Searching For Schindler: A Memoir

Synopsis

Thomas Keneally met Leopold “Poldek” Pfefferberg, the owner of a Beverly Hills luggage shop, in 1981. Poldek, a Polish Jew and Holocaust survivor, had a tale he wanted the world to know. Charming, charismatic, and persistent, he convinced Keneally to tell the incredible story of “the all-drinking, all-screwing, all-black-marketeering Nazi, Oskar Schindler. But to me he was Jesus Christ.” SEARCHING FOR SCHINDLER is the engrossing chronicle of Keneally’s pursuit of one of history’s most fascinating and paradoxical heroes. Traveling in the United States, Germany, Israel, Poland, and Austria, Keneally and Poldek interviewed people who had known Schindler and uncovered their indelible memories of the Holocaust. Keneally’s powerful narrative rose quickly to the top of bestseller lists. Steven Spielberg’s magnificent film adaptation went on to fulfill Poldek’s dream of winning “An Oscar for Oskar.” (Keneally’s anecdotes about Spielberg, Neeson, Kingsley, and other cast members will delight film buffs.) Keneally reveals how deeply writing the book affected him and explores current attitudes about the Holocaust and the Israeli/Palestinian conflict. Written with candor and humor, SEARCHING FOR SCHINDLER is an intimate look at Keneally’s growth as a writer and the enormous success of his portrait of Oskar Schindler.