Shirley Hazzard (1931–2016) was an Australian-American novelist and essayist known for her refined literary style and emotionally complex narratives. Her works explored themes of love, exile, and political idealism.
Born in Sydney, Australia, Hazzard moved frequently due to her father’s diplomatic career, living in Hong Kong, New Zealand, and Italy before settling in New York City at 20. She worked at the United Nations for a decade, an experience that later informed her critical writings on the organization.
Her first short story, Woollahra Road, appeared in The New Yorker (1961,) leading to her début collection, Cliffs of Fall (1963.) She followed with The Evening of the Holiday (1966) and The Bay of Noon (1970,) both set in Italy. Her breakthrough novel, The Transit of Venus (1980,) won the National Book Critics Circle Award and was praised for its intricate storytelling.
Hazzard’s final novel, The Great Fire (2003,) won the National Book Award and the Miles Franklin Award. She also wrote nonfiction, including Defeat of an Ideal (1973) and Countenance of Truth (1990,) critiquing the United Nations. Her memoir, Greene on Capri (2000,) reflected on her friendship with Graham Greene.
More: Wikipedia • READ: Works by Shirley Hazzard
Children seldom have a proper sense of their own tragedy, discounting and keeping hidden the true horrors of their short lives, humbly imagining real calamity to be some prestigious drama of the grown-up world.
—Shirley Hazzard
Topics: Children
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