Katia Ariel
Katia Ariel is an author, book editor and educator from Melbourne/Naarm. She was born in Odesa, Ukraine. Her memoir, The Swift Dark Tide explores the history of rebellion, joy and transgression in her female line. The book was shortlisted for the 2024 Stella Prize and was the winner of the 2024 Society of Women Writers NSW Non-fiction Prize. She was the recipient of the Varuna Residential Fellowship (2022) and Bundanon Writing Residence (2024). Katia holds an Arts/Law degree from Monash University and Graduate Diploma and Publishing and Editing from RMIT. She lives by the sea with her family.
Katia Ariel
Ferryman: The Life and Deathwork of Ephraim Finch is a profoundly moving exploration of life, loss, and legacy. Blending biography, memoir, and cultural history, Katia Ariel brings to life the remarkable story of Ephraim Finch OAM—a deathworker, community builder, and guardian of cultural memory.
Drawing from Finch’s handwritten journals and intimate interviews, Ariel masterfully explores themes of grief, memory, ritual, and the celebration of life, all with tenderness and wisdom. Finch’s extraordinary journey—from his working-class Sydney upbringing to his conversion to Orthodox Judaism, and later, his pivotal role as director of Melbourne’s Jewish Burial Society—offers a deeply human reflection on belonging, service, and the enduring power of stories.
For thirty years Finch provided unwavering support to bereaved families, including Holocaust survivors, while seamlessly navigating coroners, police, clergy, and medical professionals. A consummate connector, he preserved sacred Jewish traditions while fostering understanding across religious and secular communities, making death and its rituals less daunting and more accessible.
At a time of increasing cultural division and societal fractures, Ferryman is a vital and timely story—one that reminds us of the power of compassion, service, and the sacredness of life itself.
With a foreword by Arnold Zable and praise from literary luminaries such as Hannah Kent, Raimond Gaita, Chloe Hooper, and Kylie Moore-Gilbert, Ferryman is an essential addition to our literary and cultural landscape.