Synopses & Reviews
This is the captivating story behind
Schindlers List, the Booker Prize-winning book and the Academy Award-winning Spielberg film. Keneally tells the tale of the unlikely encounter that propelled him to write about Oskar Schindler and of the impact of his extraordinary account on people around the world.
Thomas Keneally met Leopold “Poldek” Pfefferberg, the owner of a Beverly Hills luggage shop, in 1981. Poldek, a Polish Jew and a Holocaust survivor, had a tale he wanted the world to know. Charming, charismatic, and persistent, he convinced Keneally to relate the incredible story of “the all-drinking, all-screwing, all-black-marketeering Nazi, Oskar Schindler. But to me he was Jesus Christ.”
Searching for Schindler is the engrossing chronicle of Keneallys pursuit of one of historys most fascinating and paradoxical heroes. Traveling throughout the United States, Germany, Israel, Poland, and Austria, Keneally and Poldek interviewed people who had known Schindler and uncovered their indelible memories of the Holocaust. Keneallys powerful narrative rose quickly to the top of bestseller lists. Steven Spielbergs magnificent film adaptation went on to fulfill Poldeks dream of winning “an Oscar for Oskar.” (Keneallys anecdotes about Spielberg, Liam Neeson, Ben Kingsley, and other cast members will delight film buffs.)
Written with candor and humor, Seaching for Schindler is an intimate look at Keneallys growth as a writer and the enormous success of his portrait of Oskar Schindler.
Synopsis
This work is the engrossing chronicle of Keneally's pursuit of Oskar Schindler--one of history's most fascinating and paradoxical heroes. The author reveals how writing the book affected him as a writer and explores current attitudes about the Holocaust.
About the Author
Thomas Keneally has won international acclaim for his novels Schindler's List (the basis for the movie and the winner of the Booker Prize), The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith, Confederates, Gossip from the Forest, The Playmaker, Woman of the Inner Sea, A River Town, Office of Innocence, and The Tyrants Novel. His most recent works of nonfiction are A Commonwealth of Thieves, The Great Shame, and American Scoundrel. He resides in Sydney, Australia.