Hazzard, Shirley 1931–

Hazzard is an Australian novelist, short story writer, and essayist who has spent most of her adult life either in the United States, including several years of work for the United Nations, or in Italy. In her impeccable short stories and novels which treat themes of loneliness and the birth and loss of love, Hazzard is said to resemble Katherine Mansfield and Willa Cather. Her elegant prose has been compared to that of Stendhal. (See also Contemporary Authors, Vols. 9-12, rev. ed.)