On Thomas Keneally

A thoughtful, nuanced look at Thomas Keneally's The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith by award-winning journalist Stan Grant, which considers race, representation, and Australian history.

Stan Grant is drawn to Thomas Keneally for many reasons: they share an Irish heritage and a complicated relationship with religion. He is especially interested in The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith, which was a formative novel for him. His family shares a connection with the real Jimmy Governor as well. The book raises questions about non-Indigenous writers tackling Indigenous issues and characters.

In this eloquent, clear-eyed essay, acclaimed journalist Stan Grant sheds light on one of Australia's most controversial yet enduringly relevant novels.

In the Writers on Writers series, leading authors reflect on an Australian writer who has inspired and fascinated them. Provocative and crisp, these books start a fresh conversation between past and present, shed new light on the craft of writing, and introduce some intriguing and talented authors and their work.

Published by Black Inc. in association with the University of Melbourne and State Library Victoria.