 First edition cover | |
| Author | Thomas Keneally |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Genre | Biographical novel |
| Publisher | Hodder and Stoughton |
Publication date | 18 October 1982 |
| Publication place | Australia |
| Media type | Print (Hardcover and Paperback) |
| Pages | 380 pp (hardcover edition) |
| Awards | Booker Prize 1982 |
| ISBN | 0-340-27838-2 (hardcover edition) |
| OCLC | 8994901 |
| Preceded by | The Cut-Rate Kingdom |
| Followed by | A Family Madness |
Schindler's Ark is a historical fiction published in 1982 by the Australian novelist Thomas Keneally. It is based on the true story of Oskar Schindler. The United States edition of the book was titled Schindler's List; it was later reissued in Commonwealth countries under that name as well. The novel won the Booker Prize,[1] a literary award conferred each year for the best single work of sustained fiction written in the English language, and was awarded the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Fiction in 1983.[2]
The book tells the story of Oskar Schindler, a member of the Nazi Party who becomes an unlikely hero by saving the lives of 1,200 Jews during the Holocaust. It follows actual people and events, with fictional dialogue and scenes added by the author where exact details are unknown.[3] Keneally wrote a number of well-received novels before and after Schindler's Ark; however, in the wake of its highly successful 1993 film adaptation directed by director Steven Spielberg, it has since gone on to become his most well-known and celebrated work.[4]
In 2022, the novel was included on the "Big Jubilee Read" list of 70 books by Commonwealth authors, selected to celebrate the Platinum Jubilee of Elizabeth II.[5]
- ^ "The Booker Prize 1982 | The Booker Prizes". thebookerprizes.com. Retrieved 26 September 2022.
- ^ "Book Prizes – Los Angeles Times Festival of Books» Winners By Award". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 5 April 2013.
- ^ Shepard, Richard F. (22 November 1982). "NONFICTION 'SCHINDLER'S LIST' AND A FICTION PRIZE". The New York Times.
- ^ Alfred Hickling (31 January 2004). "Review: The Tyrant's Novel by Thomas Keneally". The Guardian.
- ^ "The Big Jubilee Read: A literary celebration of Queen Elizabeth II's record-breaking reign". BBC. 17 April 2022. Retrieved 15 July 2022.