
Keneally in 2012
Born	Thomas Michael Keneally (1935-10-07) 7 October 1935 (age 89) Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Occupation	Novelist
Notable awards	Booker Prize
Spouse	Judy Martin (m. 1965)
Children	2

Thomas Michael Keneally is a famous Australian writer. He was born on October 7, 1935. He writes novels, plays, and essays, and has also acted in some films.

He is best known for his book Schindler's Ark. This book tells the true story of Oskar Schindler, who saved many Jewish people during the Holocaust. The book won a big award called the Booker Prize in 1982. Later, a famous director named Steven Spielberg made it into a movie called Schindler's List. The movie won many awards, including Best Picture.

Thomas Keneally's Early Life

Thomas Keneally's parents were born in a town called Kempsey, New South Wales. His father, Edmund Thomas Keneally, flew for the Royal Australian Air Force during World War II.

Thomas was born in Sydney, Australia. His family moved to Homebush, a suburb of Sydney, in 1942. He went to St Patrick's College, Strathfield for school.

After school, Keneally started training to become a Catholic priest. He studied at St Patrick's Seminary in Manly for six years. He decided not to become a priest and left the seminary. Before becoming a successful writer, he worked as a schoolteacher in Sydney.

Keneally was known as "Mick" until 1964. When he started publishing books, his publisher suggested he use his real first name, Thomas.

Keneally's Writing Career

Keneally's first story was published in The Bulletin magazine in 1962. By 2014, he had written over 50 books, including 30 novels.

He is especially famous for Schindler's Ark (1982). This was the first novel by an Australian writer to win the Booker Prize. The book was later made into the movie Schindler's List. Keneally had been nominated for the Booker Prize three times before winning it.

Many of his novels are based on historical events. He takes real history and tells it in a modern way.

A play called Our Country's Good is based on Keneally's book The Playmaker. This play is about convicts sent from Britain to Australia. They put on a play while in the new colony.

Keneally as an Actor

Thomas Keneally has also acted in a few films. He had a small part in The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith (1978). This movie was based on his own novel. He also played Father Marshall in the film The Devil's Playground (1976).

Keneally's Teaching and Recognition

Keneally was a visiting professor at the University of California, Irvine (UCI) in the United States. He taught writing workshops there from 1991 to 1995.

In 2011, the Tom Keneally Centre opened in Sydney. It holds his books and other items. The center is used for book launches, readings, and writing classes.

Keneally is also an ambassador for the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre. This group helps people seeking asylum in Australia.

Thomas Keneally's Personal Life

Thomas Keneally married Judy Martin in 1965. They have two daughters, Margaret and Jane.

Keneally was the first chairman of the Australian Republic Movement. This group wants Australia to become a republic, meaning it would not have the British monarch as its head of state. He wrote a book about this topic called Our Republic in 1993.

He is also a big fan of rugby league football. He supports the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles club.

In 2009, the Prime Minister of Australia, Kevin Rudd, gave a signed copy of Keneally's book about Abraham Lincoln to President Barack Obama.

About Schindler's Ark

Keneally wrote Schindler's Ark in 1982. He was inspired by Poldek Pfefferberg, a man who survived the Holocaust. In 1980, Keneally met Pfefferberg, who showed him many documents about Oskar Schindler. These documents included the original list of people Schindler saved.

Keneally became very interested in the story. Pfefferberg helped him research the book. They traveled to Poland and visited places related to Schindler's story. Keneally dedicated Schindler's Ark to Pfefferberg.

Keneally said he was drawn to Oskar Schindler because it was hard to tell where his desire to help ended and his own opportunities began. He liked that good could come from unexpected places.

The book was later made into the movie Schindler's List (1993) by Steven Spielberg. Keneally wrote another book, Searching for Schindler: A Memoir (2007), about his meeting with Pfefferberg and their research.

Some of the documents that inspired Keneally are now kept at the State Library of New South Wales in Sydney.

Awards and Honours

In 1983, Thomas Keneally was made an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO). He is considered an Australian Living Treasure. Keneally once said he was offered another award, the Commander of the Order of the British Empire, but he turned it down.

In 2010, the Australian postal service released a stamp in his honour. He has also received honorary doctorates from universities.