Robert Louis Stevenson in the Pacific Book

I read Schindler's List more than twenty years ago; long enough ago that the title was Schindlers Ark. Like many people, I knew that Keneally first heard about Oskar Schindler when he bought a briefcase from a luggage retailer in Los Angeles. I didn't know much more than that, though, and this memoir fills in the details of that particular story. It covers in some detail Keneally's initial encounter with Leopold (Poldek) Pfefferburg and his wife, his meetings with other Holocaust survivors who were on "Schindler's List", the research, writing and publication process of the novel, and the ultimate adaptation of the novel into the award winning film. The memoir also covers other aspects of Keneally's life, before, during and after writing the novel that gave him an international reputation. This includes his experiences in Eritrea, which led to the writing of To Asmara.

The memoir's at its best when describing the process of researching and writing "Schindler's List" and most particularly when the dynamic and irrepressible Poldek is present. I also found interesting Keneally's account of his travels in Eritrea. However, I found the detailed account of the film-makng process somewhat less interesting, although I can understand how fascinating it would have been for Keneally.

I listened to an audiobook edition of the book, which was capably narrated by Humphrey Bower. Keneally's distinctive voice is reasonably well-known to many Australians, and while Bower doesn't imitate him, he does manage to inject Keneally's characteristic enthusiasm into the narration. I gather there are photographs in the regular edition. However, it's easy enough to find photographs of the main players with a quick internet search, so for me the convenience of listening outweighed the disadvantage of having to look for the photographs elsewhere.

Overall, a worthwhile experience and one that will almost certainly make me re-read Schindler's List.