Schindlers Liste (original 1982; edição 1994)

Whover made the choice to market this book as a novel is an idiot, as it is very obviously a work of non-fiction. Some of the conversations and situations have been expanded (based upon logical assumptions and witness testimonies), but the large majority of the narrative is based upon fact. The linguistic style is also indicative of a non-fiction work, and it carries the same tone as many of the well-written historical books that focus on a single aspect of history. These books are based on facts and discussion of said facts, but they are written in a manner which is still highly readable and relies on narrative touches - such as conversations between characters, and speculation on a character's thoughts - to connect with the reade in the same manner as a novel with an omniscient narrator. When I was reading this book I definitely felt like I was back in my Holocaust seminar class, and I am surprised that it was not actually included on the reading list because it would have made an interesting addition to the memoirs of Holocaust survivors and a contrast to the book about the Polish Einsatzgruppen.

Besides the obvious lack of proper categorization, I did find this book to be extremely interesting. WWII is one of my favourite historical areas to study (because it influenced so much of 20th-century events), but rarely are German/Czech/Polish people who helped subvert the Nazi's Final Solution spoken about, unless they were part of the actual resistance movements. I don't remember a single mention of Oskar Schindler in any of my classes, and I guess the assumption is that no one needs to study him because there's a popular movie and book that chronicle his actions. ( )

I saw the movie Schindler’s List when it came out, and found it heart-breaking and heart-warming at the same time. I did not know that it was based on a book originally entitled Schindler’s Ark.

This is the only Booker winner so far in my project (I’m up to 1982 now) that is not pure fiction. And though Keneally says in the “Author’s Note” that he will use the “texture and devices of a novel” to tell the story, I did not find that it read like a novel. Keneally frequently reminds the reader that the conversations are recreations, and tells us the source or sources for every incident. It’s really a very documentary-like retelling, and I think that is the right choice. We must continue to remind ourselves and the world that the horrors of the Holocaust really happened, and not romanticize them by letting them sound like fiction.

It’s the highly interesting tale of Oskar Schindler, who started out as a war profiteer, then became disgusted by the Nazi policy of Jewish extermination. There are many harrowing individual stories here, of families who watched loved ones die for the most whimsical of reasons. But one of the most harrowing has to be that of Schindler himself, when the tables are turned after the Allied victory. He must wear prison garb to sneak out of formerly German territory. He never regains his old Midas touch, and comes to depend on those who once depended on him.

It’s a wonderful read for the repeated lesson that it is always possible to do the right thing. I have to wonder, though, if Keneally’s other work is worth reading. For example, nearly every time that Oskar Schindler speaks, he “growls.” It’s not the writing that makes this an extraordinary book; it’s the story. ( )

An amazing and timely book

Who was Oskar Schindler? An ordinary man who was willing to stand up to evil and make a difference. Hi wife recalled that the time and circumstances summoned forth his deeper talents. "He who saves one life saves the world entire." ( )

La lista di Schindler è un romanzo del 1982 dello scrittore australiano Thomas Keneally. Nel 1993 uscì l'adattamento cinematografico Schindler's List - La lista di Schindler, diretto Steven Spielberg, vincitore di sette Premi Oscar (fonte: Wikipedia)

Pertany a la colección "cine para leer"de la Vanguardia