Thomas Keneally (1935–) is an award-winning Australian novelist and historian.. Keneally won the 1982 Booker Prize for Schindler’s Ark, which would go on to win Oscars as the 1993 film Schindler’s List. Keneally has won the Miles Franklin Award twice for Bring Larks and Heroes in 1967 and Three Cheers for the Paraclete in 1968. Keneally wrote The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith in 1972.

Thomas Keneally (Random House)

Reading Australia

Academic and author Tony Birch has written on The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith (1972) for ABR as part of the Reading Australia project. Click here to read his essay.

Further reading and links

Reading Australia teaching resources: The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith (1972)

An ABC Radio recording of an interview with Phillip Adams and Thomas Keneally ‘Should “the Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith” have been written?’ (broadcast 28 May 2001)

The transcripts of an interview by the Screen Australia Digital Learning website for the Australian Biography Project. Robin Hughes interviews Thomas Keneally, 9-11 September 2002 http://www.australianbiography.gov.au/subjects/keneally/interview1.html

Luke Buckmaster rewatches the film for The Guardian 'The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith re-watched - beautiful but savage' 12 September 2014

The Australian Screen Organisation archives website notes on the film

Open Page with Tom Keneally from the October 2010 issue of Australian Book Review

Luke Slattery reviews Australians Volume 3 by Thomas Keneally in the March 2015 issue of Australian Book Review

Alex O'Brien reviews A Country Too Far: Writings on Asylum Seekers edited by Rosie Scott and Tom Keneally for the March 2014 issue of Australian Book Review.

Phil Brown reviews The Daughters Of Mars by Tom Keneally for the June 2012 issue of Australian Book Review