Celebrating 50 Years

Bryan Brown, Tom Keneally & Jennifer Byrne

220 friends and fans turned up to the Westin Hotel to celebrate Man Booker Prize winner Tom Keneally's fifty years of publishing books. Plenty of amusing speeches by Richard Flanagan, David Williamson,  Bryan Brown and director Fred Schepis.
It's amazing to think that when Tom wrote his first book Australia had no such things a literary agent and books were sent to the UK to be published,
No wonder as Richard Flanagan pointed out that the great Henry Lawson said that anyone contemplating a career as a writer in Oz should fetch a revolver and shoot themselves.

David & Kirsten Williamson with Richard Flanagan,        ABC's Tony Jones                         & Fred Schepisi

 Delighted US and UK agents sent congratulatory videos as did Kathy Lette but the most impressive was from director Steven Spielberg (below) who credited Keneally with Spielberg winning a host of Academy Awards for his adaption of Tom's Schindler's Ark.

Dinner Date with Tom Keneally & Steven Speilberg

An evening not to be missed. The ABC is holding a dinner event to celebrate 50 years of publishing with Oscar winning author Tom Keneally.
Actor Bryan Brown is hosting along with Kathy Lette and Richard Flanagan.
And director Steven Spielberg is expected to drop in via video. Spielberg of course produced and director Schindler's List based on Keneally's 1982 Booker Prize winning book Schindler's Ark. Tom's had 3 books listed for the Booker prize including The Chant of Jimmy Blacksmith which was made into a film as was his autobiographical book The Devil's Advocate.
Tickets are $150 and the dinner is on Wednesday 11th June at the Westin Hotel. Book here.

Kathy Lette                                  Steven Spielberg                                                            Westin Hotel