From the author of the acclaimed chef d’oeuvre Schindler’s Ark, Thomas Keneally...another splendid work – A Commonwealth of Thieves 10 out of 10

 From the author of the acclaimed chef d’oeuvre Schindler’s Ark, Thomas Keneally...another splendid work – A Commonwealth of Thieves

10 out of 10

 

 

The world has been horrified by what it has seen in The Schindler’s List, as adapted from the original master work by Thomas Keneally, though there is of course the towering figure of Oskar Schindler, the one who had saved so many Jews, the Holocaust is at the center of the story with its unbelievable mirror that it puts in front of humanity…the film has popularized the novel and that in turn made the author of the acclaimed opus a famous figure, who has given the world another great book, A Commonwealth of Thieves…

 

The under signed has been mesmerized by Australians – incidentally, they cause furor with their athletic prowess, now on display at the Olympics, where they may very well be the most successful nation, if we look at it in terms of medals versus population…no, I have to edit that, in terms of Bermuda and maybe Kosovo, the former now has its first gold medal and the latter has two and that given the few people that live in these states makes their achievement spectacular – when he has encountered them…

When young, as in about seven years ago (if we make an effort to joke and Imagine the Best Possible Future and Past, as an exercise of happiness invented by myself just now) I have been working in what today is called The Hospitality Business – though incorporated in a commie state, people were not hospitable and I have stories with the Securitate coming to tell me to shut the fuck up, when the clients complained over the lack of hot water, and the agent told me that I am part of the glorious communist state and here to serve country and people, not disgusting capitalist…something along these familiar lines.

 

In that ‘capacity’ I welcomed at one point a group of Aussies, coming down on their own bus (well, rented really) and crossing Romania on their way to what was then Soviet Union and is now Moldova, after travelling through an impressive number of lands, all the way from India, Pakistan, covering an immense itinerary, and being escorted by yours truly in our space…they started every single day on the bus with ‘Don’t Worry, Be Happy’ and their attitude was sublime, optimistic, dashing, serene…

Which sits in such a stark contrast with the notion that Aussies are in fact descending from a group of Thieves, Convicts sent to the end of the world to spend long terms, in some cases a life time, in a penal colony that was supposed to alleviate the pain, stress caused by the large number of prisoners for which the British government was looking to find solutions…given that the former American colonies were not a way out of the quandary anymore, would be Governor Arthur Phillip is sent with a number of ships to create what is now known and admired in quite a few ways as Australia – there is a way of life there that looks enticing, though they do have this rebarbative attitude towards those trying to come on ships as illegal immigrants, who are kept on other islands, there is that massive coal industry that pollutes the world…

 

First there would be considerations on what had happened to those who would become the first colonists in Australia – the land in the South Austral… - and the incredibly small sums for which many, probably most would be sentenced to die – though statistics show that a good proportion of death sentences would not be carried out, it is still cruel – and in some cases they would be changed to ‘transportation for a number of years or forever’

The American colonies were considered as destination – indeed, once on the ship with the destination the other side of the world, some prisoners would contemplate rebellion and then fleeing to the American liberated territory, where they hoped they would have a new life and escape their punishment

 

They have had animals on board, the greyhounds of captain-and then- governor Arthur Philip and all sorts of poultry, goats (or am I inventing this)…the greyhounds will have very little, disgusting food to eat when in Australia, but then humans would have serious problems with getting their food on the southernmost continent, except Antarctica…there was separation and even chains for some women, but still, there would be pregnancies and intimacy, could not be prevented, women looking for the men and most of those, vice versa…

The Portuguese had employed Arthur Phillip, when they had had a conflict between Brazil and Argentina over some disputed territory, when the Portuguese asked for support from the British and Arthur Philip would be recommended…he would have nice words from them and some decoration he would wear...

 

Women tried to avoid pregnancies on board ships by all means, coitus interuptus…protection was for men, and mainly to avoid diseases, such as syphilis…Governor Philip was quite fair and very loyal to the monarchy, against the discredited prince supported by a Catholic faction (if I have this right)…there were Very severe punishments with the cat o’nine tails, many lashes administered to the convicts for what look like minor transgressions

 

The aborigines – from Latin, meaning the original inhabitants, there from the beginning – are evidently an important part of the story, nay, the most important and there are efforts now to try and change names, abolish discrimination, but the history of Australia is one of Thieves in the beginning, and not so much the people convicted of most often minor misdemeanors or at times they had been victims of just plain false sentencing , as in the Grand Theft of the land from the aborigines, similar to the taking of territory from the Native Americans by the white men…the natives told the intruders to go

Women were offered to these pale strangers, but ostensibly in an effort to make them go away and their attitude towards sex and so many other aspects of life was a very relaxed one, liberal perhaps we should say…the intruders were fishing and the aborigines took some of the catch because they knew the land is theirs, but the invaders saw it as stealing...