Shirley Hazzard, Australian-American novelist, short story writer, and essayist (d. 2016)

Shirley Hazzard (30 January 1931 – 12 December 2016) was a highly acclaimed Australian-American literary figure, celebrated for her elegant prose and profound insights as a novelist, short story writer, and essayist. Born in Sydney, Australia, she later acquired U.S. citizenship, embodying a transnational identity reflected in her global settings and characters. Her work often explored themes of love, moral integrity, human frailty, and the complexities of institutional power, garnering numerous prestigious awards throughout her distinguished career.

Life and Background

Early Life and Global Perspective

Shirley Hazzard was born in Sydney, Australia, to Reginald Hazzard, a public servant, and Catherine Hazzard (née Stein), a designer. Her upbringing was marked by extensive international travel due to her father's diplomatic postings, which included roles in countries such as New Zealand, France, and Italy. This peripatetic early life meant Hazzard received little formal higher education, instead becoming largely self-taught and developing a keen observational eye for diverse cultures and human behavior. These formative experiences undoubtedly shaped her cosmopolitan perspective and her ability to evoke a rich sense of place in her fiction.

Dual Citizenship and Later Life

After working in various capacities across Europe, including for the United Nations, Hazzard settled predominantly in New York City. She married the distinguished American writer and literary critic Francis Steegmuller in 1963, forming a significant literary partnership. Her dual Australian and U.S. citizenship underscored her connection to both her homeland and the country where she spent much of her adult creative life, ultimately passing away in New York City in 2016 at the age of 85.

Literary Contributions

Distinctive Style and Themes

Hazzard's literary style is characterized by its meticulous precision, lyrical beauty, and psychological depth. She possessed a remarkable ability to craft intricate sentences that delve into the inner lives of her characters, often exploring the nuances of human relationships, the impact of historical events on individual lives, and the quest for moral authenticity in a complex world. Her works are frequently set in international locations, from the post-war ruins of Italy to the diplomatic corridors of the United Nations, lending her narratives a broad, universal appeal.

Acclaimed Novels and Awards

Shirley Hazzard's fiction earned her widespread critical acclaim and numerous prestigious accolades:

• The Bay of Noon (1970): This evocative novel, set in Naples, Italy, explores themes of love, betrayal, and memory through the eyes of a young Englishwoman. Its subtle beauty and profound insights led to its shortlisting for the Lost Man Booker Prize in 2010. This special prize was retroactively awarded for a novel published in 1970 that, due to a rule change, would have been eligible for the original Booker Prize had the rules allowed earlier entries, highlighting its enduring literary merit decades after its initial publication.
• The Transit of Venus (1980): Often considered her masterpiece by critics, this complex and ambitious novel follows two orphaned Australian sisters as they navigate love, ambition, and disappointment across continents. It solidified her reputation as a major literary voice.
• The Great Fire (2003): Hazzard's final novel, a powerful and moving work set in post-World War II Japan and later London, delves into the redemptive power of love amidst suffering and devastation. This novel garnered an exceptional array of major literary awards, underscoring its profound impact and critical success:
  • U.S. National Book Award for Fiction: One of America's most prestigious literary honors, recognizing outstanding literary achievement.
  • Miles Franklin Award: Australia's premier literary prize for a novel of "high literary merit" portraying "Australian life in any of its phases," further cementing her connection to her Australian roots.
  • William Dean Howells Medal: Awarded by the American Academy of Arts and Letters once every five years for the most distinguished American fiction published during the preceding five years.

Nonfiction and United Nations Critique

Eyewitness to Institutional Challenges

Beyond her celebrated fiction, Shirley Hazzard also distinguished herself as a trenchant essayist and nonfiction writer. Notably, she penned two significant books based on her direct experiences working at the United Nations Secretariat from 1951 to 1961. These works, Defeat of an Ideal: A Study of the Self-Destruction of the United Nations (1973) and Countenance of Truth: The United Nations and the Waldheim Case (1990), were highly critical of the organization. Hazzard's critiques highlighted what she perceived as bureaucratic inefficiencies, moral compromises, and a departure from the UN's founding ideals, particularly during the Cold War era and in the context of the Kurt Waldheim controversy. Her nonfiction offered a stark, insider's perspective on the challenges faced by large international institutions and the erosion of their original noble aspirations.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Shirley Hazzard

What awards did Shirley Hazzard win for her work?

Shirley Hazzard received several highly prestigious literary awards, most notably the U.S. National Book Award for Fiction, the Miles Franklin Award, and the William Dean Howells Medal, all for her 2003 novel, The Great Fire. Her earlier novel, The Bay of Noon, was also shortlisted for the Lost Man Booker Prize in 2010.

What were Shirley Hazzard's major literary works?

Her most celebrated novels include The Bay of Noon (1970), The Transit of Venus (1980), and The Great Fire (2003). In nonfiction, her significant works are Defeat of an Ideal: A Study of the Self-Destruction of the United Nations (1973) and Countenance of Truth: The United Nations and the Waldheim Case (1990).

Why was Shirley Hazzard critical of the United Nations?

Having worked at the UN Secretariat for a decade, Hazzard became disillusioned with the organization. Her critical nonfiction works, such as Defeat of an Ideal and Countenance of Truth, detailed her observations of bureaucratic failures, ethical compromises, and what she viewed as a decline in the UN's foundational idealism, particularly in response to political pressures and specific controversies like the Waldheim case.

What is the "Lost Man Booker Prize"?

The "Lost Man Booker Prize" was a one-off award given in 2010 to a novel published in 1970. This was specifically for books that were not originally eligible for the Booker Prize because the rules were changed in 1971 to include all novels published that year, rather than just those published in the preceding year. Shirley Hazzard's The Bay of Noon was among the shortlisted titles for this unique retrospective award.