Shirley Hazzard was an Australian-American novelist, short story writer, and essayist. Born 30 January 1931 in Australia, she later gained U.S. citizenship.

Hazzard's 1970 novel The Bay of Noon was shortlisted for the Lost Man Booker Prize in 2010. Her 2003 novel The Great Fire won the U.S. National Book Award for Fiction, the Miles Franklin Award, and the William Dean Howells Medal.

She also wrote nonfiction, including two books based on her experiences working at the United Nations Secretariat, where she was highly critical of the organization.