“Oscar Schindler was a highly imperfect saviour. And as Catholics, don’t we all love stories about the Saviour?”

For our Term 1 Books & Blokes Breakfast we were thrilled to welcome Australian living treasure, Thomas Keneally, author of over fifty books, and his daughter, Meg Keneally, who co-authored his latest novel The Soldier’s Curse.
Thomas on writing: Writing is one of the few things I can really do well and I am incredibly lucky to have been able to write for a living. As a school teacher at Homebush I knew nothing and had nothing to tell, but I began to research interesting people and events in history for inspiration.

Meg on writing: I am grateful to have had the opportunity to write and I absolutely loved being a newspaper reporter which helped inspire me to have a go at writing this novel.

Thomas on writing Schindler’s Ark: I am fascinated by the human condition which allowed highly educated people to be brainwashed into following Hitler’s ideology. Hatred between races has always fascinated me. As a child, being Irish and Catholic meant you were hated by many. The idea of hating someone and wanting to exterminate them based on their race is extreme and delusional. I don’t like Parramatta supporters, but I don’t want them exterminated.
When I heard the story of Oscar Schindler I was fascinated. Schindler was a flawed character – “a highly imperfect saviour and as Catholics, don’t we all love the Saviour?”

Meg on researching Australian history for the novel The Soldier’s Curse: I have always had an interest in Australian history. I am particularly interested in the female experience in history, which is often overlooked. I discovered that many female convicts in the early 1800s were utterly powerless, yet went on to become highly successful. The Soldier’s Curse is set in Port Macquarie in the early 1800s which was established as a penal colony for second offenders. The extreme isolation of Port Macquarie and the multi-dimensional characters help to create story tension and make for a great read.

Our next Books & Blokes Breakfast will be held on Tuesday 24 May where we will welcome Holocaust survivor and Joeys grandfather, Tom Fleming (formerly Fleishman), who will speak about some of his experiences and the writing of his book Lolli’s Apple.