Shirley Hazzard

Date of Birth: January 30, 1931

Zodiac Sign: Aquarius

Date of Death: December 12, 2016

Biography

Shirley Hazzard was an acclaimed Australian-American novelist, born on January 30, 1931, in Sydney, Australia. Her works are celebrated for their intricate character studies and exploration of human relationships and moral complexities. Moving to Hong Kong with her family at a young age, Hazzard experienced a cosmopolitan upbringing that influenced her literary career. She began her professional life working for the British Intelligence in Hong Kong and later for the United Nations in New York, an experience that deeply influenced her writing, often critiquing bureaucratic and institutional structures. Hazzard’s first novel, “The Evening of the Holiday,” was published in 1966, establishing her as a significant literary voice. Her most famous work, “The Transit of Venus,” won the National Book Critics Circle Award in 1980. Another notable work, “The Great Fire,” won the National Book Award for Fiction in 2003. Hazzard’s writing is known for its lyrical prose, profound insights into human behavior, and keen observations on the intersections of personal and political life.

5 Interesting Facts about Shirley Hazzard

1. Shirley Hazzard was a former employee of the United Nations, and her experiences there provided material for her critical portrayal of the organization in her novel “People in Glass Houses.”

2. She won the National Book Award for Fiction for her novel “The Great Fire” in 2003.

3. Hazzard was also a noted critic of the United Nations and authored a nonfiction work titled “Countenance of Truth: The United Nations and the Waldheim Case.”

4. She was married to Francis Steegmuller, a noted biographer and translator, from 1963 until his death in 1994.

5. Hazzard was inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Letters in 2000.

5 Most Interesting Quotes from Shirley Hazzard

1. “Sometimes, surely, truth is closer to imagination than to fact.”

2. “Human beings perform good and evil in the name of whatever they believe in.”

3. “We are the breakers of our own hearts.”

4. “One is grateful for the people who are always pushing the boundaries of what is possible.”

5. “The essence of the novel is that it deals with the human condition.”

Highest Net Worth Achieved

While specific details about Shirley Hazzard’s net worth are not widely publicized, her literary success, especially with award-winning novels like “The Transit of Venus” and “The Great Fire,” suggests she achieved a comfortable and respectable financial status during her lifetime.