- The Potato Factory
The Potato Factory is a 1995 historical-novel by
Bryce Courtenay , which was made into an Australian miniseries in 2000. The book is the first in a three-part series, followed byTommo & Hawk andSolomon's Song . The Potato Factory has been the subject of some controversy regarding its historical accuracy and its portrayal ofJewish characters.The book is based on
Ikey Solomon , the so-called "Prince of Fences" and the basis of theFagin character in theCharles Dickens novelOliver Twist . Courtenay states in the book's introduction that it is a historical novel based on extensive research. Author Judith Sackville-O'Donnell, who wrote another book onIkey Solomon , claimed that the book was inaccurate and anti-Semitic. [http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/07/13/1089694358255.html?from=storyrhs (News Article)]The book's other main character is fictional, a woman named Mary Abacus. Abacus goes from serving girl, to prostitute, to high-class madam, to prisoner transported to Australia, to successful businesswoman. She gets her name for her outstanding ability to use an
abacus .The story starts in
London in the early 1800s. Mary and Ikey start working together as business partners. It follows them as they are separately sent to Australia, apenal colony at the time.The book was made into a [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0186771 four-part miniseries] that aired in
Australia in 2000.External links
* [http://colsearch.nfsa.afc.gov.au/nfsa/search/display/display.w3p;adv=yes;group=;groupequals=;holdingType=;page=0;parentid=;query=417401;querytype=;rec=0;resCount=10 The Potato Factory at the National Film and Sound Archive]
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