The Survivor (Keneally novel)

The Survivor is a 1969 novel by Australian author Thomas Keneally.

Premise
Alec Ramsey talks about a mission to Antarctica in the 1920s of which he was a survivor. He feels guilt over the death of the expedition leader, Leeming.

Ramsey had an affair with Leeming's wife and is torn with guilt over it.

Background
The book was originally called On Ice.

Keneally's research included travelling to Antarctica on a US Navy ship. It was also based on his experience of being a university lecturer in Armidale.

The book was dedicated to W. H. Crook.

Reception
The Sydney Morning Herald called it "this rich, indigestible plumb of a book."

The Canberra Times said "the book is immensely entertaining. It has a pleasantly intriguing story to tell, with plenty of suspense and much highly diverting academic comedy."

Awards and nominations

 * Captain Cook Bicentenary Awards, Novel Section, 1970: joint winner with Barry Oakley's Let's Hear it for Predergast.

1972 TV film
The novel was adapted for television by the ABC in 1972.

It was one of a series of television plays produced by the ABC that year, others including The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui. There were also anthology series such as A Time for Love and Norman Lindsay Presents.

Cast

 * Wynn Roberts
 * Enid Lorimer as the widow
 * Arthur Dignam
 * Dinah Shearing
 * Alastair Duncan

Production
Keneally adapted the script himself. It was his first screenplay and he enjoyed the experience so much he wrote other scripts for the ABC such as Essington and Behind the Legend.

The production was shot in Sydney. Director Alan Burke says Charles Russell was the main executive on it - he is credited as script editor although that does not give a guide as to the extent of his contribution. There was some location work done at Richmond Air Base.

John Cameron, head of drama at the ABC at the time, said the novel was bought by the ABC because it had won a prize. He later said "that was a terrible book and a dreadful script" but claims Charles Russell improved it with some script editing although he says Russell "wasn't very happy with it."

Reception
The Age thought the original novel was "one of the most tedious books ever published in Australia" but felt the television version "gripped the imagination as the book never could."

Burke later recalled "I don’t think I pulled it off. It was I think a bit inadequate... It just didn’t add up somehow. I just didn’t feel happy about it. Maybe it was partly the adaptation that Tom had said he tried the various styles, maybe that had something to do with the fact they didn’t quite marry."

Reviews

 * "Southerly" Vol 30 No 1, 1970, by Michael Wilding
 * The Survivor at AustLit